We're proud to be affiliated with the following organizations and agencies.

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) www.aaas.org
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is an international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association.

American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA) www.cavern.org
ACCA is a nonprofit membership organization whose activities and proceeds are dedicated to the conservation of caves and related resources across the nation and around the world. It operates the American Cave and Karst Center (also known as the American Cave Museum), which includes Hidden River Cave, in the town of Horse Cave, KY. (A Memorandum of Understanding between the ACCA and the NSS can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AB)

American Geological Institute www.agiweb.org
The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 44 geoscientific and
professional associations that represents more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in our profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources and interaction with the environment.

Bat Conservation International (BCI) www.batcon.org
BCI's mission is to teach people the value of bats, to protect and conserve critical bat habitats, and to advance scientific knowledge through research. All this while using a win-win beneficial solution that will benefit both bats and people.

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) www.blm.gov
The Bureau of Land Management manages nearly 800 caves in the eleven western states. A Memorandum of Understanding to develop cooperative management and volunteer agreements between the BLM, the NSS, and the Cave Research Foundation resulted from the Federal Cave Resource
Protection Act (FCRPA) proposed by the NSS and enacted by Congress in
1988. (The MOU can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AF)

Karst Information Portal (KIP) www.karstportal.org
The goal is a worldwide information network linking scientists, managers, and explorers, in order to inform research, to enhance collaboration, and to address policy decisions in karst environments. (FCRPA)

Karst Waters Institute (KWI) www.karstwaters.org
The Karst Waters Institute is a non-profit institution whose mission is to
improve the fundamental understanding of karst water systems through sound
scientific research and the education of professionals and the public.
The NSS and KWI have a mutual interest in the study of karst waters and
the effective management of water resources. The MOU between the KWI and the NSS can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AQ.

National Cave and Karst Management Symposium (NCKMS) Steering Committee www.nckms.org/
The biennial National Cave and Karst Management Symposiums have been important forums for promoting, advancing, and sharing concepts in effective management of cave and karst resources for over thirty years. The NCKMS Steering Committee, composed of organizations and agencies who are involved in cave and karst management, is primarily responsible for ensuring the symposium continues to take place. The NSS NCKMS Coordinator chairs the Steering Committee.

National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) www2.nature.nps.gov/nckri/
The National Cave and Karst Research Institute was formed by Congress in 1998. The purposes of the Institute include advancing cave and karst science and research; promoting and conducting cave and karst educational programs; and developing and promoting environmentally sound and sustainable cave and karst management practices.

National Caves Association (NCA) www.cavern.com
The NCA is the organization of commercial (show) cave operators. Each year at the NSS Convention, the NCA presents to an NSS member an Award for the Best Paper on a Show Cave.

National Park Service (NPS) www2.nature.nps.gov/geology/caves
Caves and karst features occur in 120 parks in all regions of the National Park System (81 contain caves and an additional 39 contain karst). Over 3,900 caves are currently known throughout the system. The National Park Service has a memorandum of understanding with the National Speleological Society . The Memorandum of Understanding between the National Park Service and the NSS is designed to secure assistance with inventories, surveys, monitoring, and exploration of caves and with the investigation and preservation of bat habitat, and resulted from the Federal Cave Resource Protection Act (FCRPA) proposed by the NSS and
enacted by Congress in 1988. (The MOU can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AH)

Project Underground (PU) www.projectunderground.org
A national educational program on caves and karst awareness. Project Underground is a source of interdisciplinary instructional activities, and its staff conducts workshops and in-service training programs. These materials and workshops are designed for classroom teachers, cavern, park, museum, and nature center staff, or any youth-oriented group leaders. (The MOU can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AM)

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) www.nature.org
The Nature Conservancy is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of biological diversity globally, and devoted to the protection of areas important to the survival or rare plant and animal species and natural communities. Many caves and areas of karst and pseudokarst topography contain delicate ecosystems frequently supporting uncommon, rare, and endangered species which are vulnerable to impact by some human activities, and also contain other delicate and fragile geological, archaeological, paleontological, historical, and other features which are similarly vulnerable. (The MOU can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AI)

United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) www.fws.gov/
The USFWS is "Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitat for the continuing benefit of the American people.” In 1992, the NSS established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the USFWS; it can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AA.

United States Forest Service (USFS) www.fs.fed.us
A Memorandum of Understanding between the National Park Service and the NSS resulted from the Federal Cave Resource Protection Act (FCRPA) proposed by the NSS and enacted by Congress in 1988. (The MOU can be found in the BOG Manual at Appendix AD)