CRF's Eastern Operations Area encompasses the area east of the Mississippi River. The primary focus is the Mammoth Cave National Park, where the Foundation has been mapping and studying the world's longest cave since CRF's inception in 1957. The Foundation works closely with Park management on numerous other projects of varying length and complexity.
Eastern Operations also has a project at Minnesota's Mystery Cave State Park.
A CRF Member keeping book by recording cave survey data.
CRF Members (and husband and wife) extract a fosilized shark brain case under a paleontology research permit.
Mammoth Cave Cartographic Program The objectives of the cartographic program are to collect detailed geographic data from the caves of Mammoth Cave National Park, to produce cartographic interpretations of the data in the form of various types of maps, and to incorporate that data into a master data archive system. Copies of data and maps are provided to the Division of Resource Management at Mammoth Cave National Park.
Small Caves Inventory/Data Management at Mammoth Cave National Park A cooperative program between CRF and Mammoth Cave National Park carries out a comprehensive resource inventory of less-extensive caves within the Park. Caves are located, brass caps are installed, and locations are determined by Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) equipment. The caves are mapped and data about the contents, suitable for use with a geographic information system (GIS), are recorded. An additional product of this study is a separate database that contains general information about the cave.
Forestville / Mystery Cave State Park Survey Project - Mystery Cave is the longest cave in Minnesota and a significant resource in Southern Minnesota. The project is resurveying Mystery Cave and other smaller park caves, providing the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources with a map and resource inventory.
Page last updated December 2025
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