Jim Jacobs
aHEM! Hello, there!
I bear an important message from our esteemed treasurer: To wit,
DUES ARE DUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They may be brought to the meeting, mailed to Beth, or mailed to the grotto mailbox. Don’t let this be your last issue of the best reading in the caving world today, the Near Normal News! It’s only $10.00/yr. Six issues of the News, eleven meetings, a few cave trips, and all the fun you can stand. Get your renewal in TODAY! (Please?)
First, for anyone interested in submitting future articles for the News, please read the new and improved guidelines for submission. Since my office upgraded my desk machine a few months ago, and we also have a new computer at home, we can take submissions just about any way you can get them to us, up to and including carrier pigeon. And we really do thank you for your support.
Probably the biggest thing on tap is the NCRC weekend, March 27-28! If you have never had any cave rescue training, please arrange to attend. Even if you have, do it again! Each situation is different, and each rescue is different. Cavers are in the unique position of being their own best-qualified rescuers. Above ground, firemen, policemen, paramedics, EMT’s and others are trained to help people. First aid responders are trained to first call 911 (if circumstances allow), and render aid until an EMT arrives. The others are expert in their own areas, and rightfully, assume authority when arriving on the scene. But a cave rescue is often a very different story. First, you can’t call 911 in a cave. Cavers should know how to render effective aid and comfort for HOURS, not just the ten minutes or so that 911 services strive for in surface emergency situations. When John Marquart was injured in Crystal Cave, we were about two miles of difficult cave from the surface. It was a matter of hours before the party reached the surface to report the mishap. Longer still before help could be organized. It was nearly 22 hours before a doctor who was willing and able to go that far into a cave reached John (guided and assisted by a group of strong cavers) to render expert medical aid. Few policemen, firemen, doctors or EMT’s are also trained cavers. The logistics, knowledge and skills necessary to be able to cope with rescues in an underground environment are rarely covered in their training. This is where the National Cave Rescue Commission comes in. People who have all had extensive experience in cave rescue help others to become qualified. The training at Illinois Caverns will take place over the weekend. It will include classroom instruction, field practice, and a practice rescue. Advanced training is also available, usually at weeklong rescue training seminars. Many NNG’rs took part in the NCRC weekend at Illinois Caverns in 1995. I hope that many of us will be able to take part this month. Contacts for information: NNG’s Marc Tiritilli, Phillip Odel, podell@iglou.com, Anmar Mirza, amirza@indiana.edu, or the NCRC, http://www.hutchison.org/ncrc/
PICNIC INVITATION EXTENDED BY MARK TWAIN GROTTO
Patty Daws
Pattydaw@aol.com
Preliminary Announcement: We would like to invite the Iowa and Near Normal Grottos to the first annual Mark Twain Grotto picnic which will be held the weekend of April 10-11, 1999 south of Hannibal, MO. Camping (primitive) will be at Ranacker Conservation Area.
On Saturday (the 10th) we will have led trips to several area caves:
Buzzard, Jabawarsky, Frankford and Woodson. Commercial trips are also available at Mark Twain and Cameron Caves for those who have not seen these neat maze caves. On Sunday (the 11th) we will have a cave clean-up at Burton Cave near Quincy, IL. We will be cleaning the graffiti off the walls and formations.
More information will be available soon including directions to the Campsite. Please let us know if you have an interest in attending.
ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING
The Near Normal Grotto will host our annual public meeting on Friday, April 23 at 7:30 PM, in the Community Room (downstairs) of the National City Bank, 211 E. Jefferson, Bloomington, Illinois. The meeting is free of charge. The featured presentation will be "Bats of Illinois and Elsewhere: Those Fascinating Flying Mammals", by Thomas A. Griffiths, Beling Professor of Biology, Illinois Wesleyan University. Please get the word out to any interested parties. Dr Griffiths is a renowned authority on bats, and is a very interesting, entertaining speaker. We’re fortunate to have him!
IN THIS ISSUE:
[The following article created a bit of a stir on the Tag-Net email list.]
