Carlsbad Caverns National Park ⓘ

Executive Order No. 3984 It is hereby ordered, under authority of the Act of Congress approved June 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 847), as amended by the act of August 24, 1912 (37 Stat., 497), that the public lands in the following described area in the State of New Mexico be, and the same are hereby, temporarily withdrawn subject to the conditions of said acts, for classification and pending determination as to the advisability of reserving the same for national park or monument purposes: New Mexico Principal Meridian In T. 25 S., R. 22 E., Secs. 24, 25, 35 and 36; In T. 26 S., R. 22 E., Secs. 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 19 to 36, inclusive; In T. 24 S., R. 23 E., Secs. 25, 26, 27, 28, 33, 34, 35 and 36; All T. 25 S., R. 23 E.; In T. 26 S., R. 23 E., Secs. 4 to 9, inclusive, 16 to 26, inclusive, and 28 to 33, inclusive; In T. 24 S., R. 24 E., Secs. 25 to 35, inclusive; In T. 25 S., R. 24 E., Secs. 1, to 18, inclusive; In T. 24 S., R. 25 E., Secs. 29, 30, NE¼, E½, NW¼ and S½ Sec. 31, all Sec. 32; In T. 25 S., R. 25 E., Secs. 5, 6, 7, 8, 17 and 18. Provided, That this withdrawal shall not prevent or preclude the use of these lands, or any of them, for grazing or other analogous purposes temporary in character and not inconsistent with the purpose of this order. CALVIN COOLIDGE THE WHITE HOUSE April 2, 1924

An Act to establish the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the State of New Mexico, and for other purposes, approved May 14, 1930 (46 Stat. 279) Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land heretofore known as the Carlsbad Cave National Monument, in the State of New Mexico, established and designated as a national monument under the Act of June 8, 1906, entitled “An Act for the preservation of American antiquities,” and by presidential proclamation of October 25, 1923, be, and the same is hereby, declared to be a national park and dedicated as a public park for the benefit and enjoyment of the people under the name of the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, under which name the aforesaid national park shall be entitled to receive and to use all moneys heretofore or hereafter appropriated for the Carlsbad Cave National Monument. SEC. 2. That the administration, protection, and development of said Carlsbad Caverns National Park shall be exercised under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior by the National Park Service, subject to the provisions of the Act of August 25, 1916, entitled “An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes,” and Acts supplementary thereto or amendatory thereof. SEC. 3. That the provisions of the Act of June 10, 1920, known as the Federal Water Power Act, shall not apply to or extend over the land hereby or hereafter reserved and dedicated as the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. SEC. 4. That the boundaries of said Carlsbad Caverns National Park may be enlarged by subsequent proclamation or proclamations of the President upon the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, to include any or all of the following-described lands, to wit: Sections 1, 12, and 13, township 24 south, range 22 east; sections 1 to 18, inclusive, 20 to 28, inclusive, and 33 to 36, inclusive, township 24 south, range 23 east; the entire township 24 south, range 24 east; sections 6, 7, 18, and 19, and 27 to 34, inclusive, township 24 south, range 25 east; sections 24, 25, 35, and 36, township 25 south, range 22 east; the entire township 25 south, range 23 east; north half of township 25 south, range 24 east; sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, and 18, township 25 south, range 25 east; sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, and 14, and 19 to 36, inclusive, township 26 south, range 22 east; west half of township and sections 22 to 26, inclusive, township 26 south, range 23 east; all with respect to the New Mexico principal meridian.

The park's cultural resources represent a long and varied continuum of human use starting in prehistoric times and illustrating many adaptations to the Chihuahuan Desert environment. Human activities, including prehistoric and historic American Indian occupations, European exploration and settlement, industrial exploitation, commercial and cavern accessibility development and tourism have left reminders of their presence, and have contributed to the rich and diverse history of the area. The park has two historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places—the Cavern Historic District and the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District. The park museum, including the park archives, contains approximately one million cultural resource artifacts that are being preserved and protected.

