West Virginia Association for Cave Studies (WVACS)

WVACS members have contributed to the survey of at least 350 miles of cave passages in West Virginia, and many more throughout the country and around the world. WVACS teamed up with the West Virginia Speleological Survey (WVASS) to publish a large bulletin that takes a comprehensive look at the caves and karst of the Buckeye Creek watershed. Among the most heavily anticipated is the Culverson Cree

k Bulletin, which will include the first detailed map of the cave of the same name. The latter is in excess of 20 miles long and home to a diverse suite of cave passages and a very large stream. The organization welcomes cavers from all corners of the world. The road to becoming a member begins when a person attends Project Weekends, which see Members surveying caves and ridgewalking, with a Member serving as a sponsor. If a person decides that he/she wants to join, she simply asks someone to sponsor her. As an institution, WVACS actively promotes research. The facilities are made available to scientists, including graduate students who have lived in the fieldstations for months at a time. Students can now apply for grants too. As a part of this process, we attempt to encourage and support the collection of important speleological information as well as its dissemination through publications and newsletters.