Our local caves are significant in a number of important ways. Local caves have world class cave formations. See Ed McCarthy's Caves of the Virginias site for award winning pictures of local caves and the pictures pages of the MAKC web site. Caves provide homes to many creatures including the endangered Indiana Bat and the threatened Eastern Wood Rat . Archeologic and paleontologic significance.
Many local caves contain rich finds of bones of extinct animals.
The filtering provided by soil layers is bypassed by the honeycombed holes found in karst areas. Recreation and Exploration. Caves are one of our last frontiers and offer unique recreational opportunities and the chance to be the first to find new caves passages. Many caves, including MAKC's Hall cave, are used to educate youth groups in geology and conservation. Our local caves are threatened by a wide range of development and commercial pressures.