The staff of Mammoth Cave National Park welcomes the public to share insight on park upgrades and visitor experience enhancement.
From now until Aug. 25 people can provide feedback on the maintenance, construction, and sustainability of the park’s trails, according to a July 25 National Park Service (NPS) press release.
“The park’s goal is to develop a trail plan that preserves park resources by utilizing sustainable construction techniques to limit erosion while also providing increased access and more diverse opportunities for our visitors to experience points of interest in the park,” said Superintendent, Barclay Trimble. “We are still early in the planning process and no decisions have been made. We invite all those interested in engaging in this conversation about the future of the park’s trail network to provide their feedback."
Mammoth Cave National Park has a history that predates the American Revolutionary War, according to the NPS website. The area that would become Mammoth Cave National Park dates to 5,000 BCE (Before Common Era) when Native Americans explored and mined the cave for minerals.
Two saltpeter caves on 200 acres of land were purchased in 1798, and mining for saltpeter continued through 1815, before the first known tour of Mammoth Cave in 1816, according to the NPS. The Mammoth Cave National Park was established on July 1, 1941, with 45,310 acres.
There are currently 82 miles of land trails and 30 miles of water trails within Mammoth Cave National Park, Trimble said in a video explaining the need for improvements at the park.
The land trails are “poorly designed – with many following old pre-park road alignments – and are susceptible to erosion, widening, and braiding,” Trimble said in the video. Overcrowding on the trails is also an issue, which “detracts from high-quality visitor experiences.”
The Trail Management Plan follows the General Management Plan of 1983 and the Comprehensive Trail Management Plan of 2007, according to the NPS. Land trails in the park are designated “primitive,” “semi-primitive,” “moderately developed,” and “developed.” This new plan looks at the potential of new trail alignments, accessibility, invasive species management, and more.
The public is invited to two meetings to share information and give their input. The first meeting is set for Aug. 1 at the Warren County Library, Bob Kirby Branch, at 175 Iron Skillet Court, in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 4 - 6 p.m., according to the NPS. The second meeting is set for Aug. 3 at the Edmonson County Library at 280 Ferguson St. in Brownsville, Kentucky from 4 – 6 p.m.
Individuals can review project documents and submit comments through the NPS Park Planning website.