RARE CAVEFISH FOUND BY SCIENTISTS
Dr. Whit Gibbons and Dr. Kurt Buhlmann, scientists from the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) accompanied John Jensen and Jim Ozier of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources on a spelunking expedition in north Georgia last week and found a rare, blind fish known as a southern cavefish. As teachers of ecology students and courses at the University of Georgia, both Gibbons and Buhlmann take every opportunity to acquaint themselves with the rich biodiversity of the southeastern region. Exploring caves adds another dimension to their quest for discovering and understanding the biology of the region's inhabitants. Cavefish are not just blind; they are eyeless. They are small white fish known to inhabit the waters deep beneath the earth but they are rarely seen by people because they are found only at limited points at which underground lakes can be reached through caves. While some scientists look for the cavefish for years, this group had been underground for about an hour and had come to the end of a winding tunnel. The rain outside was making the water level of the cave rise when Buhlmann spotted the fish. Within 30 minutes he was able to capture it using a net. Only two other individual cavefish have ever been caught in Georgia, one in 1969 and one in 1973. Little is known about this elusive fish. Even to call them rare may be inaccurate. They may be abundant, but simply live outside our knowledge. Their number cannot be estimated and no one knows how they live or reproduce. As Dr. Gibbons points out, "The ultimate question is how many species are living beneath the earth's surface that humans are yet to find, and perhaps never will?"
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990309062214.htm
This was a rather typical reaction:
BLIND CAVEFISH (creed of the cave biologist)
Dan Twilley (Ooltewah, Tennessee)
twilley@vol.com
Take nothing but specimens, leave nothing but world shaking scientific
papers, kill nothing but uncommon and rare species.
I guess the big (unanswered) question is: did they actually collect the specimens or did they look them over and do a "catch and release"? –Ed.
FATALITY IN ELLISON'S CAVE, INCREDIBLE PIT
Buddy Lane
(Signal_Mountain, Tennessee)
buddylane@csi.com
TAG cavers, it is with much sadness that I must report
a fatality in Ellison's Cave, Incredible Pit..
A group of three cavers, from the Douglasville, GA area,
were ascending Incredible Pit at approximately 00:00 Wednesday AM. There was a rope left handing in the pit when they arrived, at the top of the drop, so they rigged very close beside it.
The first two ascended one on each rope and got up with great difficulty, due to twisting the two ropes together, in the 440-foot pit.
The third climber ascended up between 100 to 200 feet was hopeless tangled up in the ropes. He was yelling for help to his friends and did not know how to do a change over. After he quit yelling and had no addition communication with the two top guys, in addition to the fact the rope were still loaded, they left the cave and called rescue at 03:00.
The rescue team found him hanging on both ropes in the very wet pit, tangled between them. He was dead at the scene.
The patient in his late 20's was removed from the cave and arrived at the top of Pigeon Mountain at 23:17 this evening.
We wish to thank all the responders who worked so hard throughout the day: Walker County Cave Rescue, Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Walker County EMA and Dade County Georgia Rescue.
With Much Regret,
Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue
Buddy Lane, Captain
NSS 12054 LF
SCC 43
INTERNET DISCUSSION:
The following report is reposted with permission from Buddy Lane, thanks to Bill Bussey for sending it to me.
There are several lessons to be learned from this incident:
1) EVERYONE needs to be able to do changeovers.
2) Getting to the patient was obviously difficult, but not impossible. How
loaded was the 2nd rope? Getting to the patient would require a) rappeling a tangled rope or b) down climbing 200 feet (difficult - NOT impossible) or
c) rappeling on a loaded rope. Rappeling on a loaded rope is extremely dangerous, and requires special techniques. Again, it falls into the difficult/dangerous category, not impossible. If I were in this situation, I would rappel with a safety, just in case the rope became unloaded suddenly. The possibility of sudden unloading is low, however, as 200 feet down in a bell shaped pit would provide little opportunity for the patient to suddenly get off line. Any decision to rescue should not be taken lightly - this one would require a lot of skill on the part of the rescuers.
3) If one of the members could get to the patient and perform a pick-off,
there may not have been a fatality. (Then again, there may have been TWO
people tangled in the rope).
4) Two ropes running side by side will almost inevitably tangle. They require special management to work correctly.
Cindy Heazlit
Chair, The Self Rescue Group
mailto:cheazlit@ix.netcom.com
http://www.netcom.com/~cheazlit/self_rescue/
From: "William Putnam" <putnam@scott.marketspace.com>
His name was Hal Bufford, of Douglasville, GA. I was there (one of many) to help bring him out. I respond here not to criticize or bash Hal or his fellow cavers, but to offer some honest thoughts and observations from one who was there for the consideration thoughtful cavers.
