Part of a series of articles titled The Midden - Great Basin National Park: Vol. 20, No. 1, Summer 2020.
Article
Making the Cave Less Green
This article was originally published in The Midden – Great Basin National Park: Vol. 20, No. 1, Summer 2020.
![1-cave algae Light in Lehman Caves that has a mat of algae growing in front of it](/articles/000/images/1-cave-algae.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
NPS Photo by Gretchen Baker
While we’re striving to make the park a greener park (more energy efficient and conservation-minded), we are also trying to make the cave less green, literally. You can see green in the cave next to the artificial cave lights, and that green is made up of algae, moss, and bacteria, sometimes referred to as lampenflora. The lampenflora provides an unnatural food source to the cave’s wildlife. It also can become part of the speleothems and damage their growth and beauty.
![2-Morgan spraying algae Volunteer spraying algae in Lehman Caves](/articles/000/images/2-Morgan-spraying-algae.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
NPS Photo by Gretchen Baker
![algae table Table showing the date and amount of algae sprayed](/articles/000/images/algae-table.png)
![3-algae on speleothems Stalactites, cave formations, discolored because of algae](/articles/000/images/3-algae-on-speleothems.jpg?maxwidth=650&autorotate=false)
NPS Photo by Gretchen Baker
Last updated: February 8, 2024