January 1996 Near Normal News

• Return to Near Normal News
• 'FROM A HOLE IN THE GROUND' by Jim Jacobs
• 'THE ENDANGERED INDIANA BAT (Myotis sodalis) PART II-STATE-BY STATE TRENDS' by John Marquart 
• 'DR. BINER' by Mark Richardson
• 'POLLUTANTS HARM CAVE INHABITANTS' by Scott Powers
• 'RESCUE AT LAUREL CAVERNS' by Jim Kennedy
• 'RESCUE PROBLEMS' by Mike Fernandez
• 'WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN THE NSS'
• 'DECEMBER MINUTES' by Jim Jacobs

Jim Jacobs

Well, as usual our November meeting took place the first week of December, and we elected officers for the next year. The hardest working member of the grotto, John Marquart of Charleston, IL, will now take a well-deserved turn as president. Our new vice president is Beth Reinke from Champaign. A rather new NNG member, Beth quickly showed that she has the kind of interest, enthusiam and ability that is necessary for a good grotto member and officer. Jim Jacobs will be reinstalled as secretary after a turn as grotto treasurer. Julie Angel will take over as treasurer (as soon as she can figure out Jim's treasury computer spreadsheet.) Julie is a two-year grotto member, and from the beginning, plunged head-first into all of the grotto activities with unbounded enthusiasm. Our new Executive Committee Member-at-large, Norm Rogers, is, of course, our old president. His contributions to the NNG have been well documented. I'm sure that our new officers will bring their own styles to their respective jobs, and help to keep our thriving grotto refreshed and growing. Of course, Brian Braye and I will continue as co-editors of the NNN, with John Marquart as science editor. These are committee assignments rather than elective offices.

NSS DUES TO RISE

According to Evelyn Bradshaw, Internal Organizations Chair, the NSS Board of Governors voted at their last meeting to increase the dues for the first time in quite a few years. [It's the first time since I've been a member-Ed.] Although this increase is effective January 1, 1996, special deals have been offered to encourage long-term membership and new members. Current members can sign up for Life, Sustaining Life, or three-year memberships at 1995 prices until May 1, 1996! New members may also join at 1995 prices until that date. The three-year package will save you $14.00, so take advantage of it! Anyone wishing to take advantage of the Life Membership will save $90.00, as it will go from $450 to $540. Dues may be paid by check, Visa or Mastercard.

Although our grotto is a group which is dedicated to cave conservation, it doesn't hurt to study the bases of our beliefs from time to time. The formal basis of our cave conservation creed is the POLICY FOR CAVE CONSERVATION of the NSS. It occurred to me that perhaps some of our members have never had the chance to read this statement. Herein is a reprint of that policy, as approved by the Board of Governors on December 28, 1960.

The National Speleological Society believes: That caves have unique, scientific, recreational, and scenic values; That these values are endangered by both carelessness and intentional vandalism; That these values, once gone, cannot be recovered; and that the responsibility for protecting caves must be assumed by those who study and enjoy them.

Accordingly, the intention of the Society is to work for the preservation of caves with a realistic policy supported by effective programs for the encouragement of self-discipline among cavers; education and research concerning the causes and prevention of cave damage; and special projects, including cooperation with other groups similarly dedicated to the conservation of natural areas. Specifically:

All contents of cave-formations, life, and loose deposits--are significant for its enjoyment and interpretation. Therefore, caving parties should leave a cave as they find it. They should provide means for the removal of waste; their marking to a few, small and removable signs as are needed to furveys; and especially, exercise extreme care not to accidentally break or soil formations, disturb life forms or unnecessarily increase the number of disfiguring paths through an area.

Scientific collection is professional, selective, and minimal. The collecting of mineral or biological material for display purposes, including previously broken or dead specimens, is never justified, as it encourages others to collect and destroys the interest of the cave.

