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WELLS CAVE NATURE PRESERVE MANAGEMENT PLAN(Pulaski Co., Kentucky)
Jim Helmbold, the current owner of two of the entrances of Wells Cave in Pulaski County, Kentucky has expressed the desire to give the property containing the two entrances to the National Speleological Society. The land parcel is less than three acres.
The purpose of a management plan is to describe what is on a property and how it should be managed. It is an operating manual for the preserve. A plan is not a static document that once written is placed on the shelf and forgotten. It is a document that is to be used and referenced on a regular basis. The property manager must follow the plan unless there is a compelling and over-riding reason for doing otherwise. Unless there is an immediate need, nothing should be done at a property that is not in the plan. If something new is desired, the plan should be amended only after careful, complete, and thorough analysis of the proposed changes or additions. Then, the amendments must be approved by the NSS Board of Governors. If the management plan is the basis for a management agreement with a third party, such as the USDA Forest Service, then any changes must also be approved by the third party.
UNDERGROUND RESOURCES BIOLOGICAL - A bioinventory has not been done in Wells Cave. However, a small colony of Indiana bats hibernate in the cave and an unidentified cavefish has been observed. Bat censuses are being conducted by the US Forest Service and the Kentucky Nature Preserves Commission. GEOLOGICAL & HYDROLOGICAL - Wells Cave contains approximately 2.5 miles of major stream passage, known as River Passage. This stream resurges on Buck Creek. Recharge to the cave is primarily derived from runoff from nearby insoluble rocks. Wells Cave is formed in the Mississippian Bangor Limestone. The cave appears to have both floodwater maze and distributary passages at the downstream end of the system. PALEONTOLOGICAL - No significant or unique resources are known to exist. ARCHEOLOGICAL - No significant or unique resources are known to exist. HISTORICAL - No significant or unique resources are known to exist.
BIOLOGICAL - The Wells Cave property consists of abandoned field. Around the entrances are oak and hickory trees. The cave is located in the Buck Creek watershed, which is a Watershed Bioreserve project of The Nature Conservancy. Buck Creek provides habitat to three Federally listed endangered mussels. GEOLOGICAL & HYDROLOGICAL - Economic quantities of coal are present in nearby ridges. Extraction of this resource is a potential threat to the cave and its biological community as well as to the Buck Creek watershed in general. PALEONTOLOGICAL - No significant or unique resources are known to exist. ARCHEOLOGICAL - No significant or unique resources are known to exist. HISTORICAL - No significant or unique resources are known to exist.
The caves on the proposed preserve will not require special permission or a release form for normal caving. The owner has expressed the desire that the cave be kept open for recreational caving. A kiosk/registration box should be constructed on the property probably just inside the entrance sink and out of sight of the road. Anybody entering the cave would be requested to complete a trip card and place it in the IN Slot. On leaving the cave, they would move the card to an OUT box.
Wells Cave Nature Preserve
Trip Card
Date & time in ___/___/___ _______
Date & time out ___/___/___ ______
Trip leader ______________________
Number in Party _____ (Please list the trip
members on the back.)
Purpose of trip __________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
Was there anything unusual or any problem you
noted on the property that of which the manager
should be aware?
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
________________________________
For entry to the cave, standard caving gear will be required. This includes helmet with a chinstrap; three sources of light, one of which is mounted on the helmet; and at least three people in the party.
At present there does not appear to be any use conflicts. However, two of the four entrances to the cave are owned by entities other than the NSS. The Wells Cave Nature Preserve Management Committee should ensure that there are good relations with the adjoining landowners.
The cave has not publicized in magazines or newspapers of general circulation. Caver publications like the NSS News may contain information on the latest discoveries. Some grotto publications may also have information, but these have limited circulation and usually do not give locations. Publication of the entrance location will be discouraged.
When managing a cave, one must not assume that the management plan is effective. The cave should be monitored for degradation. The Wells Cave Nature Preserve Management Committee, in consultation with the NSS Administrative Vice-President, will evaluate the desirability and practicality of various monitoring strategies. The strategies include, but are not limited to, photo-monitoring, water quality monitoring, and periodic censusing of indicator species. In order for degradation to be noted, a baseline for adopted strategies. should be established as soon as possible. Lee Florea will be the interim chairman as the initial contact and he indicates that the Blue Grass has offered their support, along with Central Ohio, Greater Cincinnati, and Dayton Grottos. A NSS Nature Preserve Management Committee will be formed from these grottos and a permanent chairman will be nominated.
The cave entrance is located close to Kentucky Route 192 about 14 miles east of Somerset. Between the cave and the road is a mobile home that is not part of the proposed preserve. There is a small field immediately south of the entrance, north of the entrance is a much larger field. It is recommended that the southern area be closed to parking and that a more formal parking area be created in the field north of the entrance. The condition of the surface biological community will be monitored in cooperation with entities such as The Nature Conservancy and the US Forest Service.
It is recommended that a formal trail be cut from the smaller entrance to the field north of the main entrance, where the parking area will be. The parking area will be marked. Qualified personnel will conduct a thorough bioinventory. This management plan should be amended when a bioinventory has been completed. It is recommended that cooperative agreements be reached with other owners of Wells Cave that ensure that the NSS has access to the entire cave. The USDA Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy should be contacted about cooperating and continuing monitoring efforts both above and below ground at Wells Cave. It is recommended that the Wells Cave Nature Preserve Management Committee be alert to opportunities for the NSS to secure protection for more of the privately held portions of the cave. Qualified personnel should conduct an inventory of paleolontogical and archeological potential in the cave. Periodic census of bat species will continue. The small colony of Indiana bats hibernates in a relatively obscure room in Wells Cave. The Wells Cave Nature Preserve Committee should consider if visitation to the hibernation room should be restricted during the hibernation season. A registration box will be built and maintained. A supply of Trip Cards will be made available to visitors. The completed Trip Cards will be reviewed and stored by the Wells Cave Nature Preserve Management Committee. Lee Florea will be the interim chairman as the initial contact and he indicates that the Blue Grass has offered their support, along with Central Ohio, Greater Cincinnati, and Dayton Grottos. A NSS Nature Preserve Management Committee will be formed from these grottos and a permanent chairman will be nominated.
Existing data on Wells Cave should be collected and maintained. These data include cave maps, bat censuses, recharge area delineation, and cave visitation.
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