NCKRI Seed Grant

Proposals for NCKRI National Seed Grants are due May 17th, 2023.

The National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is pleased to announce our next call for grants in support of cave and karst research. Please see the attached request for proposals (also linked in the description below). 

The NCKRI National Seed Grant Program is designed to enable investigators to initiate new cave and karst research, and incentivize new principal investigators to enter the field. We especially encourage projects within the National Park System. Applications can be submitted at the following link: https://www.nmt.edu/research/organizations/nckri.php

Please direct any questions about submission or budget preparation to Judith McShannon (Judith.McShannon@nmt.edu, 575-835-6940). Other questions about this RFP can be directed to Daniel Jones, NCKRI Academic Director (daniel.s.jones@nmt.edu, 575-835-5049).

2023 BCRA Online Seminars

Bats in Caves and Underground sites: World Edition

With:

Jess Eades, Peak Ecology

Mon 15, May, 2023

19:30 to 21:00 BST

Bones in Caves: Awkward Inconvenience or Hidden Opportunity

With:

Professor Andrew Chamberlain, University of Bournemouth

Mon 12, June, 2023

19:30 to 21:00 BST

Field Guides

All Sinkhole Conference proceedings and field guides are available on the NCKRI website via the Karst Information Portal. To limit environmental impact, few copies are printed. To increase the accessibility of scientific information, these documents are available at no cost, digitally.

Guest Speaker Jim Griswold

"The Sinkhole That Wasn't"

We are so happy to have so many wonderful presenters and instructors at the conference. If you were not able to attend we invite you to watch our guest speaker Jim Griswold and his experience in mitigating the collapse of a cavity that could have cause 1 billion dollars in damages.

On April 22nd the 3rd Sinkhole Clean-Up occurred in the Sacramento Plains organized by the Roswell Bureau of Land Management Office. So far a total of 18,000lbs of unwanted materials have been removed and sorted.

Carlsbad Cave Clean-Up

Also on April 22, was the first Earth Day Cave Clean-Up in partnership with the Carlsbad BLM Office. Over 900lbs of metal were removed from the cave entrance and surrounding karst features. Afterwards the volunteers were rewarded with a short caving trip.

NCKRI's Education and Outreach team participated in Southeast New Mexico college's STEAM night and the New Mexico Bureau of Geology's Science Café at New Mexico Tech.

Student Research Symposium

Several students apart of NMT's Cave & Karst Studies Program presented on their research. A few of the projects were graduate students accompanied by undergraduates who ran the analysis as part of a learning by discovery science class.

Rocky Mountain Geobiology Symposium

The Jones Lab was well represented at the RMGS with presentations about biofilm investigations at Valles Caldera to findings of ammonia supported ecosystem in the Frassassi cave system.

New Mexico Geological Society Spring Meeting

The Cave and Karst Studies program is at it again! This time presenting at the NMGS spring meeting. The conference was also attended by NCKRI's science team in anticipation of hosting the Fall Field Conference in Carlsbad. Hope to see you there!

Location:

Elkins, West Virginia, USA

Deadline:

May 15, 2023

Present at NSS Convention

The 2023 annual convention will be held in Elkins, West Virginia. As one of the largest annual gathering of cavers in the United States, it is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, learn a lot about caving, and go caving.

To present at the convention, contact the chair of the relevant session with your subject, the required time/equipment, and an abstract. Abstracts should be a summary of conclusions and results, not merely a statement of what the presentation is about. Please limit abstracts to 250 words.