The Society encourages projects such as: establishing cave preserves, placing entrance gates where appropriate; opposing the sale of speleothems; supporting effective protective measures; cleaning and restoring over-used caves; cooperating with private cave owners by providing knowledge about their cave and assisting them in protecting their cave and property from damage during cave visits, and encouraging commercial cave owners to make use of their opportunity to aid the public in conservation.

Where there is reason to believe that publication of cave locations will lead to vandalism before adequate protection can be established, the Society will oppose such publication.

It is the duty of every Society member to take personal responsibility for spreading a consciousness of the cave conservation problem to each potential user of caves. Without this, the beauty and value of our caves will not long remain with us.

Our JANUARY MEETING will take place on FRIDAY, THE 26TH AT 7:OO. This is our public meeting, and John Marquart will present his famous show, CAVES AND CAVING - SPELEOLOGY: An Introduction to the Chemistry, Geology, and Ecology of Caves. Let's have a BIG turnout!! If you have not yet paid, please bring or send your DUES!

PART II-STATE-BY STATE TRENDS

John R. Marquart, Ph.D.

Department of Chemistry

Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL 61920

In this article I will give data concerning the populations of endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) in the 11 states which still seem to have populations: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. I will also attempt to use the limited data that I possess to predict whether each state is showing gains or losses in these populations.

The 1960s and 1970s saw huge losses with populations starting in the hundreds of thousands, dropping to near extinction. For example, Mari Murphy wrote in an article "Restoring Coach Cave" (Kentucky)[1]: "Hundred Dome (cave in SW Kentucky), was once the winter home for 100,000 Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis), now one of America's endangered bats. By 1975, however, their numbers had plummeted to about 4,500, and in the winter of 1993, biologists found only 17. What happened?" The article goes on to describe how a poorly designed gate was installed to keep unpaying visitors out of this commercial cave. The altered the air flow and temperature within destroyed the bats. Indiana bats can only survive the winter by hibernating at 40 to 60C (390 to 430F)[2]; colder, they freeze, and warmer, they do not become torpid enough for body fat reserves to last out the winter. With such a narrow range of tolerance, there aren't many suitable hibernacula[2].

In this article, I will be less concerned with these catastrophic losses of 20 to 30 years ago, but rather only with where are we now and where are we going in the near future.

In 1994, I wrote "PART-I-THE PROBLEM"[2] of this series in which I summarized many of the physical and social characteristics of the Indiana bat and reasons that it is listed as a federally endangered species. At that time, I promised "PART-II-STATE-BY-STATE TRENDS" (this article). I apologize for the delay in coming out with Part II. This was largely caused by the scarcity of data from which to draw conclusions. A significant amount of population data has now become available, thanks mainly to the 1995 draft revision of the "Recovery Plan for the Indiana Bat" by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service[3]. While this plan has not yet been finalized, it served as a valuable resource material.

Bats are very much in the news these days and the public is being made aware that these mammals make important contributions to our human welfare on earth by being the primary natural controllers of insect populations and also by being the main pollinators of important plants in many parts of the world. People, like myself and my neighbors, are paying our respects to these friends-of-man by hanging bat houses in our yards. These are modest efforts at good will, but the major problems that endanger bats, unfortunately, still exist. In 1993, Merlin Tuttle, founder and executive director of Bat Conservation International (BCI) stated in an article titled "Crisis for America's Bats"[4]: "Some 40 percent of U.S. bat species are federally endangered or are official candidates for such status". In 1994, Pamela Selbert wrote an article for the journal "American Forests"[5] entitled "Lockout for Bats" about the protective gating of bat caves in Daniel Boone National Forest, Kentucky. In this article, she quotes John MacGregor, an endangered-species specialist, as follows: "The problem here is that we're looking at the extinction of at least one bat species- the Virginia big-ear - within the next 10 or 15 years if something isn't done to save the only two major remaining populations....Next to go could be the Indiana bat." Here in Illinois, where I live, we do not have Virginia big-ear bats, but we do have Indiana bats. My caving colleagues of the Near Normal Grotto of the National Speleological Society and I (1996 President) are actively participating with BCI and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to do our part to save the Indiana bats here. I am sure that many of you who read my article are doing likewise in your own locals and I applaud you effort.

