Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) does include caves but the entries are not publicly available. In response to the 1988 National Cave Management Resources Act, Department of the Interior Regulation 43 (CFR Subtitle A, Part 37) forbids the release of information regarding the location of all caves on Federal lands. Currently, GNIS does not distinguish between features on Federal versus non-Federal lands, so all features classified as “cave” are blocked from public access.
Information regarding the names and locations of caves in GNIS can be requested in writing from the Secretary of the Interior. Each request will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Mail requests to:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior
1849 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20240
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What should cavers know and do in regard to White-nose Syndrome?
In response to White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and individual states request that cavers observe all cave closures and advisories, and avoid caves, mines or passages containing hibernating bats to minimize disturbance to them. The Service asks that cavers and cave visitors stay out of all caves in the affected states and adjoining states to help slow the potential...
Can you feel an earthquake if you're in a cave? Is it safer to be in a cave during an earthquake?
There is nothing different about a cave that would make it immune to the shaking from an earthquake. Just as there are safer and less safe places to be on the surface of the earth during an earthquake, there are also various characteristics inside caves that make some cave locations safer or less safe than others. First of all, whether or not you feel an earthquake in a cave depends chiefly upon...
What is White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose syndrome is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in at least 40 states and eight Canadian provinces have died from this devastating disease. The disease is named for the white fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of...
How can I acquire or download Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data?
Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data is available for download via the U.S. Board on Geographic Names website. You can also download names using a query in Search Domestic Names. GNIS includes official names, their location attributes, variant names, and other data, which can be displayed, printed, and downloaded (in csv format) up to a maximum of 2,000 records. GNIS data can also be...
What is the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)?
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN), which maintains cooperative working relationships with State Names Authorities to standardize geographic names for Federal use. GNIS contains information about the official names for places, features, and areas in the 50 states, the...
What is the difference between "mountain", "hill", and "peak"; "lake" and "pond"; or "river" and "creek?"
There are no official definitions for generic terms as applied to geographic features. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) utilizes 43 broad categories of feature classes defined solely to facilitate retrieval of entries with similar characteristics. Go to GNIS Domestic Names Feature Classes to see the full list. These categories generally match dictionary definitions, but not always...
Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
Related Content
- FAQ
What should cavers know and do in regard to White-nose Syndrome?
In response to White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and individual states request that cavers observe all cave closures and advisories, and avoid caves, mines or passages containing hibernating bats to minimize disturbance to them. The Service asks that cavers and cave visitors stay out of all caves in the affected states and adjoining states to help slow the potential...
Can you feel an earthquake if you're in a cave? Is it safer to be in a cave during an earthquake?
There is nothing different about a cave that would make it immune to the shaking from an earthquake. Just as there are safer and less safe places to be on the surface of the earth during an earthquake, there are also various characteristics inside caves that make some cave locations safer or less safe than others. First of all, whether or not you feel an earthquake in a cave depends chiefly upon...
What is White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose syndrome is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in at least 40 states and eight Canadian provinces have died from this devastating disease. The disease is named for the white fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of...
How can I acquire or download Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data?
Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) data is available for download via the U.S. Board on Geographic Names website. You can also download names using a query in Search Domestic Names. GNIS includes official names, their location attributes, variant names, and other data, which can be displayed, printed, and downloaded (in csv format) up to a maximum of 2,000 records. GNIS data can also be...
What is the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)?
The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN), which maintains cooperative working relationships with State Names Authorities to standardize geographic names for Federal use. GNIS contains information about the official names for places, features, and areas in the 50 states, the...
What is the difference between "mountain", "hill", and "peak"; "lake" and "pond"; or "river" and "creek?"
There are no official definitions for generic terms as applied to geographic features. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) utilizes 43 broad categories of feature classes defined solely to facilitate retrieval of entries with similar characteristics. Go to GNIS Domestic Names Feature Classes to see the full list. These categories generally match dictionary definitions, but not always...
Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
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