Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Welcome to the homepage of the Virginia Natural Heritage Karst Program. Here you will find information about the significance of karst and some of it's special inhabitants, links to other resources on caves and karst, and PDF downloads of presentations and documents.
For over a quarter century, the Virginia Natural Heritage Karst Program has worked to study, protect, and educate Virginia citizens and stakeholders about the biologically rich and environmentally sensitive karst landscapes formed on and within the Commonwealth's extensive exposures of limestone and dolomite, which are common west of the Blue Ridge. Initially funded by a grant to the Virginia Natural Heritage Program from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Water Act, the Karst Program today is supported through limited state general funds and heavily supplemented by grants and contracts from private, federal, and state partners like the Cave Conservancy of the Virginias, the Virginia Cave Board, The Nature Conservancy, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest Service, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Dominion Energy and the National Speleological Society.
The Holsinger Fund was established in 2018 in recognition of John "Captain Karst" Holsinger's life of dedication to the study of cave and karst systems. His research in subterranean biodiversity, biogeography, and conservation led to identification of several new animal species and greatly enhanced our understanding of cave environments and their essential connections with human communities.
The Holsinger Fund is 100% allocated to the study and conservation of Virginia's karst and cave resources. Every dollar of your tax-deductible donation to the Holsinger Fund will support DCR-Natural Heritage Program efforts to study, document and protect underground biodiversity.
Please make your check to the "Virginia Natural Area Preservation Fund" with "Holsinger Cave Conservation Fund" in the memo and mail to:
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
c/o Natural Heritage Program
600 East Main Street, 24th Fl.
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Note: The areas portrayed on this map are based on the Digital Representation of the 1993 Geologic Map of Virginia produced by the Virginia Division of Geology and Mineral Resources at the scale of 1:500,000. Due to the aggregation of various lithologies within individual map units at this scale, some areas will have greater potential for karst development than others. Therefore, this map is neither meant to provide information for land use decisions at the county or municipal locality scale, nor to portray hazards associated with karst in the Commonwealth. Please contact the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy for further information. Click on the links below for karst related information. You'll need the free Adobe reader to view the PDF files.
General Karst InformationLearn More about Virginia's Karst Regions
Upper Tennessee River
Shenandoah / Potomac River
New River and Roanoke Valleys
Karst Highlands Region
Karst Species Factsheets
Madison Cave isopod, (Antrolana lira)
Rye Cove isopod, (Lirceus culveri)
Wil Orndorff
Karst Protection Coordinator
540-230-5960
wil.orndorff@dcr.virginia.gov
DCR Karst Program
600 East Main St.
Richmond, VA 23219
