We toured Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota yesterday. This is the seventh national park, and the first to protect a cave system. The cave is the fourth longest in the world, with 128 miles mapped so far.
The cave is primarily sandstone, and was formed when groundwater dissolved the rock and then receded. It’s famous for the amount of boxwork that cover its ceilings. Boxwork is formed when cracks in the original sandstone are filled, the newer sandstone material creates a different bond that isn’t as easily dissolved, leaving behind thin fins of calcite material that look like boxes. There’s a lack of the usual stalagmites due to generally dry conditions, and bats don’t like the cave because it’s too warm.
There are many daily tours of the cave, including a candle light tour that mimics the way that the cave was originally explored. The park ranger that gave or tour provided some good insight into the rich history of the cave, including details of a feuding family that battled in the courts over ownership before the federal government determined that neither fulfilled the mandates of the Homestead Act, and took the land back into public trust.
The National Park Service (NPS) has a mission to preserve and protect the land under their care, while balancing access and recreation. At times, this mission requires a rethinking of previous management practices in order to meet their mandate. At Wind Cave, the visitor center and employee housing is located right above the cave, a situation that is not ideal, but too costly and disruptive to move.
NPS has put in place a number of measures to decrease the impact of surface activity on the cave below. When oil and traces of gasoline and antifreeze were detected in the cave, the original asphalt parking lot was torn up and replaced with concrete, including a drain and water filtration system. The pipes for all the buildings have been double lined in order to mitigate any potential breaks.
When looking at long-term management, it’s often necessary to take a different approach when information reveals new impacts. The National Park Service has a heavy burden to manage this and other parks that receive a heavy traffic of tourists. The ongoing diligence of NPS at Wind Cave and other parks should be recognized, supported and celebrated.
