US Cave Organizations

A community-maintained directory of US cave organizations: state cave surveys, NSS grottos, regional associations, conservation groups, and national bodies.

View the US Cave Organizations Map or the World Cave Organizations Map

STATE CAVE SURVEYS

Organization Name	Type	Area Served	Website	Contact	Current Leader / Title	Notes
Alabama Cave Survey (ACS)	State Cave Survey	Alabama	www.alabamacavesurvey.org	membership@alabamacavesurvey.org	Angela Morgan — Treasurer (primary public contact)	NSS internal org. Originated in 1955 Huntsville Grotto. Formally organized 1973. Annual meeting at NSS HQ.
Arizona Cave Survey	State Cave Survey	Arizona	arizonacaves.org	(via caves.org NSS portal)	Officers via caves.org/grotto/arizona-cave-survey/	Maintains master digital database and GIS system of AZ cave locations. NSS affiliated.
California Cave Survey	State Cave Survey	California	californiacaves.org		Joel Despain (contact)	NSS-affiliated effort to document caves statewide. Maintains cave and karst database for California.
Colorado Cave Survey	State Cave Survey	Colorado	coloradocavesurvey.org	jesse.rochette@gmail.com	Jesse Rochette — Survey Chair	Elected body. Liaison between CO caving community and land management agencies.
Florida Cave Survey	State Cave Survey	Florida	caves.org/grotto/florida-cave-survey	floridacavesurvey@gmail.com	Fletcher Jacob — Co-Chair South / Meeting Director	NSS internal org. Goal: find, document, survey, and preserve Florida caves.
Georgia Speleological Survey (GSS)	State Cave Survey	Georgia	gss.caves.org	caverclint@gmail.com (678) 898-4317	Clint Garner — Chair	~85 members. NSS internal org. Publishes Bulletin of the Georgia Speleological Survey.
Illinois Speleological Survey (ISS)	State Cave Survey	Illinois	ilspeleo.org	caveandwoods@gmail.com	Bob Weck — President	Private nonprofit. Protecting, conserving, locating, recording, exploring, and studying Illinois caves and karst.
Indiana Cave Survey (ICS)	State Cave Survey	Indiana	wp.indianacavesurvey.org	president@indianacavesurvey.org	Dave Everton — President	Founded ~1986. Catalogues all cave and karst features in Indiana. Quarterly meetings.
Kentucky Speleological Survey (KSS)	State Cave Survey	Kentucky	kss.caves.org	(via members.caves.org)	Officers via NSS member portal	Dedicated to study of cave and karst resources in Kentucky. Facebook: Kentucky Speleological Survey, Inc.
Minnesota Speleological Survey (MSS)	State Cave Survey	Minnesota	sites.google.com/view/msscaves	(via Facebook: MSS Caves)	Officers not publicly listed	Nonprofit MN corporation. Protection, study, exploration, and conservation of Minnesota caves.
Missouri Speleological Survey (MSS)	State Cave Survey	Missouri	www.mospeleo.org	danieljlamping@gmail.com	Dan Lamping — President	501(c)(3). Board composed of reps from affiliate orgs. Publishes MSS Liaison. ~8,000 known MO caves as of 2026.
New Mexico Cave Survey	State Cave Survey	New Mexico			Jerry Atkinson	Collects and databases cave and karst information for New Mexico.
North Carolina Cave Survey (NCCS)	State Cave Survey	North Carolina		hollers2@frontier.com	Contact via mailing address or email	Initiated 1972 by Flittermouse Grotto (NSS). Primary affiliated grotto: Flittermouse Grotto, Asheville NC (flittermouse.org). Website no longer active.
Ohio Cave Survey (OCS)	State Cave Survey	Ohio	ohiocavesurvey.org	(via website contact form)	Gary Bush — Website contact	501(c)(3). Repository for cave info, maps, photos, and reports in Ohio. Emphasis on conservation and research.
Tennessee Cave Survey (TCS)	State Cave Survey	Tennessee	tennesseecavesurvey.org	tcs@tennesseecavesurvey.org	Gerald Moni — Co-Chair (West TN); JP McLendon — Co-Chair (East TN)	NSS internal org. Officers elected annually. Holds Spring and Fall meetings. Publishes Tennessee Caver.
Texas Speleological Survey (TSS)	State Cave Survey	Texas	www.texasspeleologicalsurvey.org	(via website contact form)	Officers via TSS website contact form	Founded 1961. NSS Study Group retaining records of known caves and karst in TX. Founded by James R. Reddell.
Virginia Speleological Survey (VSS)	State Cave Survey	Virginia	www.virginiacaves.org	(540) 888-3625	Dave Socky — President	Incorporated 1974. NSS internal org. 4,187 known caves; 595+ miles surveyed passage (Oct 2024).
West Virginia Speleological Survey (WVASS)	State Cave Survey	West Virginia	wvass.org	driggs@speleo.us	David A. Riggs — Executive Director	501(c)(3). Founded 1967 by Roger Baroody. Meetings ~2x/year. Publishes West Virginia Caver.
Federación Espeleológica de Puerto Rico (FEPUR)	Territory Speleological Federation	Puerto Rico	cuevaspr.org			Founded 1996. Umbrella organization for five Puerto Rican speleological societies. Also listed on the world map.