Many things endanger bats: natural flooding and collapse of caves and mines, poisoning by pesticides and pollutants, loss of habitat by human land development, etc. The major threat to the Indiana bat is, however, its venerability during hibernation. They pack into dense clusters on the ceilings of caves and mines (as many as 300 per square foot)[6]. How easy it is for vandals to destroy them by the thousands, as has happened in the past. But even the well meaning cave explorer, who "loves bats", can destroy them by just disturbing their sleep and robbing them of the energy storage of their bodies which is barely enough for them to survive the long winter[2]. As much as I dislike being told that I can't enter a cave or mine, I have come to accept the concept that closure of these must be enforced during hibernation months (usually September through April).

Now for the statistics. Federal bat population data is usually given by state, county, and cave or mine name. However, I do not wish to go into this amount of detail for two reasons. First, the amount of data entered would be cumbersome and second, such data tends to give specifics about locations at which the vulnerable bats reside. That much information is not necessary to view the data for general trends. For these reasons, I have chosen to divide each state into nine sectors. Each is divided horizontally into three regions: north (N), central (C), and south (S) and into three regions vertically: east (E), central (C), and west (W). A given sector is then labeled by the two delineators, such as NE for north-east, SC for south-central, and simply C for central-central. I attempted to classify each county as lying within a given sector. The more rectangular states, like Indiana, lend themselves well to this approach, while states like Kentucky, which is wide in the east and narrow in the west, pose more of a problem. For this reason, my the sector locations can, at best, be treated as approximate.

In the following table, I am tabulating by state and sector, the number of hibernacula studied, the most recent population counts of the Indiana bat (with years when the counts where made), earlier counts before the most recent ones when populations seems to maximize (with years when the counts where made), and my best estimate of how populations are changing as of 1995. Of these data, the recent count is the most reliable indication of where the population stands as of now (although some count data are not very current). The column "EARLIER PEAK" is intended to show some trend as to growth or loss from then to now, but must be taken with a gain of salt. It simply adds maximum counts at different locations often taken during different years. The Indiana bat is known to change locations of hibernacula from year to year and even within a given year so that this type of statistics would tend to magnify the total populations. Therefore, a comparison of the columns "RECENT COUNT" and "EARLIER PEAK" may be expected to exaggerate losses and underestimate gains. Finally, the column "ESTIMATED 1995 ANNUAL CHANGES" is the most questionable. I have tried to look at data for each cave or mine and estimate how much change might be expected to be occurring as of 1995. Sometimes, I am trying to get current changes based upon changes that occurred over a decade or more. I will take a disclaimer, that my statistics are based on the data that I have available and with better data I could do better. None the less, I believe that the overall conclusions are worth consideration as showing overall trends for a sector and the state as a whole.

* References used are "Recovery Plan for the Indiana Bat"[3],[7],[8],

"Lockout for Bats"[5], "1993 Indiana Bat Census Results" (in

Indiana)[9], "The Biological Resources of Illinois Caves and Other

Subterranean Environments"[10], and person communications[11].

TRENDS BY STATE:

Alabama-Small population of 399 with status uncertain. Last count (1977) is dated and needs reexamination.

Arkansas-Small population of 3,700 appears to be losing about 597 per year or 16% per year. Colonies need protection and continual monitoring.

Illinois-Small population of 5,052 with relative stability. Protection projects are underway.

Indiana-Significant population of 176,561 showing large gains of 6,335/year. Well documented biennial reports from 1981[9]. Protection projects need to continue.

Kentucky-Significant population of 55,795 showing losses of 1,813/year. This state suffered catastrophic losses in 1960s and 1970s and seems to still have severe losses. Needs continual monitoring and continued effort toward protection, some of which are underway.