Cindy Heazlit writes:
+AD4-1) EVERYONE needs to be able to do changeovers.
Absolutely. It is an essential basic skill for vertical cavers. I wonder what percentage of active vertical cavers can actually do it? Add the fact that he
was already wet, cold, and tired before starting the climb, plus the fact that he was climbing 440 feet in a substantial waterfall of 35 degree water while
wearing a plastic rain suit over cotton clothing... I have watched cavers who
have been caving for many years spend 15 to 30 minutes making the climb-to-rappel changeover. In those conditions and with that (inappropriate) clothing he didn't have that much time. IMHO, people should practice until they are able to easily and consistently do it in less than 5 minutes. With practice, it can be done in less than 1 minute. Hopefully, that level of ability will give us some margin in the kind of difficult conditions that he faced.
+AD4-2) Getting to the patient was obviously difficult, but not impossible. How
+AD4-loaded was the 2nd rope?
His weight (+AD4-200 lbs including wet clothing and gear) was equally distributed between the two ropes. Combined weight of caver and ropes was probably about 300 to 350 lbs. He was attached to both ropes, apparently in an attempt to change from climb to rappel. He had the rack rigged (though one bar was threaded wrong) but appeared to have been unable to transfer his weight to the rack from the handled ascender attached to his harness. The sling on the
ascender was too long (a full arm's length at least) and it may have been out
of reach or at the limit of his reach. The knee cam of his ropewalker was attached to the other rope. His foot cam was not recovered.
+AD4- Getting to the patient would require
+AD4-a) rappeling a tangled rope or
+AD4-b) down climbing 200 feet (difficult - NOT impossible) or
+AD4-c) rappeling on a loaded rope.
The ropes were tangled above and below him. His two companions did not have
the strength or equipment to pull him up. It took six haulers, and a Z-rig
quite a while to do it, and we were all exhausted by the effort. Cramped quarters at the top of the pit only allowed an 8-foot bite for the haul. He
was at least 200 feet down. In retrospect, we might have been better off taking another 500 foot rope and lowering both ropes and patient to the bottom, then sending someone down to rig him for the haul. His companions did not have that option. I think that trying to downclimb to rappel the two loaded and tangled ropes would very possibly have stranded a second person on rope.
+AD4-Rappeling on a loaded rope is extremely dangerous, and requires special
+AD4-techniques. Again, it falls into the difficult/dangerous category, not
+AD4-impossible. If I were in this situation, I would rappel with a safety, just +AD4-in case the rope were suddenly unloaded. The possibility of sudden
+AD4-unloading is low, however, as 200 feet down in a bell shaped pit would +AD4-provide little opportunity for the patient to suddenly get off line. Any
+AD4-decision to rescue should not be taken lightly - this one would require a
+AD4-lot of skill on the part of the rescuers.
Actually, a sudden load shift did occur early in the haul. We were trying to haul both ropes, but one was anchored in such a way that we had to raise the
other to get some slack and remove a knot and carabiner. While we were doing
that, something shifted below and all his weight went to the other rope. After
that, we used the haul system on the loaded rope and pulled the other by hand.
He had been on rope in the water for many hours by then, and had made no response to our calls, so there was little point in sending anyone down and
exposing them to the same risk. I suppose that would be the only option
available to the victim's companions in the circumstances. But as you say, it would have very difficult and dangerous.
+AD4-3) If one of the members could get to the patient and perform a pick-off,
+AD4-there may not have been a fatality. (Then again, there may have been TWO
+AD4-people tangled in the rope).
Exactly. I do not know the experience level of the cavers involved, but
judging from what I saw, I do not believe they had the ability to do that.
Most cavers would not. I would not want to do it myself, though I could if
desperate. Having an extra, unloaded rope beside the victim is one thing. A
loaded and tangled pair of ropes (of different diameters, too) in a 440 foot
pit with a large volume of 35-degree water coming down is quite another thing
indeed. This fellow needed to be able to help himself. Better yet, he needed
to avoid getting in that situation. As is often the case, the fatality was the
result of a series of compounding errors. Poor rigging, times difficult conditions, times improper clothing, times no communications, times inability
to change over. Change any one of those factors, and the accident is avoided.
The chain of causality is broken.
