Mammoth Cave National Park was founded to preserve the cave systems, a portion of the Green and Nolin Rivers, and the rugged hills, valleys and forested ecosystems of the park.
Research learning centers were developed by the National Park Service to facilitate research within the national parks and to provide better communication of research results to managers, partners, and the public. Originally 32 research learning centers were planned, each one serving a network of parks. The first four research learning centers were funded in 2001, and in 2002 seven additional research learning centers were created. In 2003, Mammoth Cave National Park was slated to receive funding to develop a research learning center. However, funding for additional centers was discontinued before Mammoth Cave’s funding was received.
When funding for new research learning centers was suspended, Mammoth Cave National Park and Western Kentucky University created a proposal for a cooperatively run and funded center. The result of that proposal was the Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning (MCICSL). Although not currently funded in the same way as the original 12 centers, MCICSL is an active member of the national network of Research Learning Centers located within the National Park Service.
The goals of MCICSL and the other research learning centers are to:
- Facilitate the use of parks for scientific inquiry.
- Support science-informed decision making.
- Communicate the relevance of and provide access to knowledge gained through scientific research.
- Promote science literacy and resource stewardship.
Please use the links above to explore this website and learn more about MCICSL’s activities and how it accomplishes these goals.
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