10 Dec
Alex Morris
I was hired as a boat tour guide at Lost River Cave at the age of 19 in the spring of 2007. My cousin recommended the cave as a casual job, great for people who like working outside. I’d been to Carlsbad Caverns as a child, as well as Mammoth Cave. From what I could remember, those caves were cool, so yeah, a boat tour guide sounded like a way better profession than flipping flippin’ burgers… continue reading on Alex Morris’s blog.
5 Dec
Meet Aaron.
He won the Willow Tree Nativity Scene and plans to share it with his family.
You can win too!
You can win too! Drop by Wildflower Gifts through Sunday, December 23rd to registar for our next drawing. You may register one time each day! Our store hours are 9:30am-6:00pm, 7 days a week.
Don’t forget about our December Events!
Sip & Shop – Winter Tastings
Every Friday & Saturday from 11am-3pm
Kids’ Only Christmas Shopping
Saturday, December 8 from 11am-3pm
12 Days of Christmas Email Event
Sign up on our email list to discover deeply discounted holiday gift items! Starting December 12th. And be sure check out our Fa La La! Pinterest Board to killer secret deals.
31 Oct
“We want to give a big, whole hearted thank you to the Twin Lakes Conservation Survey Task Force. Their volunteer service for the park last weekend helped to remove approximately 500 – 700 lbs of trash from the cave. Trash and debris are carried in by flooding and can remain in the cave system- until pulled out by volunteers.
Clean-ups such as this demonstrate the continued efforts, began 21 years ago, to protect and preserve Lost River Cave. Give us a call to learn about ways you can join in our preservation efforts.”
25 Oct
A team representing the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Chinese government visited WKU this week for fieldwork and to discuss cooperative research under way to study atmospheric carbon dynamics.
Chris Groves explains details of groundwater monitoring equipment to Chinese scientists within WKU-owned Crumps Cave.
The group, which included scientists from UNESCO’s International Geoscience Program and the Chinese Geological Survey, visited sites at the WKU-owned Crumps Cave Educational Preserve and Lost River Cave. Research is under way there, with sister sites in China, to measure rates at which atmospheric CO2 is consumed by the dissolving of limestone in the world’s karst regions, which are areas like in south central Kentucky where caves, sinkholes and underground rivers are common. Rapidly changing atmospheric concentrations have been linked to increased rates of climate change, and so much work is underway to understand ways in which CO2 is being added to, or subtracted from, the atmosphere… Read more on the WKU News Blog!
27 Sep
Lost River Cave is known as a place where legends and history are born. Just last week another story will go down in our books forever.
Like many mornings at Lost River Cave the sun was shining down golden rays on our naturalist, Annie Holt, as she walked to our maintenance barn. From the corner of her eyes she spied a creature staggering out of sight. Upon further inspection she discovered a raccoon, wounded and missing his tail.
With a heart of gold, Annie did what any nature lover would do… her best to help this little guy by calling Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary to the rescue.
Like a Knight in Shining Armor, Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary sent a Rehabilitation Professional. He said unfortunately this guy was most likely a pet that had been released into the wild, probably on the park. People don’t realize when these critters are young that they are wild animals and should never be kept as pets. He said his tail was probably lost in a car accident because he didn’t understand how to survive in the wild.
Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary will reintroduce him into nature so that he can live productively. They will place him in very large natural fenced-in area called the ‘Coon Castle (from caper to king as we like to say). When he becomes acclimated to outdoors he will be released into nature where his real home is.
This little guy will go down in Lost River Cave history as the Great ‘Coon Caper because he stole our hearts!
4 Sep
Betsy the Snake – 09/04/2012
Sad news today at Lost River Cave. Betsy the Snake has passed away. Ever since Betsy arrived, she’s been a special asset to the Lost River Cave team, showing visitors and staff alike that snakes don’t have to be scary. Betsy was a Rough Green Snake, and she showed everyone from boy scouts to nature newbies how cool snakes can be. Betsy will be remembered for her openness to people and her enjoyment of crickets. Betsy was a member of the Lost River Cave family for the past three years and we are so sorry to see her go.
We will always think of you fondly, Betsy. Rest In Peace.
7 Aug
Summer is the busiest season at Lost River Cave, and we can’t say thank you enough to the staff for their hard work. Lost River Cave recognizes wonderful individuals who keep us afloat, from tour guides to cashiers to maintenance.