Other Caving Organizations

NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Organization Name	Type	Area Served	Website	Contact	Current Leader / Title	Notes
National Speleological Society (NSS)	National Organization	United States (National)	caves.org	nss@caves.org (256) 852-1300	Kristine Ebrey — President; Dr. Annette Engel — Executive Director (since Aug 2025)	Founded 1941. ~8,000+ members, 250+ grottos. Underwent major restructuring 2024; hired first full-time Executive Director 2025.
Cave Research Foundation (CRF)	National Nonprofit	National (Mammoth Cave / Guadalupe Mtns / Ozarks)	www.cave-research.org	president@cave-research.org	Dr. Kayla Sapkota — President	501(c)(3). Long-standing partnership with Mammoth Cave NP. Conducts survey and mapping projects in multiple states.
National Cave & Karst Research Institute (NCKRI)	Federal Research Institute	National (HQ: Carlsbad, NM)	nckri.org	nckri@nmt.edu (575) 887-5518	Dr. Ben Tobin — Director	Created by US Congress 1998. Research center of NM Institute of Mining & Technology. Partners with NPS and State of NM.
American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA)	National Nonprofit	National	caveconservation.com	(270) 786-1466	David G. Foster — President/CEO (since 2020)	501(c)(3). Operates Hidden River Cave and American Cave Museum. Focus on public education and cave/karst protection.
NSS Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS)	NSS Section	National / International	nsscds.org	cdsmanager@nsscds.org (561) 704-3038	Fred Stratton — Chairman (term exp. June 2026)	Standards-setting body for cave diving training and safety in the US. Operates in 25 countries.
NSS Survey & Cartography Section (SACS)	NSS Section	National	sacs.caves.org	bob@rhoke.net	Bob Hoke — Treasurer (primary contact)	Promotes cave documentation, survey techniques, and cave cartography. Publishes Compass & Tape journal.
Karst Waters Institute (KWI)	National Nonprofit	National / International	karstwaters.org	(540) 839-5019	Board of Directors (see karstwaters.org/about/kwi-personnel/)	501(c)(3). Improves understanding of karst water systems through scientific research and education.
National Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC)	NSS Affiliate	National (10 regional divisions)	caves.org/org/national-cave-rescue-commission		National Coordinator + Medical, Diving, and Training Coordinators	NSS affiliate. Led by Board of Regional Coordinators across 10 divisions. Contact through caves.org or individual regional NCRC pages.

