Conservation
National Speleological Society
The US membership organisation for cavers, founded in 1941, which supports cave science, conservation and exploration, owns or manages cave preserves, and is the parent body of the NSS Cave Diving Section and of projects such as the WKPP and QRSS.
The NSS states that it was founded in 1941, has more than 8,000 members in over 250 local chapters (grottos), and is a non-profit dedicated to the scientific study of caves and karst, to protecting caves through conservation, ownership, stewardship and education, and to responsible exploration [1]. It owns 19 cave preserves and manages four more under memoranda of understanding; each preserve has its own management plan and visits require a permit [2]. Its Conservation Division coordinates local cave conservation task forces and publishes cave conservation and restoration guidance [3].
For cave divers the NSS matters in several ways. Its Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS) trains cave divers and owns or manages Florida dive sites [4]. In January 2026 the NSS appealed for support to defend its Mill Creek Sink Nature Preserve in Alachua County, Florida, saying proposed developments around the sink risked stormwater and non-point-source pollution reaching the Floridan aquifer, and that it had hired lawyers to represent its interests as landowner [5]. Exploration projects such as the Woodville Karst Plain Project have operated as official NSS projects [6].
Further reading
A short history of underwater cave exploration: dated milestones
Conservation, landowners and responsible access
How underwater caves are surveyed and studied
Life in flooded caves: stygofauna, remipedes and the diver's footprint
Threats to underwater caves today, and how they are protected
Basic Cave Diving: A Blueprint for Survival ↗
Every fact on this page, with its source (5)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The NSS was founded in 1941. | Verified | [1] |
| The NSS reports more than 8,000 members and over 250 grottos.Self-reported, undated page. | Verified | [1] |
| The NSS owns 19 cave preserves and manages 4 others, and requires a permit for visits to all of them. | Verified | [2] |
| In January 2026 the NSS said nearby proposed development threatened its Mill Creek Sink Nature Preserve with stormwater and non-point-source pollution and that it had engaged lawyers.Published 2026-01-11; outcome not known. | Verified | [5] |
| The WKPP was accepted as an official NSS project on 1990-10-24. | Verified | [6] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction