JUNE 29, 2023
NCKMS Steering Committee Chooses Ely, Nevada as Host City for 2025 Symposium
ELKINS, WV —
During their annual meeting, the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium (NCKMS) Steering Committee unanimously approved a bid from the Western Cave Conservancy to host the 2025 event in Ely, Nevada.
As a coalition of federal and private land agencies responsible for cave and karst resources, the NCKMS includes representatives from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, the US Geological Society, and the National Cave and Karst Research Institute.
Under the leadership of Jim Kennedy from the National Speleological Society, the NCKMS Steering Committee includes representatives from organizations and agencies with a formal interest or responsibility for managing cave and karst resources nationwide.
The biennial symposia are week-long conferences dedicated to promoting, advancing, and sharing effective management concepts for cave and karst resources. This event serves as a valuable platform for land managers and natural resource scientists to network and exchange insights into current trends in research and management of these delicate ecosystems.
The Western Cave Conservancy, a non-profit land management organization established in 2002, focuses on preserving caves in the western United States. The WCC owns several cave properties and collaborates with other organizations on the management of caves held by external entities.
Formed in 1990, the NCKMS Steering Committee ensures the biennial occurrence of the NCKMS. The committee selects hosts for each symposium through a bidding process, offering guidance for event development, sponsorships for attendance, publishing symposia proceedings, and supporting key conferences addressing cave and karst management issues.
The 2025 NCKMS is scheduled for October 6-10 at the Bristlecone Convention Center in Ely, Nevada.
Ely, Nevada, and the surrounding Great Basin National Park offer unparalleled scenic beauty that captivates tourists and nature enthusiasts alike. Nestled in the expansive Great Basin region, Ely boasts breathtaking landscapes characterized by rugged mountain ranges, vast desert vistas, and unique geological formations. The pristine beauty of Great Basin National Park complements Ely's charm, featuring ancient bristlecone pine forests, majestic Wheeler Peak, and Lehman Caves.
The inaugural NCKMS took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1975, and symposia have been consistently organized since then.
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Internal organizations of the National Speleological Society are welcome to reprint these news items in regional newsletters and grotto publications without further permission. External organizations should contact the NCKMS team for approval. Additional artwork is available upon request.
The official event schedule for the 2025 NCKMS has now been updated. Please check our schedule page or download a PDF to your mobile device.
Southwest Geophysical Consulting provides geophysical consulting to industry, ranchers, homeowners and government in karst and pseudo-karst areas of New Mexico and surrounding states,
Lehman Caves attracts tens of thousands of visitors to eastern Nevada yearly, a trend that began not long after their discovery in the late 1880s. For over 60 years, Lehman Caves National Monument protected these underground wonders, with their unique geology and ecology. And today, they remain protected as part of Great Basin National Park.
The 2016 NSS 75th anniversary convention in Ely, Nevada will include tours of this beautiful cave.