Missouri-Significant population of 169,727 with severe losses of 11,728/year. A major hibernaculum (Pilot Knob Mine in SE) with 140,000 Indiana bats has not been monitored since 1978. Present status is unknown since it is unstable and dangerous to enter. If it collapses, all these bats may be lost[12] - Missouri is working toward the survival of the Indiana bat, but current losses indicate that more work is necessary.

New York-Moderate population of 14,180 with significant gain of 1,484/year. Earlier reports had stated that the Indiana bat was extinct east of Indiana/Kentucky. The reestablishment or rediscovery of eastern colonies is good news.

Pennsylvania-Small population of 270 with uncertain status. Needs reexamination.

Tennessee-Moderate population of 16,580 with uncertain status. No counts were found before 1983. More frequent counts are needed.

Virginia-Small population of 1,840 with current small gain of 74/year. However, the population seems stable only in the SE. Other sectors suffered major losses in the 1980s.

West Virginia-Small population of 1,840 with a gain of 144/year mostly in the CE and SE sectors. Most recent data was for 1991. More recent data is needed statewide.

Nationally-Overall population of 449,875 with serious loss of more than 6000/year (1.5% of the total population). More data are needed and more action needs to be taken.

Once again, these conclusions are those of this author only and are based solely upon the limited data sets of population counts that are available me at the time of its writing. It was necessary to perform extrapolations of data to attempt to arrive at the conclusions of trends. With better data, these trends would be better clarified. It is not my intention to berate the efforts currently underway or planned in any locale. I only wish to show what I consider to be a serious problem which needs our continued attention. Your comments are welcome by mail or email (MARQUART@UIUC.EDU).

REFERENCES:

[1] Murphy, Mari 1993. "Restoring Coach Cave" in Bats, Vol. 11, No. 3, Fall 1993, pp. 3-5.

[2] Marquart, J.R. 1994. "The Endangered Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) - Part I - The Problem", in Cave Conservationist, Vol. 13, No. 5, December 1, 1994, pp. 3-7. (Note, I will gladly send reprints of Part I to those wishing it either by mail or by email.)

[3] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior. 1995. "Recovery Plan for the Indiana Bat" (draft revision), U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

[4] Tuttle, M.D. 1993. "Crisis for America's Bats" in Bats, Vol. 11, No. 2, Summer 1993, pp. 6-9.

[5] Selbert, Pamela. 1994. "Lockout for Bats" in American Forest, vol. 100, March/April 1994, pp. 45-47.

[6] Gardner, J.E. and Saugey, D.A. 1989. "The Bats of Illinois" in Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin, January 1989, Chicago, IL, pp. 6-15.

[7] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior. 1976. "Recovery Plan for the Indiana Bat", U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

[8] U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior. 1983. "Recovery Plan for the Indiana Bat", U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

[9] Dunlap, K. 1993. "1993 Indiana Bat Census Results" in 1993 Speleo Digest, pp. 437-442.

[10] Webb, D.W., Taylor, S.J., and Krejca, J.K. 1993. "The Biological Resources of Illinois Caves and Other Subterranean Environments", Technical Report 1993 (8) Illinois Natural History Survey Center for Biodiversity, (ILENR/RE-EH-94/06).

[11] Glass, W.D., Natural Heritage Biologist for Illinois Department of Resources. 1995. personal communications.

[12] Thorn, Janet. 1988. "Conservation Dispatches" in NSS News, March 1988, pp. 73-75. (cites item from Meramec Caver, November 1987).

