• Wind Cave National Park - Two Worlds

    Wind Cave

    National Park South Dakota

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  • Elk Mountain Campground Closed

    The Elk Mountain Campground is closed and will remain closed through the summer of 2013 due to across the board budget cuts.

Defining Moments - Cave Management Begins

The beginning of the cave management program

 
Warren Netherton

Warren Netherton

NPS Photo by Jim Pisarowicz

The park's surface area had been serving as a laboratory on the plains for decades with researchers studying the park's plants and animals. During the same period, very little research occurred in the cave. In 1984, at the insistence of the Assistant Chief of Interpretation Kay Rohde, seasonal ranger Warren Netherton was hired into a part-time position to start a cave management program. Netherton monitored the cave's climate, developed a cave inventory procedure, and worked to reduce algae in the cave. It was this position, later made permanent and initially filled by Jim Nepstad, that lead to the establishment of a cave management operation that sought to preserve and manage the cave based on science.

Did You Know?

White Penstemon

White Penstemon is the most widespread penstemon or beardtongue in the Great Plains. The insides of the blossoms are bearded and often spotted with purple. More...