Post by L Roebuck on Nov 9, 2007 15:28:43 GMT -5
Bringing to Light Underground Conservation
Maps of Subterranean Habitat Guides Aboveground Develpment
Nature Conservancy Magazine, Winter 2007
For years, conservationists have gone to great lengths to keep secret the location of caves in the Ozark highlands of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The vast karst ecosystem — a maze of caverns, underground streams and subterranean lakes — is home to the Foushee cavesnail and more than 100 other rare species that have developed in isolation over millions of years and that scientists have hoped to keep safe from accidental damage caused by tromping adventurers.
But a growing aboveground threat — the rapid sprawl of houses and shops, especially in Arkansas’ Benton and Washington counties — has convinced local cave ecologists that revealing the location of underground caves may be the only way to save them.
Blind development has muddied or polluted crucial underground waterways. In one instance, a city road crew dug into an 80-foot-wide cave directly beneath a busy intersection. Development on top of karst terrain has also come back to haunt homeowners. In January 2007, a 10-foot-wide, 12-foot-deep sinkhole opened in the yard of one family’s home in Bentonville, Arkansas.
To protect the caves and homeowners alike, The Nature Conservancy released a set of maps to help builders and local governments steer clear of sensitive underground areas. The maps can be seen online, and have already garnered attention from developers.
Full Text
Photo
Ozark cave maps are helping to deter development from on top of sensitive karst ecosystems. Development can damage caves and cause sinkholes like this one in Bentonville, Arkansas (above). Ozark cave maps are helping to deter development from on top of sensitive karst ecosystems. Development can damage caves and cause sinkholes like this one in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Maps of Subterranean Habitat Guides Aboveground Develpment
Nature Conservancy Magazine, Winter 2007
For years, conservationists have gone to great lengths to keep secret the location of caves in the Ozark highlands of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. The vast karst ecosystem — a maze of caverns, underground streams and subterranean lakes — is home to the Foushee cavesnail and more than 100 other rare species that have developed in isolation over millions of years and that scientists have hoped to keep safe from accidental damage caused by tromping adventurers.
But a growing aboveground threat — the rapid sprawl of houses and shops, especially in Arkansas’ Benton and Washington counties — has convinced local cave ecologists that revealing the location of underground caves may be the only way to save them.
Blind development has muddied or polluted crucial underground waterways. In one instance, a city road crew dug into an 80-foot-wide cave directly beneath a busy intersection. Development on top of karst terrain has also come back to haunt homeowners. In January 2007, a 10-foot-wide, 12-foot-deep sinkhole opened in the yard of one family’s home in Bentonville, Arkansas.
To protect the caves and homeowners alike, The Nature Conservancy released a set of maps to help builders and local governments steer clear of sensitive underground areas. The maps can be seen online, and have already garnered attention from developers.
Full Text
Photo
Ozark cave maps are helping to deter development from on top of sensitive karst ecosystems. Development can damage caves and cause sinkholes like this one in Bentonville, Arkansas (above). Ozark cave maps are helping to deter development from on top of sensitive karst ecosystems. Development can damage caves and cause sinkholes like this one in Bentonville, Arkansas.