Dahm Springs Nature Preserve
KEY STATS
Meade County, South Dakota
2020
~4000 feet (across 7 caves)
The Dahm Springs Preserve, a 46 acre property with seven caves, is the first acquisition of the Black Hills Cave and Nature Conservancy (BHCNC) which was created by members of the NSS. Marilyn Dahm-Borgeson, the property’s former owner, has long been a friend to cavers. Driven by her desire for the land to remain protected and for cavers to continue to study the caves, Marilyn made this preserve possible through a generous purchase-donation agreement in May 2020. Later that same summer, the BHCNC and NSS signed an agreement to jointly manage the Dahm Springs Preserve.
There are seven (7) known caves on the Dahm Springs Preserve. Brooks Cave is the longest cave on the Dahm Springs Preserve, at 3,455 feet of surveyed passage. Brooks is one of only 3 caves in the Black Hills that intersects the Madison Aquifer, a major source of drinking water for the region. This window into the aquifer has been the subject of several scientific studies by the United States Geological Survey. The “crown jewel” of the Dahm Springs Preserve is Dahm Spring Cave. This is the most sensitive and delicate cave in the preserve. It contains unique formations and highly unusual paleontological resources, including a calcified raccoon skeleton. Although the other known caves on the preserve are all under 300 feet in length, the limestone canyon is full of holes and there is great potential for additional discoveries. The smaller caves of the preserve provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including foxes, porcupines, and packrats, and many of them are beautifully decorated with calcite spar crystals.
Brooks Cave is the longest cave on the Dahm Springs Preserve, at 3,455 feet of surveyed passage. Brooks is one of only 3 caves in the Black Hills that intersects the Madison Aquifer, a major source of drinking water for the region. This window into the aquifer has been the subject of several scientific studies by the United States Geological Survey.
The “crown jewel” of the Dahm Springs Preserve is Dahm Spring Cave. This is the most sensitive and delicate cave in the preserve. It contains unique formations and highly unusual paleontological resources, including a calcified raccoon skeleton.
Although the other known caves on the preserve are all under 300 feet in length, the limestone canyon is full of holes and there is great potential for additional discoveries. The smaller caves of the preserve provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, including foxes, porcupines, and packrats, and many of them are beautifully decorated with calcite spar crystals.
There have been several exciting projects on the Dahm Springs Preserve. A plant inventory was completed in 2020, which documented several rare plant species. Microbiological research was conducted in Brooks Cave and Dahm Spring Cave, by scientists from the University of Akron and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Trail cameras were placed in several locations around the property to monitor human activity and wildlife, and have shown that several mountain lions enjoy the undisturbed environment of the preserve. The cameras have even captured images of them lounging in front of the Brooks Cave entrance! Students from the University of South Dakota’s experiential learning program visited the preserve for an educational program and work day in 2021, and helped to remove graffiti in Brooks Cave.
Moving forward, we plan to expand our educational efforts through additional outreach to local schools and by hosting field trips on the preserve property. We also plan to support a dive team that will push the sump in Brooks Cave in 2022, to hopefully expand the known extent of the cave. BHCNC will continue to foster scientific research, including paleontological studies in Dahm Spring Cave. We also remain committed to providing cavers a place to cave, recreate, and explore.
To learn more and to help the BHCNC with their mission, visit: <https://www.blackhillscaves.org/
The access rules can be viewed here: Dahm Springs Access Rules
Requests for access can be made by contacting the Preserve Management Team via email at: BHCNC@caves.org with any questions.
