The West Virginia Cave Conservancy Inc., (WVCC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving and protecting important cave and karst resources of the Virginias for future generations.

Caves contain a fragile beauty only found underground.  In addition, their streams and passages provide irreplaceable environments for specially adapted, and often rare, species of animals, most of which could not survive elsewhere.

Protecting karst (limestone) landscapes is critical to our supply of clean drinking water.  Rural areas of West Virginia and Virginia rely heavily on water from springs and wells in limestone.

 

Read the WVCC PRESIDENT'S LETTER for 2020, click on the image to download.

 

IN RECENT NEWS − Summer 2020

Lost Cave Purchased: The Conservancy recently purchased the entrance and underground rights to Lost Cave in Greenbrier County. The cave is about 3,700 feet long and was mined for saltpeter during the War of 1812. It is a horizontal cave and no special equipment is needed for a visit. The management plan is not yet finalized, but the cave is open to responsible non-commercial visitation. Read more on the Lost Cave Preserve.

Norman Cave Management: The Conservancy is now the manager of Norman Cave, which is the northern entrance to the popular Bone-Norman System in Greenbrier County. The owner lives out of state and specifically mentioned that he would like to have only responsible cavers using the cave. He does not want unknowledgeable kids or other irresponsible people going into the cave. He asked that a couple of “No Trespassing” signs be installed on the fence line along Brownstown Road, and a sign placed at the entrance citing the cave law, and prohibiting vandalism and cave-for-pay. The “No Trespassing” signs will not apply to responsible cavers so things won't change for normal cavers.

Read more About Us, who we are and what we do.

Join Us in exploring, mapping, and preserving West Virginia and Virginia caves.

Contact Us with your observations, issues, and concerns about the preservation of caves and their inhabitants.