JUNE 28 – JUNE 30, 2019

Join Black Hills Parks & Forests Association, the official non-profit partner of Jewel Cave National Monument, and the members of Paha Sapa Grotto in celebrating all of the discoveries at Jewel Cave National Monument! A weekend full of events and activities to celebrate, network, and learn about the exploration of Jewel Cave and advances in cave exploration throughout the world.

Featured Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Hazel Barton – University of Akron, Ohio
Dr. Barton is Professor and Director of the Integrated Bioscience PhD program at the university of Akron. Her research is geared toward understanding microbial interactions and adaptations to starvation in cave environments, which has been funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF), US National Institutes of Health, and the US National Park Service. Dr. Barton also investigates the role the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans plays in the White-nose Syndrome epidemic in bats, which has been funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Her work has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Forbes, National Geographic Explorer, Outside, Science News, The Scientist, Popular Mechanics, Wired, Geo and The Smithsonian magazines, in the book Extreme Scientists: Exploring Natures Mysteries from Perilous Places, on NPR and BBC Radio, on Animal Planet, the History Channel, National Geographic, the CBS Early Show, BBC TV and in the IMAX movie Journey into Amazing Caves. Dr. Barton is also an avid caver, having explored caves on six continents, is Vice-Chair of the Board of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, a past-director of the National Speleological Society (NSS), and an award-winning cave cartographer. Dr. Barton is currently a Fellow of the National Speleological Society, a Kavli Fellow of the US National Academy of Science, and Chair of the Committee on the Status of Women in Microbiology for the American Society for Microbiology. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Alice C. Evans Award for the advancement of women in science, and a member of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Dr. Andreas Pflisch, Bochum Ruhr University, Germany
Dr. Olivia Hershey, University of Akron, Ohio
Dr. Dwight Deal
Mike Wiles, Chief of Resource Mgmt, Jewel Cave

EXHIBITORS & VENDORS

Friday 10:00 am until 5:00 pm

Saturday 8:00 am until 4:30 pm

Black Hills Parks & Forest Association
Wind Cave National Park
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
Rush Mountain Adventure Park – Rushmore Cave
Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons
Student Conservation Association
Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands

Mt. Rushmore Society
Badlands National Park
Custer State Park
Journey Museum
Paha Sapa Grotto
Black Hills Bliss Co.

Hudson Meng Education & Resource Center
Mt. Rushmore National Memorial
Black Hills National Forest
Bureau of Land Management – South Dakota
Bureau of Land Management Mobile Cave Exhibit
CaveSim.com- Located Downtown Custer at the South Dakota Outdoor Shop
National Grasslands Visitor Center

Activities

Indoor

Make a Smokey Mask
Black Hills Parks and Forest Association

Squeeze Box
Wind Cave National Park

Archaeology Activity Book
Hudson Meng Education and Research Center

NGVC Jr. Ranger Program
National Grasslands Visitor Center

Wild About Nature Activities
Journey Museum

100th Anniversary-Bison Education Table
Custer State Park

Bird Feeder/Outdoor Art
Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons

Educational Material
Leave No Trace

Outdoor

Cave Maze
Rush Mountain Adventure Park

USFS Stream Trailer
Black Hills National Forest

Soil Table
Bureau of Land Management-South Dakota

Cave Simulator- Check it out at the South Dakota Outdoor Shop in Downtown Custer!
CaveSim.com

Schedule of Events

All activities take place at Custer High School unless otherwise noted

1645 Wildcat Lane | Custer, SD 57730

Schedule subject to change

Info for Lodging

Please call the hotel directly to book your reservation at (605) 269-0640

Please call the hotel directly to book your reservation at (605) 673-2275

Please call the hotel directly to book your reservation at (605) 673-3221

Buffalo Ridge Campground

Please call the campground directly to book your reservation at (605) 673-4664

The Black Hills National Forest offers dispersed camping for free on BHNF land. More information on dispersed camping and off-road driving can be found on their website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/blackhills/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=25823&actid=34

There are many other lodging options in Custer to choose from, please go to www.custersd.com

Overflow Tent Camping with no amenities is available, go to www.pahasapagrotto.org

Payment Policy & Deadlines:

Full payment is required at the time of registration
Full registration rate is $85 Adult and $50 Youth
Online registrations will close Wednesday, June 26, 2019.
Onsite registrations will be taken starting at 10am, Friday, June 28, 2019

Refund Policy – in case of cancellation, half of your registration cost may be refunded with a written request.