Students will learn how the cave was formed and about some of the unique features from formations to fossils found in Wind Cave. Students will examine how human population affects the cave environment, the cave exploration taking place in the past and today, as well as the unique challenge of preserving a cave that over 130,000 visitors go into each year.
Point to Point: $0.00Point to Point Premium: $0.00By Request: $0.00By Request Premium: $0.00
45 minutes
Education: Grade(s) Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
10
75
Sciences, Social Studies/History
Available mid-September - mid-April. Please allow at least 72 hours for scheduling a program.
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For more information contact CILC at (507) 388-3672
Please allow as much notice as possible to allow for others to participate. We are happy to work with you to reschedule the program as necessary!
Wind Cave National Park
Hot Springs, South Dakota United States
Wind Cave National Park protects a 162 mile long cave system below the surface and over 30,000 acres of natural mixed-grass prairie on the surface. Today the surface is home to bison, elk, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and the recently reintroduced black-footed ferret, while the complex maze cave below continues to be explored.
Contact: Marvin Achtenberg marvin_achtenberg@nps.gov 605.745.1132
1. The program begins with an introduction to the National Park Service and the amazing places it protects.2. There is an overview of the area around Wind Cave and what makes that significant.3. Photos and videos will be used to illustrate the complexity of the seventh longest cave in the world.4. There will be time allotted for questions and answers at the end. If your students have specific questions or you have specific material you'd like covered please include that in the reservation.
• Describe how fossils are evidence of the environment in which they lived and how their presence supports the changes in the landscape over time • Compare different rates of weathering or the erosion by water that results in a variety of formations (speleothems) in the cave• Explain how human populations affect the cave environment• List ways of protecting resources and preserving national parks