Cultural and biological survey of caves at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, assessing the suitability of caves for military training

Abstract

AbstractCurrent international military activities, especially in Afghanistan, have accelerated the need for military training activities in caves. Currently, military training in caves is not permitted on Fort Leonard Wood due to incomplete, partial, or outdated cultural and biological inventories; lack of adequate mapping; and other safety issues. This project is the initial phase of a multiyear Legacy project to establish a strategy, plan, and priority list for managing cave resources from a military training, biological, geophysical, cultural, and historical resources standpoint. The project will also help natural resource managers establish “cave policy” for installations that will facilitate management for natural, cultural, military training, and recreation resource issues as increased regulation and pressure is put on cave ecosystems. This Legacy project developed and field‐tested a program for inventorying and monitoring caves. The project identified a number of caves that can be utilized as training sites. Overreliance on previous cave surveys, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) consultation and notification process when human remains were discovered, and the availability of experts to classify invertebrate cave life caused the project to take much more time than expected. A final technical report is being completed, and a “howto” brochure for other installations was completed in August 2004. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.