Congress is being asked to expand Mammoth Cave National Park by nearly 1,000 acres/NPS file

Two caves and valuable wildlife habitat could soon be added to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky under legislation calling for nearly 1,000 acres to be added to the national park.

Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) recently introduced the Mammoth Cave National Park Boundary Adjustment Act in the House and U.S. Senate, respectively. This bill would expand Mammoth Cave to protect wildlife, preserve cultural heritage, and bring more tourism to this national park in Kentucky’s Second District.

“As the world's longest known cave system full of biodiversity and history, Mammoth Cave National Park is not only a treasure to the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but also a treasure to the entire world," said Guthrie. 'After discussions with Mammoth Cave National Park leadership and the local community, I introduced a bill to allow the park to acquire specific land to put cultural heritage artifacts and habitats under the care and expertise of the Mammoth Cave National Park Service. I’m proud to partner with Leader McConnell on this effort to expand Mammoth Cave National Park for National Park Service employees and volunteers to conserve and people to enjoy for generations to come."

The world's longest cave, more than 400 miles have officially been mapped in Mammoth Cave. The cave received its official designation as the world's longest cave system in 1969 with 65 miles of surveyed passageways. Ongoing work by the Cave Research Foundation continues to expand the new passageways. In the fall of 2021, it was announced that another eight miles had been mapped, bringing the total to 420 miles.

The land now being eyed for acquisition by the National Park Service currently is owned by The Nature Conservancy. Two caves on the property, the Coach Cave and James Cave, contain both prehistoric and historic artifacts as well as habitat for bats.

Background:

• The legislation authorizes 980 acres of land expansion that includes the Green River watershed.
• This southern boundary expansion specifically includes the coordinates 135/177, 967 in Edmonson and Barren counties.
• The legislation allows the Mammoth Cave National Park Service to acquire critical habitat land owned by The Nature Conservancy that specialists with Mammoth Cave National Park are equipped to maintain. The Nature Conservancy is currently in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• The property includes numerous cave passages, including Coach Cave and James Cave that have prehistoric and historic artifacts that the National Park System can conserve and manage.