Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 facts for kids

The Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988, also known as FCRPA, is a U.S. federal law. It was created to protect important caves on government land. The law helps keep caves safe for everyone to enjoy forever. It also encourages people who study or visit caves to work with the government. This law was passed on November 18, 1988. It stops people from sharing cave locations, taking things from caves, or damaging them.

Protecting Caves: The FCRPA Story

How the Cave Protection Law Started

The idea for the FCRPA began as a plan to manage caves for the Forest Service Directive System (FSM). A person named Tom Lennon from the Forest Service met with two cavers, Jer Thornton and Jim Nieland. They talked about how to protect caves.

Together, they quickly wrote down a plan. This plan was called FSM 2356. Tom Lennon helped guide this plan through the official steps. Soon, the Forest Service adopted it as their way to manage caves.

From Plan to Federal Law

Later, Jer Thornton wanted to do more. He worked with the National Speleological Society (NSS) and the American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA). Their goal was to make a federal law to protect caves. Thornton used the FSM 2356 plan as a guide for this new law.

Congressman Frederick C. Boucher from Virginia helped introduce the bill. He did this on March 2, 1987. Senator Tom Daschle from South Dakota introduced a similar bill in the Senate. By November of the next year, President Ronald Reagan signed it into law.

What Makes a Cave "Significant"?

One big difference between the first plan (FSM 2356) and the FCRPA is the idea of "significant" caves. The FCRPA added this new rule. It means that a cave must be seen as "significant" to get protection under the law.

So, not all caves are protected by this act. Only those that the U.S. government decides are important get special protection. This decision happens through a special process.

How Caves Get Protected

The process to nominate caves began in 1994. This was a requirement of the new law. A special group, called a national clearing house, was set up. It helped manage the first nominations.

For a cave to be nominated at first, it needed to meet two simple rules. It had to be on federal land. Also, it had to be a natural cave, not one made by people.