Field Trips
The KR8 Conference will include several field trips to karst regions of Texas and the Southwestern US. For questions regarding the one-day and half-day field trips, please contact Corinne Wong (ciwong@utexas.edu) or Jay Banner (banner@jsg.utexas.edu). For questions regarding the longer Southwestern US field trip, please contact Kathleen Johnson (kathleen.johnson@uci.edu).
The deadline to register for one-day field trips is March 10, 2017. The deadline to register for the 7-day pre-conference trip is February 24, 2017.
Pre-conference:
Natural Bridge Caverns and West Cave
Post-conference:
Inner Space Caverns
Pre-conference 7-day (CANCELLED):
Southwest U.S. Karst Field Trip
Pre-conference |
Natural Bridge Caverns and West Cave |
Saturday, May 20 |
$50 |
This trip will include visits to two caves for which there is on-going cave monitoring studies, Natural Bridge Caverns and West Cave, as well as a late-afternoon stop at a Texas swimming hole and a pizza dinner at a Brewery (dinner not included in price). Natural Bridge Caverns is a commercially developed cave (http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/) that has been studied since 1995. It consists of two large, well-decorated caverns that extend to ~60 m depth. West Cave is a small cave located in a sidewall of a canyon (next to a waterfall), and that has been studied since 2006 due to its unique setting that provides an opportunity to study cave processes in contrasting setting relative to other caves in the region. West Cave and Hamilton Pool are located on a large land preserve in the Texas Hill Country.
Limit 20 people.
Mid-conference |
West Cave and Hamilton Pool OR Barton Creek and Barton Springs |
Tuesday, May 23 |
$25 |
The mid-conference trips will be held in the afternoon of May 23rd, concurrent with the optional workshops. Participants may therefore only sign up for a fieldtrip OR workshop(s). We encourage those who would like to make the most of their trip, to consider signing up for the mid-conference workshops and the pre- and post- conference field trips.
Option 1: West cave and Hamilton pool
This trip will include visits to a cave for which there is on-going cave monitoring studies, West Cave, as well as a stop at a Texas swimming hole and a pizza dinner at a Brewery (dinner not included in price). West Cave is a small cave located in a sidewall of a canyon (next to a waterfall), and that has been studied since 2006 due to its unique setting that provides an opportunity to study cave processes in contrasting setting relative to other caves in the region. West Cave and Hamilton Pool are located on a large land preserve in the Texas Hill Country.
Limit 20 people.
Option 2: Barton Creek and Barton Springs
This trip include discussion of the Cretaceous-age carbonate bedrock exposures along Barton Creek, a look at a recent day-lighting and restoration of the Eliza spring habitat, and snorkeling tour of the aquatic ecosystem of Barton Springs, home to an endangered and threatened salamander species.
Post-conference |
Inner Space Caverns |
Thursday, May 25 |
$50 |
This trip include a visit to Inner Space Caverns in the morning and Barton Creek and Barton Springs in the afternoon. Inner Space Caverns is a commercially developed cave (www.innerspacecavern.com) that has been studied since 1996. It is an extensive, horizontal cave that is well ornamented. In the afternoon, there will be discussion of the Cretaceous-age carbonate bedrock exposures along Barton Creek, a look at a recent day-lighting and restoration of the Eliza spring habitat, and snorkeling tour of the aquatic ecosystem of Barton Springs, home to an endangered and threatened salamander species.
Limit 14 people.
Pre-conference 7-day |
Southwest U.S. Karst Field Trip |
May 14-20 |
$800 |
WE ARE SORRY TO ANNOUNCE THAT THIS TRIP HAS NOT MET THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF REGISTRANTS, SO HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
The pre-conference fieldtrip will visit the karst regions of the Southwestern US, beginning in Tucson, AZ on May 14th, 2017 and ending in Austin, TX on May 20th. We will visit spectacular karst regions and several caves in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, including Kartchner Caverns; Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Guadalupe Mountains National Park (Permian reef complex and associated features), and Caverns of Sonora. Accommodation will be basic (shared rooms) and the price will be inclusive of all transportation and lodging, and breakfasts and lunch. Dinners and alcoholic beverages are the responsibility of the participants.
Minimum 12 people, maximum 20 people. REGISTRATION DEADLINE: FEB. 24, 2017. Fees will be refunded if minimum number is not met.*
*IMPORTANT NOTE: We recommend NOT booking travel until you receive confirmation that the trip will go forward.
Tentative itinerary:
May 14th – Arrive in Tucson, AZ; Evening meetup for dinner.
May 15th – Morning desert hike and afternoon/evening trip to Kartchner Caverns area; Dinner in Tombstone
May 16th – Colossal Cave; Drive to El Paso, TX (4 hours)
May 17th – Morning drive to Carlsbad (~2.5 hrs). En route, meet with Dr. Lewis Land (from National Cave and Karst Research Institute) for introduction to Guads and stops at deep water features. Afternoon – tour Carlsbad Caverns National Park followed by nearby visit to Capitan Reef outcrop.
May 18th – Full day field trip in Guadalupe Mountains National Park led by Lewis Land (overview of regional geology/hydrology)
May 19th – Half- to full- day trip (either to view sinkholes/evaporite karst near Roswell (karst geohazards/hydrology focus) or visit to local speleothem research sites. Evening, drive to Sonora, TX (~4 hrs)
May 20th – Morning visit to Caverns of Sonora, drive to Austin, TX (~4 hrs)