+AD4-4) Two ropes running side by side will almost inevitably tangle. They
+AD4-require special management to work correctly.
Yes. I like to keep ropes at least 6 feet apart in any pit, farther if
possible - especially in long drops like this. These were less than 2 feet
apart at the lip. One of the ropes was already rigged when they got there
(left by previous visitors). I would have pulled it up and put it aside to use
my own rope and avoid the risk of tangling. Some folks might decide to use the
+ACI-booty rope+ACI-, but I would not do that if I did not know its history and
ownership. Plus, I'd have had to pull it up anyway to check for damage,
length, knot in the end, etc. before using it. Too many bad things can happen
to ropes left hanging in caves, especially in waterfalls. Better to pull it,
put it aside, and use your own. I believe they left it rigged because they
thought someone else was in the cave ahead of them. There is another rig point
around a ledge to the right, but you can't see the bolts unless you traverse
around (hands and knees on belay), and I don't think they knew it is there. It
is not obvious. Absent a clear rig point, the appropriate thing to do is either inspect and use the rope that's there or replace it with your own. And of course there's always the option of not doing the drop - leave and come back another day.
The focus of this list is self-rescue - getting out on your own or with the
help of your companions. This group did not have the knowledge or resources to
do that. His only hope was to save himself. A quick changeover and descent
would have done that, allowing the others to pull one rope and clear the other
for ascent. Once he was stuck there was little or nothing they could do to
help him. By the time they could exit the cave, it was almost certainly already too late. They key to this accident was prevention, not reaction.
These fellows made some mistakes, and the outcome was tragic. I looked at his
face and felt that it could have been me, 19 years ago. When we were starting
out, didn't we all think at some point that we knew everything we needed to
know when we really did not? Now that I am older, all I know for sure is that
there is so much that I do not know.
In great sadness,
Bill Putnam
eGroup Spotlight:
"Sarugby" - South African Rugby
http://offers.egroups.com/click/242/1
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/self_rescue
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com
ILLINOIS CAVERNS NEWS BRIEF 11/98	
[This item was sent out by the IDNR. – Ed.]
NATURAL HISTORY
The natural beauty that characterizes Illinois is more than skin deep. Some of the State’s most significant and scenic wonders lie beneath the surface—in Illinois caves. With more than 100 recorded caves, Monroe County has more caves than any other county in Illinois.
The process of cave formation involves the power of water over rock. The rocks that form the base of the Illinois Ozark, Shawnee Hill, and Mississippi Border natural divisions are the sort most susceptible to the forces of water. Millions of years ago, huge shallow seas that covered much of this area deposited many layers of organic and carbonate sediments, forming the limestone and dolomite bedrock that dominate the region today. These types of rocks are easily dissolved and carried off by water especially along the subterranean cracks or "joints" common to the sedimentary deposits.
During the courses of thousands of years, the dissolving action of water along the subterranean cracks formed large water-filled conduits or underground streams. Meanwhile, erosion on the surface began to cut valleys deeper, some of the underground passages were drained, creating the air-filled passages known as caves.
During the cave-making process, water acts not only as a dissolving agent, but also as a builder. In the protected cave environment , dripping and seeping water can deposit carbonate materials and form a host of geologic formations.
NATURAL FEATURES
Illinois Caverns contains an extensive array of spectacular cave formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, rimstone dams, flowstone, and soda straws. Many formations are actively growing with the continued deposition of calcium carbonate. An underground stream meanders through the cave in its entrenched bed. Throughout the year, the temperature in the cave remains a relatively constant 58 degrees Fahrenheit. A caving group from Chicago, the Windy City Grotto, has mapped approximately six miles of the cavern’s passages.
In addition to these cave formations, Illinois Caverns is home for a delicately balanced and fragile community of animals. The cave has an outstanding invertebrate fauna, including the largest number of cave-adapted animals known from any cave in Illinois. The cave salamander and at least two species of bats, the little brown bat and eastern pipstrel, are commonly found in the cave.
NEWLY IMPLEMENTED CHANGES AT ILLINOIS CAVERNS
As you are aware, Illinois Caverns is becoming more and more popular with the visiting public. In fact, last year’s attendance increased by 26% over the previous year. As could be expected, along with this increase in visitation is an increase in concern for the safety of the public as well as the cave’s ecosystem. DNR staff and the visiting public have identified many of the concerns.