Jessica Paull first began working as a cashier at Lost River Cave last July. She is currently attending Western Kentucky University studying Sociology. Jessica is originally from Summer Shade, Kentucky.
Q & A with Jessica
What originally brought you to Lost River Cave? I moved up here for school, and it was close to where I lived, so I applied. It seemed interesting, so I applied and got the job.
How is Lost River Cave different from any other employer you’ve ever had? Oh a lot. It’s actually a fun job, a place you don’t care to come to every day. You meet all sorts of nice happy people. At my other job it was the opposite.
Have your thoughts on caves or nature changed at all since you’ve been here? Greatly. Caves seem a lot more fun and interesting to me now, and I spend a lot more time outside in nature as well.
Have you had any memorable visitors during your time working here? Oh my goodness, there have been a lot! There is always the visitors that come from different countries, and there is a language barrier which is difficult to overcome. There was a lady the other day that was very memorable, she came to Lost River Cave when she was a Western student and helped clean out the garbage in the 1990s. She came back and was absolutely amazed at what had become of Lost River Cave since then. She was so excited.
What do you think the WORST corny cave joke is? “What is the difference between a column and a pillar in the cave? A column is when a stalactite and a stalagmite grow together. A pillar is what we sleep on here in Kentucky.”
Have you had much opportunity to travel, if so, where to? Or, where would you like to go?
I’ve been to Mexico, and I learned that some Mexicans think of KFC when they think of Kentucky. As soon as I’d say I was from Kentucky they’d say “Oh, KFC?” I would love to go to Bora Bora (a Caribbean island). It is absolutely gorgeous and you can rent huts over water for a night, and I think those are amazing. I’m sure you can do that everywhere, but I want to go to Bora Bora.
For visitors reading this, do you have any recommendation for where to tour/eat explore in the Bowling Green area or all of Kentucky? Chaney’s Dairy Barn, I love it. I also love Montana Grille right here in Bowling Green, and also Lost River Pizza Co. which is right up the road!
Any last words of wisdom for your visitors reading this? While you are here you can always enjoy the dog park if you have a dog. It’s right at the end of our greenways trail. Your dogs can play with other dogs in a fenced in area. In my case I have a six-month-old pug, so she gets all of her energy out before we go home.
25 Jul
Summer is the busiest season at Lost River Cave, and we can’t say thank you enough to the staff for their hard work. Lost River Cave recognizes wonderful individuals who keep us afloat, from tour guides to cashiers to maintenance.
Danny Dressler is originally from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, and he came to Bowling Green to attend Western Kentucky University. He is currently studying Outdoor Recreation. He is a supervisor, and he has now worked for almost a year as a tour guide at Lost River Cave.
Q &A with Danny Dressler
What originally brought you to Lost River Cave? I wanted a job that I could use as a reference for future positions in the outdoor recreation field.
How is Lost River Cave different from any other employer you’ve ever had? I have a lot more freedom. I get to display my personality in my work, and I get to do what I love to do (be outdoors) all day long.
Have your thoughts on caves or nature changed at all since you’ve been here? Not really. I came in with a pretty nature-oriented mind; maybe working here has strengthened my conservation efforts.
Have you had any memorable visitors during your time working here? I had some people from New Zealand come and take my tour, and it was pretty cool to see people from the complete opposite side of the world come see Lost River Cave.
What do you think the WORST corny cave joke is? “What do you call a fish with no eyes? A FSH!”
Have you had much opportunity to travel, if so where to? Or, where would you like to go? I’ve been to India in 2009 to do some journalism work, and I would love to travel to Southeast Asia.
For visitors reading this, do you have any recommendation for where to tour/eat/explore in the Bowling Green area or all of Kentucky? To eat there are lots of good places here. I would definitely recommend Mariah’s or Home Café. And while you are in the area, I would recommend checking out some of the other caves, particularly Mammoth Cave and Diamond Caverns. I would also recommend checking out Red River Gorge because there are a lot of outdoor activities like climbing, hiking and backpacking.
Any last words of wisdom for your visitors reading this? I would explore the backcountry roads as much as you can. Take the offbeat path.
20 Jul
Summer is the busiest season at Lost River Cave, and we can’t say thank you enough to the staff for their hard work. Lost River Cave recognizes wonderful individuals who keep us afloat, from tour guides to cashiers to maintenance.
