Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico and Texas
June 9-12, 2003 - Carlsbad, New Mexico

Hosted by the Hoffman Environmental Research Institute and the National Cave and Karst Research Institute
Organizer: Alan Glennon, Western Kentucky University

Please contact Alan Glennon before paying trip fee.

Description

The Guadalupe Mountains, a well-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reef, contain some of the largest and deepest limestone caves in the United States. Additionally, a vast evaporite karst plain adjacent to the mountains holds several of the United States' longest gypsum caves.

The field trip will explore the karst geology and environmental management within the Guadalupe Mountain region. Several federal land agencies, including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and United States Forest Service administer substantial karst districts. The individual land management agencies' differing mandates have fostered an array of strategies to sustain the region's fragile karst landscapes and ecosystems.

Logistics and Activities

The four-day field trip begins at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, June 9, from the Best Western Stevens Inn (Stevens Inn), Carlsbad, New Mexico. The trip will end Thursday evening, June 12.

Each day's activities will last 12-14 hours; with a short break for dinner. Field excursions during the morning and afternoon will be followed by evening activities or presentations. Participants must be in good physical condition and equipped to spend time in the summer heat and underground inside caves. Participants should bring basic cave gear; a limited number of helmets and lights are available from the organizers for a small fee.

While in the field, box lunches will be provided. Everyone will be responsible for their own breakfasts and dinners, except dinner will be provided Monday night. Stevens Inn offers a free breakfast buffet for hotel guests. The field trip will begin promptly at the Stevens Inn at 8:00 a.m. each day. Transportation will be provided from the Stevens Inn to the field locations. Daily activities are expected to continue into the evening, usually returning to the hotel by 10:00 p.m.

Trips are planned to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Bureau of Land Management Gypsum Karst Plain (Delaware Basin), Lincoln National Forest, City of Carlsbad Vicinity, and Bottomless Lakes State Park. While most of the caves visited will be large and dry, at least one of the caves requires wading through deep water.

Transportation
Carlsbad, New Mexico, is approximately 1900 kilometers (1200 miles) from Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Participants will be responsible for their own transportation to Carlsbad, New Mexico. El Paso International Airport is the closest, large airport to the field trip site. Roundtrip airline fares are commonly $300-$400 from Nashville, Tennessee (BNA), to El Paso, Texas (ELP). More expensive flights are available directly to the small airport at Carlsbad, New Mexico (CNM). International participants should be aware that round-trip airline fares are often less expensive than one-way airline fares; booking tickets several weeks in advance often substantially reduces the fare. Round-trips bookings that span a Saturday night sometime reduce the fare too.

Participants planning to drive should be prepared for two very long days of driving. The trip organizer has driven the route once or twice; from Bowling Green to Carlsbad, his driving time was approximately 21 hours. The roads between Bowling Green and Carlsbad are generally excellent.

A free shuttle will be available to trip participants on Sunday night, June 8, from El Paso International Airport to the Stevens Inn. The shuttle will leave the airport at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Also, on Friday, June 13, at 8:00 a.m., a shuttle will leave the Stevens Inn for the El Paso International Airport. The drive from El Paso, Texas, to Carlsbad, New Mexico is approximately two hours. Participants wishing to use the shuttle should contact the trip organizer, Alan Glennon (alan.glennon@wku.edu), for details.

During the trip, transportation will be provided from the Stevens Inn to the field locations.

Accommodations/Location
The trip will be headquartered at the Stevens Inn in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Room rates are approximately $60 per night for one person. You can reserve a room by calling the Best Western Stevens Inn directly at (800) 730-2851 or (505) 887-2851. The hotel's website can be found at: www.stevensinn.com. For ease of booking, a small block of rooms has been reserved under the name "cave field trip". If you do not wish to stay at the Stevens Inn, several other affordable hotels are nearby. Information on Carlsbad hotels can be found at:

http://www.chamber.caverns.com/map.htm#hi

Note that the Best Western Stevens Inn is location "1" on the map. Hotels within a 2-blocks walking distance are the Carlsbad Inn, Stage Coach Inn and Royal Manor. Camping space has also been arranged in the vicinity. E-mail the trip organizer for more details.

For more information:
Please contact trip organizer Alan Glennon if you have questions or would like additional information (e-mail: alan.glennon@wku.edu, telephone: 270 745-4169). The number of participants is limited to 20.