Overall, the main concern expressed is that we maintain a quality caving experience for the visiting public, provide a safe educational experience and preserve the fragile ecosystem of the cave.
In order to address these concerns, some changes will be needed at this site. Fortunately, we already have a "Cave Exploration Permit" system in place. Visitors must sign the permit prior to entering the cave. By making a few changes t it, most of our concerns can be addressed for the near future.
The changes we are proposing are 1) Required use of hard hat, 2) Required appropriate footwear with treaded soles, and 3) Groups of 25 or more must pre-register prior to arrival.
Hours of operation for Illinois Caverns Natural Area will remain the same for both summer (8:30am – 7:30pm) and winter hours (8:30am – 3:30pm). However, no one will be permitted to access the cave after 2:30pm in the winter and 6:00pm in the summer hours. This change has been implemented from a public safety standpoint, allowing site staff to initiate safety/rescue efforts before time and daylight run out.
If you are affiliated with a Speleological Group, Grotto or any other interested party and wish to be on our mailing list for possible future News Briefs please forward this newsletter to them and mail us their address. If your Grotto or Speleological Group has a web site or newsletter, it would be appreciated if you can include the newly imposed rules at Illinois Caverns in your publications.
If you have any other questions, concern or comments, feel free to call or write for there may be need to alter the cave permit as needed. Illinois Caverns phone number is (618) 458-6699. Address: 4369 G Road, Waterloo, Illinois 62298.
UP COMING EVENTS FOR 1999
March 27 and 28 – NCRC Cave Rescue training at Illinois Caverns
May – Ground Water Month – come and walk through an aquifer
June – Cave Clean up - Grottos and Speleological groups and others.
Steve Taylor
I got to go to Kentucky to do a little cave biology on February 23rd and 24th, 1999. There is a guy at the Illinois Natural History Survey who is working on a book on the crayfish of Kentucky. He needed to photograph specimens of the two troglobitic species of crayfish occurring in that state, Orconectes inermis (north central Kentucky, extends up into Indiana) and Orconectes pellucidus (more central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave area).
A series of emails and phone calls some months in advance (with a few frantic calls the day before leaving) set up trips to two caves which were just what I wanted. Easy access (for my caving partner is not a caver) with a stream that would yield cave crayfish. A long six hour drive through the boring parts of Illinois and equally boring parts of Indiana, finally gave way to some nice hills as we crossed over into Kentucky, and soon I was craning my neck at all the sinks and other karst features.
We arrived at our first cave, Bandy Cave, and everything seemed perfect, I went and checked in at the landowners house, then we geared up, strolled down into the sinkhole, ducked in the entrance and we almost immediately in walking height stream passage. Excellent, we trolley dotted along and soon found several cave crayfish, including a few large healthy individuals with all their parts attached (many cave crayfish seem to have one pincher that is missing or regenerating). We also got to see some cave fish (neat!). After some photography, we left the cave and drove down to the Mammoth Cave area in central Kentucky.
It was just before dark, and we decided we could try hitting our other cave (for the second species of crayfish) before the day was done. This cave was right in the middle of a town in a large sinkhole. We pulled up, geared up, and slipped down into the wooded sinkhole, and approached the entrance. At the entrance was a large tower built long ago to pump water up out of the cave for use by old locomotives. The tower was in a state of disrepair, and we had to pick our way through lumber with nails jutting out, and all sorts of partially collapsed things that looked like they were going to fall down on top of us. Finally we came to a cement wall with a rusty metal ladder going down. Several steps down, I discovered that one of the steps was missing. At the bottom we found a jumbled pile of debris, an old cement and stone dam, rusty pipes, beer cans, spray paint, string, etc. But there was a nice babbling stream. We worked our way down passage of that awkward height that makes you unsure whether you should be stoop walking or crawling. Crayfish were not numerous here, but we found a few and took some pictures. We climbed out in the darkness, with plans to return the next morning. We stayed in a trashy hotel (there was a bullet hole in the window of our room) and ate southern food.
The next morning we returned to the same cave for more crayfish
hunting and photography, with sufficient success to call the entire trip a success. Then I talked my companion into heading over to Horse Cave, Kentucky to visit Hidden River Cave and the American Cave Museum (Headquarters of the American Cave Conservation Association). We enjoyed our tour of the cave and the facilities, and I highly recommend the Museum and cave tour to anyone. Very informative, very professional, very educational. After chatting for a bit with the ACCA folks, we got in the car and did the long drive back home.