Mark Richardson

psy40008@frank.mtsu.edu

Dear Dr. Biner,

I've caved the big room, dropped large breakdown blocks on unworthy cave weenies, stolen Power Bars from starving children half my size, complained to the NSS about the language of cavers, used a 900 foot Jesus as a scaling pole and stuffed beserk cave rats into my pants in an attempt to impress women with more tattoos than I, but nothing could have prepared me for the disturbing events of last weekend. I was ridgewalking on the Grassy Cove quad looking for Sand Hill Cave, when suddenly I noticed that I had come out onto a road that was not listed on the topo. Needless to say I was quite concerned about where I might be, but was surprised to notice a small cabin by the edge of the forest. A woman was out in the yard of the cabin and, when she saw me, asked if I would come in and bust up a schifferaux for her. Well, I felt right sorry for her and went into the yard, although damned if I even knew what a schifferaux was or even how to bust one up. The woman went back into the house after giving me an axe, and not wanting to offend her I looked for something to bust up. The only thing in the yard besides an old truck that was already busted and wouldn't run, was an armoire, so I busted that up and went on my way. Lets see, where was I, oh yes- after that I went with some of the Georgia Tech boyz to find a little-known pit that was on the Survey although it had never been entered or even located although it was rumored to be over 300 feet deep and quite virgin. As you know most of the really deep pits in TAG have yet to be discovered and more are forming even as we speak. Zowie! You're probably wondering where I'm going with all of this and I wouldn't blame you if you were so I'll get to the point. Muddy ropes. Yea that's what I said, muddy ropes. The Georgia Tech Boyz wanted to use the Tech Outing Club rope which would have been OK by me except for the fact that it was a 300 foot ski rope. I had to walk all the way back to the truck to get my new PMI Phosphor glow-in-the-dark rope with little bats braided into the sheath. It's really pretty. While I was rigging a backup onto a tree those GT Boyz scooped the pit and left, and that's when I noticed that my rope was totally trashed. Well when I got home the wife wouldn't let me bring it into the house and I couldn't bear to leave it out side in such a sorry state (no, I don't live in North Carolina) so I waited until she was asleep and snuck it into the bathroom. Just as I was about to put it into the tub to soak, she knocked at the door, ostensibly to use the bathroom. Knowing that she would kill me if she found 300 feet of muddy, stinky rope in the house, I told her the toilet was stopped up and commenced to flush it down the toilet a few feet at a time. After 35 flushes I got to the end and tied off to a pipe under the sink and let her in. Luckily she didn't notice a thing and trundled back to bed unaware. The next day she went to work and I started pulling the rope out of the plumbing. Amazingly it came out spic and span! It was just like a new rope! I had discovered an unsung rope washer right in my own house. That's when the trouble started. I had pulled out all but 75 feet or so when I heard a scream come from next door. I ran over to see what the problem was and found that my neighbor's daughter had been running a bath when some kind of snake had come out of the tap. When I got there she and her folks were flipping through Herbert Zim's Big Book of Snakes trying to find what kind of snake had bat-like markings and if it was poisonous. I volunteered to go in and get it and found that the water had been left running and most of the 300 feet of rope was washed back into the tub. I decided that the only thing to do was to pull it back out that side, throw it out the bathroom window, and tell them their daughter needed to check into drug rehab. Pull as I might however, I could not get it out of the tap! It seemed to now be caught on something in my bathroom. I told the neighbors I was going home to get a gun and not to go in there, and ran back next door to my bathroom where I found my wife, very angry and distraught. It seems that our cat had discovered the tail end of the rope disappearing into the toilet, tried to pull it back out, become wrapped up in it, and been yanked halfway down the commode when I had pulled on it from the other side. Thinking quickly she yanked kitty back out, cut the rope, and called her lawyer to start divorce proceedings. Fine. At least I still had 225 feet of nearly new PMI in my neighbors bathtub. When I got back next door however, I found that in my absence the neighbors had squirted lighter fluid all over the "snake" and lit it on fire. I just sat down and cried. Where did I go wrong? Signed,

Ropeless in Sewannee

Dear Ropeless,

Obviously you neglected to check to see if your apartment had a direct connection with the septic tank. It sounds like your pipes run over to your neighbors unit before they go underground. The "draino" method of rope washing was widely used until several years ago when speleo-vendors discovered that they could transport hose-type rope washers to caving events easier than they could take toilets. Bidets were also used for a time by French cavers, but they found that after a few washings the rope would tend to chafe their petzels. In the future don't bother washing your ropes. Just remember that although internal abrasion may be at work, if you don't bounce too much while you climb the sheath will still hold if the core should fail.

