About Us

There are only two known entry points for the cave: the sinkhole and spring. The sinkhole consists of a steep-sided, funnel-shaped depression about 50 feet in diameter located on a forested hillside. The spring entrance is located on a hillside under an overhang rock bluff. Most of the refuge consists of hillsides which support a mature climax community of oak and hickory.

Groundwater surfacing within the cave forms a stream which flows throughout the cave and at the outfall forms Logan Spring, which drains to Osage Creek just south of the refuge. Osage Creek is a major tributary of the Illinois River, which is the main drainage in southwestern Benton County, and their confluence is about 1.2 miles south of the refuge. In past years, spring water from the cave had a measured flow of approximately 5 million gallons per day and supplied the Logan community, a fish hatchery, and 49 fish ponds.

Our History

The Nature Conservancy’s Ozark Highlands Karst Program monitors rare species and water quality at more than 200 karst sites throughout the Ozarks, including Logan Cave. The program continually builds on the knowledge of karst features in Arkansas to refine conservation actions. The team recently worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to delineate the above-ground boundaries of Logan Cave, which is home to the largest population of the endangered Benton cave crayfish, Ozark cavefish, and approximately 25,000 gray bats. The program also helps local governments develop plans for hazardous material spills and shares information about the proper disposal of chemicals. On a larger scale, the Conservancy works with developers and farmers to create management plans that reduce impacts on the precious landscape below ground.



To learn more about their work in the Ozark Karst, visit their website at the following link: TNC Ozark Karst Program

Other Facilities in this Complex

A National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an administrative grouping of two or more refuges, wildlife management areas or other refuge conservation areas that are primarily managed from a central office location.  Refuges are grouped into a complex structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.

Learn more about structure because they occur in a similar ecological region, such as a watershed or specific habitat type, and have a related purpose and management needs.  Typically, a project leader or complex manager oversees the general management of all refuges within the complex and refuge managers are responsible for operations at specific refuges. Supporting staff, composed of administrative, law enforcement, refuge manager, biological, fire, visitor services, and maintenance professionals, are centrally located and support all refuges within the complex.

Fall colors reflecting over Rainbow Lake
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
Cache River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1986 to protect significant wetland habitats and provide feeding and resting areas for migrating waterfowl.
National Wildlife Refuge
Augusta,AR
Setting sun over Big Lake
Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge was established in August of 1915 by Executive Order of President Woodrow Wilson to serve as an inviolate sanctuary, reserve, and breeding ground for native and migratory birds. It is one of the nation’s oldest refuges and is 11,038 acres in size.
National Wildlife Refuge
Manila,AR
Pintails in flight
Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge
Acquired as part of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, this refuge provides a winter home for large concentrations of many species of ducks and geese.
National Wildlife Refuge
Bald Knob,AR
Spring scene, flowers in bloom
Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge
Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is located in Pope and Yell County along the Arkansas River, five miles downstream from the city of Dardanelle, Arkansas. The refuge is bounded by an old oxbow that was created in the early 1950s when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cut a channel through...
National Wildlife Refuge
Dardanelle,AR
Cypress knees among the skyline
Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge
Located only four miles west of the Mississippi River and 15 miles northwest of Memphis, Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) is an important stopover for waterfowl traveling through the Mississippi Flyway and for neotropical songbirds as they migrate to and from Central and South America.
National Wildlife Refuge
Turrell,AR