Norm Rogers
Normally, we don't make a big deal of announcing a new member of the grotto, other than a welcome in the NNG News, however I would like to make an exception. At the restoration camp in Kentucky last January, John Vargo gave me his dues money and announced he wanted to be a member of the Near Normal Grotto, and now I want to take this opportunity to introduce this unique man. John, who lives in Swartz Creek, Michigan has been my friend since 1991, when he and his daughter attended the summer camp at Mammoth Cave. Since that time, he has attended all the camps that were possible for him to attend. John was born totally deaf, but with his ability to read lips, and my very small knowledge of sign language, we are able to communicate very well.
Once, he invited me to go caving with himself and three other deaf cavers in Doghill/Donahue cave in Indiana. A great cave, but it was the quietest trip I've ever been on. No one said a word! At that time, I was reminded of John's great strength as a caver (something I had learned at previous camps at Mammoth Cave.) His deaf friends were somewhat new at caving, and so when we approached an ear-dip, John went through first, plowing a furrow through the mud and water with his head and large shoulders. He trailed behind him a length of rope so his friends would be more comfortable following the rope through the low spot. As I was the last in line to navigate the bathtub, John told me to just hang on tight to the rope. When I did, he literally pulled me through, at such a speed that we sent water and mud flying everywhere! Although soaked to the skin, and covered in muck, it was the easiest section of cave I had ever traveled.
Since those days, John has had many physical trials, including two near fatal car accidents (neither were his fault) and several painful surgeries made necessary by arthritis. Despite these setbacks, John has continued to volunteer his time and efforts to the restoration work at Mammoth Cave. He has ignored the pain and swelling in his knees caused by the work, and has always been positive in his role in the project.
One of the greatest contributions made to the camp was John's invention of a device used to pull bridge support posts out of the floor of the cave. The previous year, it took several people up to an hour's work to dig just one of these 4 X 4 posts out of the sand or mud. With John's tool, it now takes just seconds. Just this tool alone will accelerate the work in Echo River by an incredible pace. Because of this, John received an award from the Park Service for his contribution to the project.
I feel the Near Normal Grotto should be proud to have John Vargo as our newest member. [I couldn't agree more! - Ed.]
Visit the Restoration Camp web site at:
http://oldsci.eiu.edu/physics/len/mammoth/mcrp0.html
Jim Jacobs
The Near Normal Grotto meets the fourth Friday of each month with variances around holidays. Check the calendar on the inside front cover of each newsletter. The Near Normal News is issued six times per year; January, March, May, July, September and November/December. Articles submitted for the News should be RECEIVED by Friday, two weeks before the meeting. Occasionally, later submissions can be accepted with advance arrangement.
ARTICLE FORMAT:
Articles may be submitted in many forms. They may be handwritten, typed (if anyone still owns a typewriter), computer disk or email. Or in crayon on a paper bag. Just get them here. Since I will have to retype any handwritten or typed submissions, please get them to me as far in advance of the deadline as possible. Although I prefer either Microsoft Word or plain ASCII (DOS-text), articles on disk or email can be in just about any popular word processing format.
METHODS OF SUBMISSION: Co-Editor Brian Braye handles graphics and layout. Any photographs, maps or lists which need to be scanned into the computer may be sent directly to him as 1503 S. Madison, Bloomington, IL 61701 or emailed to brbraye@ilstu.edu. I function primarily as copy editor. Any articles, on paper or disk may be mailed to me at 1905 Lambert Drive, Normal, IL 61761 or email to jjacobs@ilstu.edu.
STYLE: SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES. Although this is not a technical journal, we do count a fair number of professionals in our midst, and we’ve been honored by some first-rate submissions in the areas of chemistry, geology and biology. Any articles addressing technical or scientific issues should hold to a high standard of experiment and proof, citing references where appropriate.
STYLE: TRIP REPORTS. Some of our members cave frequently, some don’t. Others have retired to their armchairs. It is my belief that trip reports are best written in an informal, personal nature, recounting the experience and feelings of a caving trip, so that members who did not participate can "crawl along" with the author and enjoy the trip vicariously. Humorous anecdotes are encouraged, but include nothing mean-spirited, which would cause embarrassment or hurt anyone’s feelings.
