The relationship between Mammoth Cave National Park and Western Kentucky University has grown exponentially over the last several years. New and novel cooperative agreements are bolstering learning and hands-on training for WKU students, while providing much needed data and manpower to the park.
Mammoth Cave NP and WKU have established cooperative agreements in the following areas:
· Share analytical lab and equipment - combines the park's analytical water lab with three labs on WKU's campus. Equipment and personnel are shared; students receive hands-on experience. By sharing a real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction instrument with WKU's Biotechnology Center, cave environmental bacteria, indicators of the cave's health, can be identified by their DNA signature and quantified. One new species of cave bacteria, no doubt the first of many, has been discovered through this partnership.
· Park museum collections - multi-year agreement provides WKU students and employees to help complete the cataloging of the Mammoth Cave National Park natural and cultural history museum collections.
· Student internships at Mammoth Cave - provides annual opportunities for four students to obtain applied scientific experience in ecology, biology, chemistry, geology, hydrology, and biotechnology, as they assist park researchers.
· Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning - allows students to be trained/mentored by prominent scientists, and converts research into applied science and learning products for environmental education.
· WKU Center for Cave and Karst Studies - provides the opportunity to study karst-related subjects, e.g. geology, hydrology, inside Mammoth Cave, for more than 20 years.
· Restoring plant populations - utilizes biology students to plant chestnut, butternut, American elm, and orchids; to transplant endangered Eggert's sunflowers; and to restore prairie habitat.
· Monitoring Green River - provides graduate and under-graduate students with unique learning opportunities in aquatic ecology, and vital information on the fish and benthic macro-invertebrate communities to the park.
· Monitoring archeological resources - utilizes archeology students to assist in monitoring the park's 1,008 above ground archeological sites.
· Mussel propagation - provides land for the park's mussel propagation facility and learning experiences in aquaculture and aquatic restoration.
Mammoth Cave National Park and WKU share informal partnerships in many areas:
· Environmental education - WKU students intern with the park's EE program; Mammoth Cave and WKU jointly offer teacher training (River Institute, Project Wet, Project Wild); WKU education majors participate in a 1-day EE seminar at Mammoth Cave.
· Folk studies - 31W/31E study for proposed heritage corridor; assistance with park visitor programs.
· WKYU-PBS and WKYU-FM - regularly cover park activities and operations (Earthwatch, prescribed fire, Electronic Classroom, wildflowers, special events), and provide graphics for park displays and videos.
· Kentucky Museum - an NPS challenge cost-share grant allowed the museum and the park to compare and share archival materials; another NPS challenge cost-share grant brought Civilian Conservation Corps photographs and record to the web.
Staff and administrators at Mammoth Cave National Park and Western Kentucky University continue to seek out additional opportunities to partner.
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