The Southeastern Cave Conservancy (SCCi) is a

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

not-for-profit corporation A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation m ...

dedicated to

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

conservation, caver education, and cave management. It was formed in 1991 by a group of

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also known as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical List of regions in the United States, region of the United States located in the eastern portion of the Southern United States and t ...

cavers. The SCCi is an institutional member of the

National Speleological Society The National Speleological Society (NSS) is an organization formed in 1941 to advance the exploration, conservation, study, and understanding of caves in the United States. Originally headquartered in Washington D.C., its current offices are in ...

. According to its Articles of Incorporation, the organization's purpose is "to acquire and manage caves for scientific study, education of those persons interested in speleology, and conservation of these resources".

Caves and preserves

The organization owns or leases of land in six

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

s, 170+ caves, 32 cave preserves, and over $1.5 million in land assets. The SCCi is particularly interested in caves that are threatened with closure or destruction or those that provide a habitat for

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

such as the

gray bat The gray bat (''Myotis grisescens'') is a species of microbat endemic to North America. It once flourished in caves all over the southeastern United States, but due to human disturbance (ecology), disturbance, gray bat populations declined severe ...

Tennessee cave salamander The Tennessee cave salamander (''Gyrinophilus palleucus'') is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae, endemic to the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. Its natural habitats are streams in caves. It is threatened by habitat ...

, and

Hart's-tongue fern ''Asplenium scolopendrium'', commonly known as the hart's-tongue fern, is an evergreen fern in the family Aspleniaceae native to the Northern Hemisphere. Description The most striking and unusual feature of the fern is its simple, strap-shaped u ...

. Caves and preserves owned or leased by the organization are listed below.Southeastern Cave Conservancy Cave and Karst Preserves
, SCCi website, accessed April 9, 2011

Alabama

* Anderson Cave (one major cave and four smaller caves), Shelby County * Falling Cave, Jackson County *

Fern Cave The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

(Surprise Pit entrance), Jackson County *

Glove Pit A glove is a garment covering the hand, with separate sheaths or openings for each finger including the thumb. Gloves protect and comfort hands against cold or heat, damage by friction, abrasion or chemicals, and disease; or in turn to provide a ...

, Madison County * Horse Skull and Jack's Hole, Jackson County * Kennamer Cave (two caves), Jackson County * Jacobs Mountain Preserve, Jackson County * Limrock Blowing Cave Preserve, Jackson County * Neversink Cave, Jackson County * Steward Spring Cave,

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johann de Kalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama DeKalb County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Alabama, northeastern part ...

*Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve (five caves), Jackson County * Tumbling Rock Cave, Jackson County * Valhalla Cave (one major cave and three smaller ones), Jackson County

Florida

* Hollow Ridge, Jackson County * Jennings Cave, Marion County

Georgia

* Fox Mountain (at least seven caves), Dade County * Frick's Cave, Walker County *Charles B. Henson Cave Preserve at Johnsons Crook (at least 34 caves, Dade County * Howard's Waterfall Cave, Dade County

Kentucky

* Frenchman Knob Cave, Hart County * Logsdon Cave (William R. Halliday Cave Preserve), Hart County

Tennessee

* Gourdneck Cave, Marion County * Holly Creek Cave, Wayne County * Mayapple Cave and Meander Cave, Grundy County * Rattling Cave, Cocke County *Run To The Mill Cave Preserve, Cumberland County * Sinking Cove (includes five major caves and five smaller ones), Franklin County * Snail Shell Cave, Rutherford County * South Pittsburg Pit, Marion County * Wolf River Cave,

Fentress County Fentress County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,489. Its county seat is Jamestown. History Fentress County was formed on November 28, 1823, from portions of Morgan, Overton ...

West Virginia

* Lobelia Saltpeter Cave, Pocahontas County

References

External links

Southeastern Cave Conservancy website
Cave conservancies Environmental organizations based in the United States {{environmental-org-stub