Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge near Florence, Alabama.
Key Cave National Wildlife Refuge is a protected area in Alabama featuring limestone caves, sinkholes, and grasslands across its landscape. The land includes hardwood forests and seasonal wetlands near Pickwick Lake.
The land was originally managed by Monsanto Company before The Conservation Fund acquired it in 1992. The refuge was officially established as a protected area in 1997.
The protected landscape provides essential research opportunities for scientists studying rare cave species and their interconnected underground ecosystems.
Visitors can use marked trails for hiking and wildlife observation, though some areas remain closed for protection reasons. It helps to check which zones are accessible before your visit.
The cave shelters the only known population of Alabama cavefish, a rare species found nowhere else in the world. The site also hosts a significant colony of gray bats.
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