Dr. Biner

Next time- Good excuses to use other peoples survey instruments so your own don't get trashed.

December 1, 1995

Called to order at 7:25 by Vice President John Marquart. Present: John Marquart, Brian Valentine, Mark Valentine, Len Storm, Lara Storm, Chris Bell, Beth Reinke, Tim Sickbert, Marty Jacobs, Jim Jacobs, Mark Belding, Julie Angel, Kevin Rasmus, Tonja Fraser, Norm Rogers.

The treasurer's report was read by Jim Jacobs and approved.

John M. summarized recent activities of the Illinois Speleological Survey, noting that a clean-up of Keller Cave has been scheduled for Saturday, March 9, 1996, which will be followed by an ISS meeting in Waterloo. Dump trucks and hoists are being arranged. Those of us who have visited Keller know well the need for this project. The trash which we now have to dodge includes wheels, tires, a baby buggy, a stove and a washing machine. The latter plugged the usual entrance that we used.

John M. updated us on the Blackball Mine project. He has talked recently to Dan Taylor of BCI. Roy Powers will direct the gating project. He has now visited the site, but his visit came at the last minute and no NNG members were able to accompany him. The gating is scheduled to begin in May or June, and will take at least one or two weeks. Weekend help will be welcome. John M. stated that it will be really good experience. Zimmerman Mine (across the creek) is also a potential gating project.

Brian V. is interested in creating a WEB page for the grotto.

Brian Braye was not present, so there was no report on decals or patches.

Mark Belding moved that the slate of candidates for grotto offices presented by the nominating committee be elected as proposed. Chris Bell seconded. Approval was unanimous.

Trips to Illinois Caverns were announced by Jim Jacobs (Dec. 9), and Mark Valentine (Dec. 16).

Discussion was held on the January public meeting: Kevin R. will contact the media, Brian B. and Jim J. will design and distribute a flyer, and mail extra copies to others for further distribution. Beth R. will coordinate refreshments. Any and all are welcome to bring gear, books and pictures for display.

Mark B. discussed building a cave radio for fixing points on the surface to points underground. He has been in contact with Frank Reid, and intends to build one, and author a NNN article on the project, hopefully by the February meeting. Adjourned.

Respectfully submited,

Jim Jacobs

Scott Powers

Dispatch Environment Reporter

reprinted from:

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Nov. 20, 1995

In some of the deepest, darkest reaches of the Earth, cave insects, fish, shrimp, crawfish and other creatures live remarkable lives without light or surface air. But many are dying because of pollution generated on the surface. Horton Hobbs III, chairman of the Biology Department at Wittenberg University, said he is alarmed that pollution, siltation and other man-made messes are trickling into the underworld. The pollution is threatening some rare and sensitive cave creatures and demonstrating the depth of environmental problems, said Hobbs, a cave explorer and expert on cave life.

"Many people say, `Oh, caves, big deal,' " he said. "But if you are looking at quality of ground water in an area, caves are a pretty good barometer." Hobbs has seen the effects in exotic locations such as Bermuda and Costa Rica and closer to home in Indiana and Ohio, which have hundreds of caves. Many support strange creatures such as eyeless fish. He said problems range from near-devastation of life in caves to increasing traces of pesticides and fertilizers in cave pools - contamination that could yet take a toll. "My feeling is that every cave is affected to some degree," Hobbs said. "I can't think of any cave I've ever been in, other than a very few, that haven't shown some sort of human impact."