NSS REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Organization Name	Type	Area Served	Website	Contact	Current Leader / Title	Notes
Southeastern Regional Association (SERA)	NSS Regional Association	AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN	sera.caves.org	c@rchrds.org	Christina Richards — Chair	Hosts annual Summer Cave Carnival. Vice-Chair advances to Chair automatically.
Western Region NSS	NSS Regional Association	CA, NV, OR, WA	nsswest.org	chair@nsswest.org	Elizabeth 'Boof' Truchan — Chair	501(c)(3). Publishes Western Caver newsletter. OR and WA are also covered by NCA.
Northwest Caving Association (NCA)	NSS Regional Association	ID, OR, WA, AK	legacy.caves.org/region/nca			NSS regional association for the northwestern US and western Canada. OR and WA overlap with Western Region.
Southwestern Region NSS (SWR)	NSS Regional Association	New Mexico, Texas west of 103°W	swr.caves.org	andrea@icecavern.net	Andrea Landaker — Chairman	Founded 1962. Nonprofit furthering the discovery, exploration, scientific study, and conservation of caves, and promoting safe cave exploration techniques. Formally spans all of New Mexico plus the part of Texas west of the southern projection of New Mexico's eastern boundary (about 103°W), though its activities are not limited to that area. Member grottos also include some outside that line in western Texas and eastern Arizona, so SWR partially overlaps the Texas Speleological Association and the Arizona Regional Association. Publishes Southwestern Cavers.
Arizona Regional Association (ARA)	NSS Regional Association	Arizona	arizonaregional.yourwebsitespace.com			NSS regional association focused on caving within Arizona.
Texas Speleological Association (TSA)	NSS Regional Association	Texas	www.cavetexas.org	vicechairman@cavetexas.org	Officers listed at cavetexas.org	NSS regional association for Texas grottos. Holds annual Spring Convention.
Mississippi Valley-Ozark Region (MVOR)	NSS Regional Association	MO, IL, IA, AR, KS, OK	caves.org			Centered on Missouri and reaching into the surrounding states, including eastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma. Promotes fellowship and exploration across the Mississippi Valley and Ozark region.
Mid-Appalachian Region (MAR)	NSS Regional Association	PA, MD, DE, NJ	mar.caves.org			Publishes occasional bulletins since 1954.
Ohio Valley Region (OVR)	NSS Regional Association	KY, IN, OH				NSS regional association for the Ohio River Valley area.
Virginia Region (VAR)	NSS Regional Association / IO	Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland	var.caves.org			NSS Internal Organization. 40+ local caving groups. Manages limited access caves. Publishes Region Record quarterly newsletter.
Northeastern Regional Organization (NRO)	NSS Regional Association	Northeastern US / Eastern Canada	caves.org/grotto/northeastern-regional-organization			Publishes The Northeastern Caver. Quarterly meetings at rotating locations.
Rocky Mountain Region (RMR)	NSS Regional Association	CO, MT, ND, NE, SD, UT, WY	rmr.caves.org			NSS regional association. Core states with grottos: CO, MT, SD, UT, WY. ND and NE are associate members without grottos.

CONSERVATION & RESEARCH

Organization Name	Type	Area Served	Website	Contact	Current Leader / Title	Notes
Appalachian Cave Conservancy (ACC)	Cave Conservation Org	Southwest Virginia / Eastern Tennessee	acave.us	agent@acave.us	Jason Lachniet — President; Tia Bednar — Chairman of the Board	NSS-affiliated nonprofit Virginia corporation. Founded 1978. Cave stewardship in SW Virginia and Eastern Tennessee.
Cave Conservancy of the Virginias (CCV)	Cave Conservation Org	Virginia, West Virginia	caveconservancyofvirginia.org	CAVECV@AOL.COM (804) 798-4893	Joey Fagan — President; Michael J. Ficco — Chairman of the Board	Founded 1980. Promotes conservation, management, and acquisition of cave and karst resources in Virginia and West Virginia.
Rockcastle Karst Conservancy (RKC)	Cave Conservation Org	Kentucky (Rockcastle County and surrounding areas)	rkci.org	rkcboard@rkci.org	Patrick Gibson — Chair	501(c)(3). Permanently protect caves and karst lands in Rockcastle County, Kentucky and its surrounding areas.
Southeastern Cave Conservancy (SCCi)	Cave Conservation Org	Southeastern US (TN, AL, GA primary)	www.saveyourcaves.org	info@scci.org (423) 771-9671	Kyle Lassiter — Chair	501(c)(3). Acquires and manages cave properties for conservation. Officers elected annually.
Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy (MCKC)	Cave Conservation Org	Missouri	www.mocavesandkarst.org	(via website contact form)	Tony Schmitt — President	Founded 1992. Dedicated to protecting caves and karst resources in Missouri through land acquisition, owner assistance, education, and maintaining caver access.
Ozark Underground Laboratory (OUL)	Private Research & Consulting	Ozark karst region (MO / AR)	www.ozarkundergroundlab.com	(417) 785-4289	Tom Aley — President	Groundwater consulting firm since 1973. Karst/fractured rock specialist. Associated with Tumbling Creek Cave.