Buffalo National River Partners will present Caves of the Ozarks May 16 in the South Campus Room M143 of North Arkansas College.

Nathan Windel, high school science teacher at Deer High School, will be the featured speaker on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at the south campus of North Arkansas College. Mr. Windel’s presentation will be located in Room M143 and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. His presentation will highlight the exciting adventure of caving through the underground of northern Arkansas with a special emphasis on the AEGIS Program, Project Caves: Creative Adventures and Valuable Experiences through Spelunking.

Knowledge to help protect and preserve fragile caves starts with education. In the 1890’s, researcher E. A. Martel said, “No theory about the origin of caves is universal. While the origins of caves can be debated, it is evident that the conservation and protection of many of today’s fragile caves starts through sound education. More and more people are becoming interested in caves. As awareness of our underground resources continues to grow so has the need for prompt, unbiased information.

It is known that caves have served as shelters, burial grounds, ceremonial events, and also as sources of water for at least 10,000 years. The climate for many caves is very stable and can serve business and economic purposes today such as secure sites for data storage. While most caves may not serve such purposes to the same extent today, they are a vital part of our ecosystem and Mr. Windel’s program highlights why and how we can protect our caves today.

Mr. Windel will also discuss the AEGIS Program, Project CAVES. Project CAVES is a seven-day/six-night summer residential program that provides an authentic immersion in science outside of the classroom for gifted high-school students. This program provides a unique life-changing experience involving in-depth curriculum and strategies that high ability science students need. Activities will center on investigative studies in the areas of cave ecosystems, karst geology, bat populations, and hydrogeology.

Please make plans to join us on the evening of Tuesday, May 16 @ 6:30 p.m. Admission is free to the public.

The mission of the Buffalo National River Partners organization is to support the goals and purposes of the Buffalo National River. By providing financial resources, advocacy, technical assistance and volunteers to the park, our organization assists in the purpose to preserve the unique and cultural features, educate visitors, and improve facilities of Buffalo National River.