In northern Alabama's Shelta Cave, which Hobbs has studied since the 1970s, a combination of poor management and the widespread use of termite pesticides on the surface proved devastating. In an effort to close the cave to casual human contact, the owners erected iron gates at the entrance. Bats that lived there didn't like the gates and left. When the bat droppings ceased, creatures that relied on them suffered. Undoubtedly adding to the problem was contamination from a termite pesticide found in the cave pools, Hobbs said. The populations of many creatures plummeted. An endangered species of blind shrimp, once plentiful in the cave, apparently has vanished. "This was one of the most biologically diverse caves in the world," he said.

The Pless Cave in Indiana - another site Hobbs has studied - fell victim apparently to leaking underground tanks at a service station nearby. Life in Kentucky's Hidden River Cave all but died because of pollution linked to a surface river, Hobbs said. Efforts have been made to clean up the river, he said, and the cave is recovering. The pollution isn't always dramatic - nor does it need to be to have an effect, Hobbs said. Much of the geology of Ohio includes karsts - formations of limestone that are prone to underground tunnels that channel water. Karsts also are prone to sinkholes, which often can flood caves with sediment from heavily tilled farms, as well as with fertilizers, pesticides and other surface-applied chemicals. "If you do it on the surface, sooner or later it will express itself beneath the surface," Hobbs said.

Toby Dogwiler, one of Hobbs' students, is studying sinkholes in a karst in Delaware County. The senior geology major from Zanesville is tracking the underground flow of phosphates, nitrates and other chemicals associated with fertilizers. He said he hopes his work provides useful information before development pressures in the area become too strong. "We have found some different organisms in some of the small caves out there," said Dogwiler, 21. "I don't know if they're strictly troglobites (creatures that spend their lives underground), but that needs to be evaluated and documented." Tom Poulson, a biology professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago and the chief scientist for the Cave Research Foundation, said more people are realizing that what is bad for caves is bad for surface dwellers. Contaminated cave water means contaminated ground water. If caves silt up, area farmers undoubtedly will lose more sediment than desired. Green strips around creeks and sinkholes can help, Poulson said, as can careful management of sewage treatment, feedlot waste and agricultural and urban chemicals. The problem faced by troglobites is that many are highly sensitive to pollution, Hobbs said. They have evolved to rely on narrow ranges of nutrient and oxygen content in the water in caves, and those levels can be disrupted quickly by siltation and surface chemicals. They also tend to be low-energy, long-lived creatures that continue to accumulate small amounts of pollution without passing it, until it kills them.

Many caves host creatures found nowhere else in the world. A cave in Ross County, Ohio, is home to a pseudo-scorpion called "Chthonius hobbsi", named after Hobbs. The total population has been counted in the 20s, he said. Other Ohio caves are the only known habitats for two types of cave beetles and one type of aquatic pill bug. None has known populations greater than the 20s. "It wouldn't take much to destroy them," Hobbs said.

Jim Kennedy

jkennedy@batcon.org

On Saturday, Nov. 25, long-time caver Dale Ibberson of York Grotto was injured during a resurvey trip in Laurel Caverns, a commercial cave just outside of Uniontown, PA. Laurel Caverns has about 2.5 miles of passages and is the deepest cave in Pa. at 464 feet. Dale and Jay Reich (also of York) were in the section above Petit Falls, approximately 1800 feet from the nearest entrance. According to Dale, they had just reconnoitered the section of cave they were about to resurvey. He was taking the tape out to set a station and stepped down in an area he was just at. The only problem was that what he thought was a one foot step down to a rock turned out to be about two or three feet. As he fell he turned sideways and landed with his hip hitting a rock. He could not stand, and realized and evacuation was necessary. Some (paying) tourist spelunkers came by and Reich convinced them to stay with Ibberson while he went to the Visitors Center. There he found caver/employee John Chenger who called Patty Kennedy (caver/wilderness EMT/ER-NCRC staff) who intitiated a limited callout to local cavers. Chenger left for Ibberson, taking a small team to carry in a prepacked Ferno-Washington litter, IRT (Initial Response Team) kit, and field phones, all of which were on hand for such situations.

