Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge near Florence, Alabama.
Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in northern Alabama made up of limestone caves, sinkholes, hardwood forests, and seasonal wetlands. It sits close to Pickwick Lake, where the mix of underground and surface habitats supports a wide range of plants and animals.
The land was originally managed by the Monsanto Company before The Conservation Fund acquired it in 1992. Five years later, in 1997, it was officially designated as a national wildlife refuge to protect its rare species over the long term.
The refuge takes its name from Key Cave, which was named after a local 19th-century landowner. Visitors who walk the area today can sometimes spot researchers entering the cave to monitor the species that live inside.
Some parts of the refuge, especially near the cave entrances, are closed to visitors to protect sensitive habitats, so it is worth checking which trails and zones are open before you go. The best time to spot wildlife on the surface is early morning or late afternoon.
The Alabama cavefish that lives in Key Cave is completely blind and has no pigment, having adapted over thousands of years to total darkness underground. It is found nowhere else in the world, making this single cave one of the rarest habitats on the planet.
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