What’s it like to be a Park Ranger at one of the biggest caves in the US? Let’s explore the other-worldliness of Carlsbad Caverns National Park with Interpretive Park Ranger Katie Crowley to find out. She leads cave tours, helps answer visitor questions, and writes poetry about the sites she sees every day.

Show Notes found at: https://www.virtualkamper.com/pwpr1/

Podcast Resources:

* Plan your next trip to Carlsbad Caverns
* NPS Carlsbad Caverns website
* Cave Swallow banding project
* Patreon – We hope you love Podcasts with Park Rangers as much as we love working on this passion project! Consider joining our Patreon where we host exclusive content for our Patrons!

Topics Covered

* About Katie Crowley
* About Carlsbad Caverns
* The Discovery of Carlsbad Caverns
* First European American Discoverer – Jim White
* How Are The Cave Formations Formed?
* Human Impact on the Cave Formations
* How Long Do The Formations Take To Grow?
* Park Service Conservation Efforts
* Animals in the Caves
* Ranger Katie’s Love for Carlsbad Caverns and the NPS
* Cave Swallow Banding Project
* Let’s Connect More!

About Ranger Katie Crowley
Ranger Katie grew up in Washington state, and the National Parks played an important part in her life as a kid. In the summers, her family often traveled to Mount Rainier.
She always wanted to be a teacher but felt the need to incorporate an outdoors element to teaching. So, she decided to take a position in environmental education at North Cascades National Park 9 years ago.
Recently, she transferred to Carlsbad Caverns. For fun, she writes poetry about the National Parks — some of which can be found on the Carlsbad Caverns Instagram.
About Carlsbad Caverns
What draws people to Carlsbad Caverns? Ranger Katie believes it’s a little bit of the unknown, and a little bit of the other-worldliness of the caverns.
Let’s take a journey into the caves: A hike from the surface via the Natural Entrance brings you 750 feet under the surface. The walk deep beneath the surface gets darker and darker; the natural light fades, and your eyes take time to adjust to a new normal of dimly lit paved paths.
The ceilings are hundreds of feet above your head, so the acoustics allow you to hear people on the other side of the cavern you can’t even see! For that reason, people are asked to whisper in the caves.
The journey culminates in the Big Room, the largest cave chamber in the United States. In every direction, there are stalagmites, stalactites, and delicate soda straws to marvel at and explore.
The Discovery of Carlsbad Caverns
Native Americans have called the Chihuahuan Desert around the cave home for 12,000 years. We know this because there are mezcal roasting pits outside the cave where the Native American would roast agave (a plant similar to an artichoke).