January 22, 1999
Called to order at 7:20 by President Brian R. Braye. Present; Jim Jacobs, Bill Van Antwerp, Marty Jacobs, Marc Tiritilli, Tracy L. Tiritilli, Suzanna Walaszek, Steve Taylor, Julie Angel, John R. Marquart. Introductions: Welcome new member Bill Van Antwerp, an EMT from Peoria.
OFFICERS’ REPORTS: Secretary. The minutes of the previous meetings were approved as published in the December issue of the NEWS. The Treasurer’s report (delivered by Julie Angel, subbing for Beth Reinke) was accepted.
OLD BUSINESS: - Incorporation papers were passed around. John M. said that the non-profit status is not necessary unless property is owned and donations solicited. Motion to incorporate made and passed. Blackball mine program – the SMAPS computer mapping program was passed to Chris Rogers who will work with Don Coons to finish the map of the mine.
NEW BUSINESS: The First of America Bank has changed its name. It is now National City Bank. A discussion was held concerning the placing of NEWS articles on the NNG website. Steve Taylor was concerned that some articles may contain sensitive information which although appropriate for publishing in the NNN for an audience of primarily members, may contain information such as cave locations which should not be placed on the web for anyone to see. Jim J. assured everyone that, if the author does not wish for an article to be placed on the web, that the request would be honored. Jim J. moved that the annual public meeting be moved to April rather than January. Approved unanimously after a short discussion. Suzanne W. will chair the committee to organize and publicize the program. John M. and Marc T. will assist. Steve Taylor has some information on new Illinois Caverns regulations. [Published in this issue – Ed.]
TRIP REPORTS: Marc Tiritilli – Illinois Caverns. Steve Taylor; Stimler and Fogelpole. Trip to Devil’s Ice Box was cancelled. The next NNG meeting is Feb. 26. The next ISS (Illinois Speleological Survey) meeting will take place on April 25 at the Illinois Natural History Survey at Champaign. Adjourned. There was no program.
Respectfully submitted,
Jim Jacobs, Secretary
February 26, 1999
Called to order at 7:19 by Vice-President, Julie Angel. Introductions. Present: Jim Jacobs, Bill Van Antwerp, Steve Taylor, Suzanna Walaszek, Jeff Walaszek, Troy J. Simpson, Angi Bennett, Nick Bennett, Annie Bennett, Brett Bennett, G. Dennis Campbell, Marc Tiritilli, Angela Carson, Dave Carson, Matthew Carson, Earl Neller, Nathan Horton, John R. Marquart.
OFFICER REPORTS: Secretary. Minutes of the January meeting were read and approved. The Treasurer reported a balance of $367.92. Approved.
OLD BUSINESS: Julie A. got info on what is necessary to keep our incorporation status. There is a $5.00/yr. fee, a form must be submitted, and some sort of income tax statement. We will check on whether we would owe tax on our treasury status. The public meeting is now scheduled for April 24th. Suzanna W. has made a poster. Dr. Tom Griffiths of Illinois Wesleyan University has agreed to reprise the wonderful presentation that he delivered in 1996. Posters will be passed out at the March meeting for distribution. John M. requested information for the annual report to the Illinois Speleological Survey. The ISS meeting is April 25th. Norm R. requests to step down as meeting program chair. Volunteers should please contact President Brian Braye.
TRIP REPORTS: Dave C., Dennis C., Phil VonDeBur and Norm Rogers participated in the Mammoth Cave cleanup weekend. Dave and Dennis reported. Dave and Angela also delivered the first trip report for their son, Matthew (about six months old now), who visited Mammoth Cave with his parents. They also toured Diamond Caverns, KY, and found it well worth the trip. [Welcome aboard, Matthew! – Ed.] Steve Taylor has been very busy doing actual cave work, checking on the biota and the water in Stimler and Fogelpole caves, and others. He lamented that he had to do 16 cave trips in the last month or so, including some in Kentucky. One, in or near Cave City had been used for water source for locomotives, where he looked for cave crayfish. He also visited Hidden River Cave (KY) and others. The Spring MVOR IS May 14-16 near Shannon City, MO. There is a NCRC at Illinois Caverns MARCH 27-28!
Adjourned. Earl Neller gave an amazing slide program of a now closed cave. Although the slides were nearly 25 years old, they were in good shape, and very well done! Thanks, Earl!