----- Original Message ----- From: Matt Bowers To: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, July 22, 2012 9:37 PM Subject: Webinars on caves, caving & bats
Western Cavers - We've all been invited to these upcoming webinars on cave topics. These online seminars are free and open to the public. If you have a grotto newsletter, please consider including this flyer in your next issue: http://www.batslive.pwnet.org/pdf/Flyer.pdf September 18: Bats LIVE from Bracken Cave October 11: Cave and karst topography Bats LIVE from Bracken Cave Tuesday, September 18: 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time http://BatsLIVE.pwnet.org Join us on Tuesday, September 18 for an "electronic field trip" from Bracken Bat Cave, which is the summer home of the world's largest bat colony. Watch the live program as millions of bats emerge from the cave, located near San Antonio, Texas. With many millions of Mexican free-tailed bats living in the cave from March through October, Bracken holds one of the largest concentrations of mammals on earth. The emergence of these millions of bats, as they spiral out of the cave at dusk for their nightly insect hunt, is an unforgettable sight. Bats are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies worldwide. Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among to least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Cave and karst topography Thursday, October 11: 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time http://www.batslive.pwnet.org/resource/webinars.php A webinar about cave and karst topography will be held on October 11 in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation as part of BatsLIVE. The webinars is for teachers, non-formal educators, and others. October 11: Cave and Karst - The World Beneath our Feet 7 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time 6 to 7:30 p.m. Central Time 5 to 6:30 p.m. Mountain Time 4 to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time 3 to 4:30 p.m. Alaska Time Cave environments, by their very nature, provide a unique system, which is highly valuable for scientific study and environmental education. Due to the extreme isolation and harsh conditions of the cave environment, caves provide habitat for an array of unusual and rare animal species, including species that are at risk of becoming extinct! Caves are portals to a unique environment and an intriguing web of life - where the forest gives way to the darkness of a cave, scientists have found some of the most remarkable creatures in the world. Within the depths of caves we can also find the remains of ancient life including some of the largest mammals to ever walk the planet such as saber toothed cats, short-faced bears, and giant ground sloths.Cindy Sandeno Because caves are connected to the surface, we cannot protect them without protecting the lands that contribute water to them. Join us to learn about karst topography and the many special features including springs, sinkholes, underground rivers, and of course, caves that make up this landform. In a karst landscape, water moves very quickly through underground channels with little filtration, making it vulnerable to contamination. Globally, more than one billion people depend on karst terrains for their water supplies. Presenters: Cynthia Sandeno is the National Cave and Karst Coordinator for the USDA Forest Service. She began her career as a wildlife biologist in Indiana and her interest in bats led her underground. Cindy has participated in mist netting bats and performing hibernacula surveys in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Arizona, and New Mexico. Cindy has developed many partnerships to help conserve and protect cave resources. She is also passionate about sharing the wonder of caves Carol Zokaiteswith others. Carol Zokaites is the Chief of Environmental Education for Virginia State Parks in the Va. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). She is also the National Coordinator for Project Underground, a national karst education program. Carol's combined passions for caves and science education has led to 16 years of teaching about groundwater and the unique habitats found in karst terrain. She has developed the statewide karst education program in Virginia, surveyed miles of cave passage, participated in bat hibernacula surveys and is on the WNS Communications committee. Dr. Rick Toomey is the director of the Mammoth Cave International Center for Science and Learning. The Center is a cooperative project of Western Kentucky University and Mammoth Cave National Park. In this position he works to promote research at the park and to improve public understanding of the cave and park. Rick has been studying Mammoth Cave and its historic uses for approximately 10 years. His work has included using fossils found in the cave to understand how people have modified the cave over the past 200 years.