October 25, 1923 : Creation of Carlsbad Cave National Monument April 2, 1924 : Executive Order May 3, 1928 : Supplemental Executive Order May 14, 1930 : Creation of Carlsbad Caverns National Park June 17, 1930 : Executive Order A Chronology Carlsbad Cavern is one of over 300 limestone caves in a fossil reef laid down by an inland sea about 265 million years ago. Twelve-to-fourteen thousand years ago, American Indians lived in the Guadalupe Mountains. Some of their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the present day boundaries of the park. By the 1500s, Spanish explorers were passing through present-day west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Spain claimed the southwest until 1821 when Mexico revolted and claimed independence. Mexico, fighting the westward expansionist United States (US) in the late 1840s, lost the southwest to the US. In 1850, New Mexico Territory was created, and for the next 30 years the cultural conflict between American Indians and the US government continued. Eddy, New Mexico, the future Carlsbad, was established in 1888 and New Mexico became a state in 1912. Learn more about Carlsbad Caverns' chronology

The list of birds that have been observed in the park includes 357 species. This huge list includes species that are year-round residents and nest here, neotropical migrants that nest in the park or pass through on the way to northern breeding grounds, winter residents, and occasional or rare species who wander in and may stay a while. The park's common year-round residents include some interesting and colorful species. The Ladder-backed woodpecker, the second-smallest North American woodpecker, is equally at home on a cactus stem or a sotol stalk as on a tree trunk-a useful adaptation when you live in desert shrublands with few trees. In fact, it was historically called cactus woodpecker. The cactus wren is another year-round resident that is obviously at home with cacti, building nests in them for breeding as well as for roosting. This is the largest of the nine North American wren species, all of which have been seen in the park and six of which breed here. Rock wrens, black-throated sparrows, and Northern mockingbirds are among the commonly seen year-round residents of the park. Migratory species are numerous. The park provides some of New Mexico's prime breeding habitat for three state-threatened birds: Bell's vireo, gray vireo, and varied bunting. Bell's vireos nest at Rattlesnake Springs, the park's wooded riparian area, while gray vireos nest in dry canyons with small desert trees such as oaks and junipers. Varied buntings nest in dry canyons with somewhat larger trees. Birds Checklist [4.4 MB PDF]

The diversity of habitats in the park, including permanently flowing water at Rattlesnake Springs, provides for an exciting array of wildlife. This diversity is further benefited by the position of the park at the intersection of the southern Rocky Mountain, northern Chihuahuan Desert, and southwestern Great Plains biogeographic provinces. Many animals occur here at the geographic limits of their ranges. For example, several species of reptiles are at the edges of their distributions. The deserts of the Southwest contain some of the highest diversities of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects in the United States. The park provides important year-round habitat for top predators such as cougars, and nesting habitat for migratory species such as the large colonies of cave swallows and Brazilian free-tailed bats that raise their young in Carlsbad Cavern. Rattlesnake Springs, a rare desert wooded riparian area that has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the National Audubon Society, draws birders from around the world to see some of the 300-plus species that have been noted there. The Natural Entrance is also an Audubon IBA because of the large colony of cave swallows that resides and breeds there in the summer. Click link for more information on the National Audubon Society's IBA program . Current checklists for park fauna identify 67 species of mammals (including 17 species of bats), 357 species of birds , 55 different reptiles and amphibians , 5 species of fish, and an incomplete list of over 600 insects , with more identified each year.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains more than 119 limestone caves that are outstanding in the profusion, diversity, and beauty of their formations. Caves are fragile environments that are affected by human activities and natural processes both underground and on the surface. Although caves are a delicate non-renewable resource, they are a continual source of exploration and discovery. more...

Carlsbad Caverns National Park preserves a portion of the Capitan Reef—one of the best-preserved, exposed Permian-age fossil reefs in the world. Water, geologic forces, climactic changes, and vast spans of time have produced and changed the fossil reef and its spectacular caves, a process that continues to the present day. more...

Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains one of the few protected portions of the northern Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. The Chihuahuan Desert reveals, upon close examination, complex natural processes that yield an astounding abundance and diversity of plant and animal life. more...

The park's 67 mammal species include some that are rarely seen, such as black bear and spotted skunk. Some of them are non-natives—eastern fox squirrel and barbary sheep. Others are native animals that have been restored through reintroduction programs in the area, including javelina and pronghorn. Merriam's elk became extinct around the turn of the last century and the closely related Rocky Mountain Elk was brought into the area to replace it. Desert bighorn sheep were extirpated from the park in the 1960s. Up to six other species may have been extirpated since European settlement. Other native mammals in the park range from mule deer and cougar (mountain lion) to the small mammals such as ringtails; several species of ground squirrels, deer mice, and kangaroo rats; the desert shrew; and the Chihuahuan Desert pocket mouse, which was not documented in the park until the 21st century. Of course, the most famous of the park's mammals are the bats, especially the large colony of Brazilian free-tailed bats that amaze visitors every evening from spring through fall with their spectacular emergence. In all, the park hosts 17 different species of bats that use a variety of different habitats. Bats Mammals Checklist [273k PDF]