The National Park Service is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, with a variety of events and activities planned all year to mark the parks' centennial.
The park's establishment was signed into law Oct. 25, 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge, according to a March 8 news release. Carlsbad Caverns is in the northern part of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico.
“Carlsbad Caverns’ anniversary celebrates a century of discovery, preservation and protection. It’s an important time to look back on the lessons of the past as we move forward to the next 100 years of stewardship and continued partnerships with the community," Carmen Chapin, superintendent of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, said in the release.
The park promoted some of its events in a March 12 Facebook post, featuring the park's mascot, Carl S. Bat, who will showcase other public lands and UNESCO World Heritage sites.
"Recently, Carl traveled across New Mexico to El Malpais National Monument to catch up with his Brazilian free-tailed bat friends who have started their spring migration to the southwest," the Facebook post read. "During his trip, he visited Lava Falls and El Calderon, lava tube caves where his friends like to roost. Bat populations at El Malpais number around 50,000 individual flying mammals, which is impressive!
"Be sure to ask a park ranger which areas are accessible to visitors," the Facebook post continued. "El Malpais was a nice change in pace and landscape for Carl. The magmatic features differ significantly from the sedimentary rocks that make up his home in the Guadalupe Mountains!"
On March 7, park staff and supporters unveiled 20 Story Walk exhibits along the Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area, according to the March 8 release. The event was in partnership with the city of Carlsbad and the Carlsbad Public Library, and featured Mayor Dale Janway and Library Director Sarah Jones.
The exhibits showcase the park's history, cave formations and plant and animals that call Carlsbad Caverns home, the release reported. They will be on display throughout the park’s centennial.
Carlsbad Caverns was first established as a National Monument in 1923, becoming Carlsbad Caverns National Park seven years later, according to the NPS website.
It is home to four large caves, as of 2020, according to the NPS. The first is Lechuguilla Cave, which is more than 150 miles and 1,612 feet deep; Carlsbad Cavern has more than 32 miles developed for public tours and its Big Room is the largest readily accessible cave chamber in North America at 8.2 acres; Spider Cave has 5.8 miles undeveloped; and Slaughter Canyon Cave, has 3.7 miles that are minimally developed.
