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- This is it, right here.

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See this little drip, drip, drip?

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- Okay.

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- And listen for just a second.

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This is what has created this.

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(music)

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This little bit of water
is the key ingredient

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for creating some amazing places

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that are right beneath our feet.

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We know about the paths
that make for our landscapes

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with rivers and streams,

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but how about the pathways
that water carves underground.

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We don't often see those hidden places.

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I'm John and I'm a big fan of caves.

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- And I'm Amtchat Edwards.

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I could talk shop about
freshwater, trails, and trees,

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but I'm learning about caves.

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I work for the U.S. Forest Service

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which stewards 193 million
acres of national forests

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and grasslands throughout the nation,

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including thousands of caves and springs.

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These are all public lands
so if you think about it,

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I work for you.

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Now during this program
we'll be exploring some caves

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in Ozark-St. Francis National
Forest in northern Arkansas,

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and taking a look at some
other caves around the country.

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- We're going to learn
about how caves and karsts

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are pathways that connect us,

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as well as plants, animals, and water,

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to the world below.

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- Wait, caves and karsts?

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I know what a cave is,
but what about karsts?

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- It's a landscape
defined by caves, springs,

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sinkholes and disappearing streams,

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just like that one.

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You see how this tiny
trickle goes into these rocks

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and just disappears?

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Like many places in the United States,

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this area is formed of limestone rock,

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and here is a map showing where to find

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caves and karsts across the country.

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If you're interested in caves like me,

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then there's probably one not
too far from where you live

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that you could visit.

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The National Cave Association
also has many great maps

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of where to find caves near you.

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- Hey, here's some folks
going by right now.

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- Well they're going on a wild cave tour

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which means they'll get to crawl around

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and get a close look at the caverns.

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Caves are so much fun to explore.

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- Yeah, they're going to go underground?

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Like under all these big rocks?

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Yeah, I'm going to have to take your word

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on that about being fun.

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But how about you tell me
why should care about caves.

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- Well knowing about caves and karsts

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is important for many reasons.

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Groundwater connects springs, wells,

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and other drinking water
sources for people and wildlife,

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so we need to know about
the geology of cave systems.

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Caves support unique
biological communities,

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they provide information
about human history,

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and many people find that
caving is really interesting.

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- Yeah, I'm getting excited

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about learning more.

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- Alright, so let's go check in

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with a couple of scientists, right?

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Because they're going to
talk to us a little bit more

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about why caves are such
an important resource.

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Let's go meet Fernando Hernandez.

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He's one of our rockstar scientists.

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Because he's a geologist, rock-star.

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Alright, pardon the dad joke.

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Can you just tell us a little bit

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about the geology of this area?

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- Yeah, of course.

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The story about this area

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and many areas with limestone rock

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started millions and
millions of years ago.

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Shallow seas once covered this area

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and the shells from critters
in these shallow seas

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drifted to the bottom,

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then mixed with mud and organic matter

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that gradually compressed
into layers of limestone.

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Then, over more millions of years,

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water flowed through the
limestone to carve out caves.

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We've got a team of geologists
and hydrologists here today

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studying how the water and air

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that we see, feel, and use on the surface,

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creates these fascinating
places down below.

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As you mentioned, water
is the critical ingredient

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that creates these features
and connects to everything.

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You should go and talk to Johanna Kovarik.

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She's the cave and karsts coordinator

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of the U.S. Forest Service.

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See you guys inside the cave.

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- Hey Johanna.

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- Hey Amtchat.

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- Please tell me what's going on,

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because you're dressed like
a canary in a mineshaft.

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Should I be concerned?

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- No, you should not be concerned.

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- So what do you have there?

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- This is the dye,

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we're going to put it in the water.

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Go ahead.

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One way to study where
the water goes underground

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is to put non-harmful dye into the water.

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This shows us where the water goes

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and where it flows underground.

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- So why do we need to know
exactly where the water goes?

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- By understanding where
the groundwater flows

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we can help to protect its cleanliness

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not only for ourselves, but
also for the environment.

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We can understand how karst
features on the surface

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are connected with the
world beneath our feet.

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- Oh I can't wait to see
where that dye shows up.

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- Yeah, me too.

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Thanks Johanna.

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- You're welcome.