Within an hour of the accident, Ibberson's condition was assessed, he was warmed, and packaged in the litter. The cavers (including caver paramedics) on hand (12-15) started the extrication (and had everything apparently under control) when things got a little messy.

About 60 (!) firemen showed up from several different squads. They tried to take over, even wanting to stop the litter so one of them (who is also a newspaper photographer) could take pictures! They even brought in a second litter and more gear. No one is sure who called them out. It is obvious that they were not in communication with anyone actually involved with the operation. All-in-all there seemed to be a lack of Incident Command after the operation was underway. There was not even any type of entrance control, and some of those firemen may be wandering around in there yet!

I am not bringing this up to criticise what happened, or to second guess decisions made, only to provide a short accident analysis for everyone's edification and to stress the need for cavers (especially cave rescuers) to interact with local agencies. Dale fell a total of about four feet, but his trip was cut short and worse, he is hospitalized with a fractured pelvis. This could have been any one of us.

Mike Fernandez

dzabel@interserv.com

With regard to Laurel Caverns, the scene with the local rescue squads reminds me of the rescue at Sinking Creek cave during the last NSS convention in Tennessee. When the accident victim literally fell at our feet, I made the exit to call for assistance. The first on the scene was the local rescue squad. I spent a lot of time trying to delay them from charging into the cave dressed in street shoes and carrying flashlights until competent help arrived. When that occurred, there was an incredible tete-a-tete concerning who had jurisdiction and who would relinquish what to whom under what circumstances (ability to safely perform the rescue was a minor point). Not to knock local rescue squads, & I realize there are certain legalities at issue, but they can often delay or aggravate potentially life threatening situations. Talk about turf wars!

(Reprinted from the NSS Administrative Memo - Dec., 1995)

[Administrative Memo] Editor's Note: While this may seem like a strange article to include in a publication targeted for people already in the NSS, I find that when I tell people that they should join the NSS, their first question is always, "Why?" I can cite the obvious answers, but I always manage to leave out something. With the focus being on recruiting new members before the price increase, this may help you convince those few stragglers. The following is reprinted from the NSS 1996 Catalog:

If you are interested in caves, you belong in the National Speleological Society (NSS). Founded in 1941, we are a nationwide organization with a membership of more than 12,000 men and women from all walks of life and age groups. Our members are bound together by our love of caves and desire to protect the underground wilderness for future generations. We are people like you who have joined the NSS to:

--Go caving safely and responsibly

--Help protect caves from accidental or intentional damage.

--Learn about caving activities (in the NSS News) and keep abreast of scientific studies (in the Bulletin).

--Take part in the Society's annual convention and local events to meet other cavers, share information, enjoy fellowship, and learn more about caves and caving.

With a broad range of expertise, we can focus on and solve caver conservation problems. Working together, we can bring political pressure on legislators to enact cave conservation laws and ensure that the caves we use are protected for future generations.

The NSS COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK: Because the NSS exists, cavers in one state can find out what cavers in other states are doing, and learn from their experiences. Members moving to new areas can locate others who are interested in caving. Map symbols can be standardized. Groups of cave rescue experts can be available to help in emergencies. Members can learn about possible problems with caving equipment--before an accident happens!

LOCAL GROTTOS: The NSS is made up of individual members. In many parts of the country, these members have formed local grottos or chapters and regional organizations. These groups sponsor trips, offer training, teach and practice cave conservation, and generally provide a framework for enjoying and studying caves. Most grottos will welcome new members who are interested in caves and committed to cave conservation.

SECTIONS: Besides local grottos, the Society has many special interest groups, called sections, which cover such topics as photography, conservation, vertical caving, geology, cave diving, and cartography. Several of these sections publish periodic newsletters and sponsor sessions at the Society's annual convention.