USGS Frequently Asked Questions

Answer:

Entries for these categories are in the database, but are not available at the public Web site. In response to the 1988 National Cave Management Resources Act, an Interior Department Regulation (43 CFR Subtitle A, Part 37) forbids employees from releasing information regarding the location of a cave classified as significant on Federal lands. The regulation has been extended to all caves on Federal lands that have not been so classified as, “being under consideration for such classification.”

The GNIS database does not have presently the capability or the resources to determine which caves exist on Federal lands and are administered by Federal agencies as contrasted with those on other lands. Therefore, until further notice, features classified as “cave” are not retrievable at the Web site.

Information regarding the location of caves in the GNIS must be requested in writing from the office of the Secretary of the Interior. Each request will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. The address is U.S. Department of the Interior, Secretary of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240.

Information from this database regarding military installations must be requested in writing from the Associate Director for Geospatial Data at the U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192. Each request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This does not apply to military installations classified as historic, for which information is available from the GNIS database.