The Cave Research Foundation (CRF) is an American private,

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

group dedicated to the exploration, research, and conservation of caves. The group arose in the early 1950s from the exploration efforts at

Floyd Collins William Floyd Collins (July 20, 1887 – February 13, 1925) was an American cave explorer, principally in a region of Kentucky that houses hundreds of miles of interconnected caves, today a part of Mammoth Cave National Park, the longest ...

Crystal Cave, now within

Mammoth Cave National Park Mammoth Cave National Park is an American national park in west-central Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper Sout ...

. Its stated goals were: to promote exploration and documentation of caves and

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

areas, initiate and support cave and karst research, aid in

cave conservation Cave conservation is the protection and restoration of caves to prevent or minimise the effects of human activities. Some caves have delicate features that can be disturbed by changes in light levels, humidity, temperature or air flow. Caves that ...

and protection, and to assist with the interpretation of caves and karst to the public.

Growth

CRF officially incorporated in 1957 under the laws of the Commonwealth of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. The Guadalupe Cave Survey, explorers at

Carlsbad Caverns National Park Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natura ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

, became part of CRF in 1971. In 1976, cave survey at

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and today protects of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing ...

Kings Canyon National Park Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed to Kings ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and Buffalo National River,

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, became CRF projects. Additional cave projects in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park,

;

Lava Beds National Monument Lava Beds National Monument is located in northeastern California, in Siskiyou and Modoc counties. The monument lies on the northeastern flank of Medicine Lake Volcano and has the largest total area covered by a volcano in the Cascade Range. ...

; and the Ozark National Scenic Riverways,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

; have been included as operation areas of the CRF.

Focus

Starting with

, CRF work has primarily focused on United States federal lands---particularly within

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

National Parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

. As such, the CRF has been involved with several of the major cave exploration achievements of the 20th century. In particular, CRF mapping at Mammoth Cave,

led to its documentation as the world's longest known cave. Since its inception, CRF has primarily been concerned with cave mapping. Thus, its membership draws experienced

cavers Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology is ...

, particularly those interested in cave surveying and cartography.

Cave Books

Cave Books, founded in 1981, is the non-profit publishing affiliate of the Cave Research Foundation. It is perhaps the world’s largest publisher of books on caves, karst, and speleology. Cave Books is staffed by volunteers, and the managing editor is Elizabeth Grace Winkler.

Notable CRF cartographers and authors

* Patty Jo Watson, Ph.D., archaeologist * Richard "Red" Watson, Ph.D., author of books on caves and philosophy * Roger Brucker, explorer and author * Patricia Crowther, explorer and computer programmer * Will Crowther, explorer and computer programmer

External links

Cave Research Foundation websiteCave Books
{{Authority control Caving organizations in the United States Cave research