The caves and rock overhangs that punctuate the limestone ridges of the region — of which Bluefish Caves is one example — would have been valuable resources for the human occupants of the landscape.

In a landscape without trees large enough to provide structural timber for construction, natural shelter was a premium resource.

The caves provided wind protection, a stable thermal environment (caves maintain temperatures close to the mean annual air temperature, which during the Last Glacial Maximum was cold but predictable), and surfaces on which to maintain fires with much less fuel requirement than an open-air camp would need.

The OldCrow Fossil Beds and the Broader Regional Context