Volunteers play a crucial role in the success of NCKMS operations. The transformation of a symposium from vision to reality requires months of dedication, passion, and commitment to our mission. The team's task is to create a solid platform for our participants to network with other industry professionals while gaining modern insights into cave and karst management.
Our 2025 production team will grow in the next several months and multiple roles still need to be filled. If you think you might be interested in joining the 2025 NCKMS team, please check out our volunteer page. The Western Cave Conservancy welcomes your participation!
Co-Chair
Co-Chair
Co-Chair
Treasurer
Hospitality Director
Marketing Coordinator
Field Trip Logistics
Field Trip Logistics
In July of 1986, Life magazine labeled Ely, Nevada's Highway 50 as "The Loneliest Road in America" and suggested drivers should have 'survival skills' for the trip. The name was intended as a pejorative, but Nevada officials seized it as a marketing slogan. The name originates from large desolate areas traversed by the route, with few or no signs of civilization. The highway crosses several large desert valleys separated by numerous mountain ranges towering over the valley floors, in what is known as the Basin and Range province of the Great Basin. Photo by Matt Bowers, Third Media.
The National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is a nexus of research, stewardship, outreach and information for caves and karst while fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, created by the US Congress in 1998 in partnership with the National Park Service, State of New Mexico, and the City of Carlsbad.
NCKRI is located in Carlsbad, NM, and is a research center of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Located between Ely and Las Vegas, Cathedral Gorge State Park features dramatic cave-like slot canyons and cathedral spires that have eroded over millions of years.
Patchy blowing dust after 1pm. Sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 10 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Patchy blowing dust before 2am. Mostly clear, with a low around 44. South wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.
Sunny, with a high near 79. South wind 20 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph.