GRWA and Lost World Caverns team up to educate the community on life underground in the Greenbrier Valley

Recently the Greenbrier River Watershed Association and Lost World Caverns teamed up to present “Living on Karst” in the Greenbrier Valley.  Over 120 people attended the event held at Lost World Caverns and roughly 50 people explored the underground wonders offered throughout the caves.

Karst is an area of limestone terrain characterized by sinkholes, ravines, caverns, and underground streams. Karst or cave land comprises 20% of the planet and holds unique life forms.  Karst topography presents special challenges to maintaining water quality. Due to the porosity of karst, the natural filtering effect of water percolating through soil may not occur.  Water can drop into a sinkhole and reappear virtually unchanged 30 miles away.

Beneath the surface, the world is a labyrinth of sunless tunnels, huge rooms and glittering caves formations.  Much of what would be surface water disappears into sinkholes and cave openings into these intricate underground pathways. The purpose of “Living on Karst” was to educate the community on the specific karst issues affecting the Greenbrier River watershed.  Thanks to everyone who helped out; GRWA was able to do just that.

GRWA extends a special thank you to the “Gigeusaws” for entertaining our guests with their beautiful music along with Lost World Caverns for hosting the event.  Other sponsors who were a tremendous help included Tavern 1785 Dinner House, Bubble Cave LLC, West Virginia Caver Conservancy (WVCC), West Virginia Association for Cave Studies, and the WVDEP Section 319 Clean Water Act.