Andrea Falcetto first started working at Lost River Cave in May 2010. Andrea is currently getting her Master’s Degree in Biology and Sociology at Western Kentucky University, and she’s had the opportunity to travel to Kenya and South Africa to work in her field. She is a return Peace Corps Volunteer from Morocco, and she’s also travelled to other various countries all over the world. Andrea is originally from Kansas, and after she graduates she hopes to work for an international conservation organization. Lost River Cave appreciates Andrea’s hard work as a tour guide, and we wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors.
Q &A with Andrea Falcetto
What originally brought you to Lost River Cave? During the school year I was teaching for the biology department, and I needed income for the summer. It was a good job for me because of my previous experience working in zoos and aquariums. Restaurants won’t hire a girl who works around fish.
How is Lost River Cave different from any other employer you’ve ever had? I grew up in Kansas. We don’t have caves in Kansas.
Have your thoughts on caves or nature changed at all since you’ve been here? I would say I’ve learned more about caves, but I’ve always enjoyed working outside.
Have you had any memorable visitors during your time working here? I made a joke about a cave monster being in the cave and the three year old on my tour started making ghost noises to scare away the cave monster. It happened the other day, and it was adorable.
What do you think the WORST corny cave joke is? “What do you call a deer with no eyes? I’ve no ideer.” I worked here for three years, and I didn’t get the joke until three weeks ago.
Have you had much opportunity to travel, if so where to? Or, where would you like to go? I’ve travelled to six continents and would love to go to Antarctica, but the next place I want to visit is Greece. However, I am an opportunist, and I will go wherever the opportunity presents!
For visitors reading this, do you have any recommendation for where to tour/eat/explore in the Bowling Green area or all of Kentucky? In Bowling Green, Chaney’s Dairy Barn and the Corsair Distillery downtown. Also in Kentucky, the bourbon trail is amazing.
Any last words of wisdom for your visitors reading this? There really is a cave monster, don’t let them tell you otherwise!
13 Jul
Summer is the busiest season at Lost River Cave, and we can’t say thank you enough to the staff for their hard work. Lost River Cave recognizes wonderful individuals who keep us afloat, from tour guides to cashiers to maintenance.
Chris Inman is originally from Louisville, and he came to Bowling Green to attend Western Kentucky University. Chris started working for Lost River Cave as a tour guide in January, and he graduated from WKU in May with a degree in communication.
What originally brought you to Lost River Cave? We were on a field trip for my Nonprofit Management Class, and we were pulling invasive plants at Lost River Cave. Naturalist Annie Holt introduced us to the park, and I was interested. What really attracted me were the upcoming plans for the Outdoor Classroom. I wanted to work with kids, and I like the outdoors. I really liked giving third graders tours near the end of the school year; that was great.
How is LRC different from any other employer you’ve ever had?They want to see us excel at what we are good at, and it’s not just an unskilled job.
Have your thoughts on caves or nature changed at all since you’ve been here? Yes, actually I just developed a new hobby I’m pretty excited about: pulling things out of nature, preparing them, cooking them and eating them. I boiled cattail roots from the Wetland (when we were removing them anyway), I’ve had my first crawfish boil with crawfish caught at Boatlanding Park, and I go camping more often.
Have you had any memorable visitors during your time working here? I got to give a tour to Phillip Smith. He has written several books, and he is also a caver. He is the one who discovered the “meat grinder,” a very thin passage that connects two very large cave systems. He actually has two books for sale in our gift shop. He’s also a prominent member of Toastmasters, and he complimented me on my tour which is pretty awesome.
What do you think the WORST corny cave joke is? What’s the difference between a Northern Cave Fish and a Southern Cave Fish? The Southern Cave Fish drinks sugar in its tea.
Have you had much opportunity to travel, if so where to, or where would you like to go?
I’ve been to Washington State; I saw their beaches that had giant whitewashed driftwood; I saw their enormous Redwood trees. I’ve been to Costa Rica and all along everything there is to see in the New England area. I’ve been lots of places. The next place I want to go is probably New Zealand.
For visitors reading this, do you have any recommendation for where to tour/eat/explore in the Bowling Green area or all of Kentucky? Honestly, I think our nature trails are one of the coolest things in Bowling Green.
Any last words of wisdom for your visitors reading this? Get away from the screens that we Americans have become obsessed with: Ipod, TV, computer, etc. Enjoy nature and face-to-face interactions with people.
