Mammoth Cave National Park offers camp for local students

MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. – Barren County Middle School is one of many groups that are visiting the cave for the summer.

News 40 hung out with a group of kids from Barren County Middle School today while they started their first day of camp. Through a school program, the kids that signed up for this particular week get to visit Mammoth Cave for free and take part in many different activities.

Throughout the week, we’re told the children will be cave crawling, learning how to read a compass and orienteering, to name a few things. It seemed like it was fun for everyone involved, including the rangers.

A ranger who works to help educate the public about the park said she was a product of the same kind of program that led to her love of Mammoth Cave years ago. Jennifer Shackleford said ultimately, from education programs, they want to “make stewards” of the national park system like herself.