texascavers Digest 15 Mar 2012 17:16:04 -0000 Issue 1515 Topics (messages 19713 through 19721):
WNS Reported in Alabama
19713 by: R D Milhollin
Extreme Cave Diving
19714 by: tbsamsel.verizon.net
19717 by: Speleosteele.aol.com
TSS worksession cancelled
19715 by: Jim Kennedy
Results of the Samsung School Contest
19716 by: Ernst H. Kastning
TC
19718 by: Denise P
Results of the TCMA election
19719 by: Mallory Mayeux
City of Austin Groundwater Awareness Week
19720 by: Mike Walsh
19721 by: Mark.Alman.L-3com.com
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--- Begin Message ---Follow the link to the official press release. http://caver.net/pipermail/swr_caver.net/attachments/20120314/6dc6f9e9/attachment.pdf Peter Youngbaer White Nose Syndrome Liaison National Speleological Society (802) 272-3802
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--- Begin Message ---Kenny Broad (on the NGS media roadshow) will be in Kansas City at the Kaufmann Center next week. Sounds interesting, but it's out of my price range. (Kauffmann Center is new and very snazzy.)
Extreme Cave Diving: Exploring the Blue Holes of the Bahamas is the show's title.
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--- Begin Message ---Cavers who have read either BEYOND THE DEEP or HUAUTLA: THIRTY YEARS IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S DEEPEST CAVES about caving at Sistema Huautla, Oaxaca, Mexico, may recognize Kenny Broad's name. He was one of the main exploratory cave divers on the epic 1994 expedition. Bill Steele In a message dated 3/14/2012 12:02:05 P.M. Central Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: Kenny Broad (on the NGS media roadshow) will be in Kansas City at the Kaufmann Center next week. Sounds interesting, but it's out of my price range. (Kauffmann Center is new and very snazzy.) Extreme Cave Diving: Exploring the Blue Holes of the Bahamas is the show's title. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
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--- Begin Message ---Guys, it seems like another TSS worksession date is upon us, and that all of us forgot to send out an announcement. Because of that, we are cancelling the worksession tonight. Please pass the word. See you next month! Jim Kennedy TSS office manager<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
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--- Begin Message ---Dear Texas Cavers, To those of you who voted online in the Samsung ³Solve for Tomorrow² Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) contest, THANK YOU !! The contest ended at midnight on 12 March 2012. The results for voting from among the twelve finalist schools can be found at: https://pages.samsung.com/us/sft/video/index.jsp Schoharie High School in Schoharie County, New York came out on top in the online voting over second-place Sutter High School in California by 13,527 votes. The results of the top four are: Schoharie High School, NY: 102,023 votes Sutter Middle School, CA: 88,496 votes Lawrence County High School, AL: 13,186 votes Mercer School, WI: 12,087 votes (The other eight school finalists received less than 6000 votes each.) Upon official confirmation by Samsung, this will be a tremendous boost for the town which was devastated by floodwaters from Hurricane Irene storm system as it barreled through the northeast in August 2011. The high school will receive the ³People¹s Choice Award.² valued at about $110,000.00. This includes about $100,000.00 in electronics merchandise and software. (see the above website for the official rules and prizes.) Perhaps more importantly, winning the award is a tremendous morale boost for the community. Again, this is arguably the northeast¹s finest caving area. The NSS and the Northeastern Cave Conservancy own and manage a number of the most significant caves in Schoharie County and in Albany County immediately to the east. Continuing efforts by the NRO cavers, along with a great deal of support from the surrounding communities are helping these folks greatly. Some affected citizens were on the verge of giving up and leaving the area, but the outpouring of support has changed their minds and they have elected to stay and rebuild. Here is how the story played in the leading Capitol Region newspaper yesterday: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Schoharie-apparent-video-contest-win ner-3402728.php Again, THANK YOU from the northeastern cavers.
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--- Begin Message ---Hey Cynthia lee says she gets the TC. Electronically. So no need for a hard copy. Thanks. Sent from my iPhone
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--- Begin Message ---Good morning! As Secretary of the Texas Cave Management Association, I would like to announce the results of the recent TCMA Director Election. With one candidate and two-write in candidates, Jim 'Crash' Kennedy was elected to re-join the Board of Directors. The TCMA welcomes Jim and looks forward to working with him again. Thank you to all who voted! Regards, Mallory Mayeux TCMA Secretary
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--- Begin Message ---Sylvia Pope with the City of Austin Watershed Department made arrangement for the Austin Area television stations and the Austin newspapers to come out to the Texas Cave Conservancy owned Avery Ranch Cave on March 12th. We had all of the Austin television stations with camera crews filming on the surface and in the cave. The local Fox television station even did a live interview broadcast of the TCC President, Mike Walsh, inside the cave. To see some of the interviews, go online and enter: Avery Ranch Cave. The TCC CAVE DAY on Saturday April 14th was promoted on the interviews. We expect record turnout so we need a number of cavers to assist us. Christopher Francke will be in charge of CAVE DAY this year. Contact him if you are available to help on Saturday April 14th: 512-567-7853 [email protected] Caving will be available for volunteers on Sunday the 15th. The TCC will have camping available the entire weekend. Mike Walsh Austin-area cave tour points to groundwater use BENJAMIN WERMUND, Austin American-Statesman Copyright 2012 Austin American-Statesman. All rights <http://www.chron.com/news/article/Austin-area-cave-tour-points-to-groundwat er-use-3405371.php#license-4f6208f111b0c> reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. BENJAMIN WERMUND, Austin American-Statesman Wednesday, March 14, 2012 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Nestled in a three-lot patch of land in the middle of the Avery Ranch neighborhood is a concrete and metal hatch the entrance and only sign of an ancient, dripping cave of glistening caramel-colored, calcite-covered limestone beneath. Hundreds of similar karst caverns - about 750 in Williamson County alone - honeycomb the Central Texas landscape. Water from the ground above seeps through the soil, drips down the walls of the caves and into the Edwards <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Edwards+Aquifer%22> Aquifer. It then empties through springs back into creeks and streams on the surface. "It's all connected," said Mike <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Mike+Walsh%22> Walsh, president of the Texas <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Texas+Cave+Conservancy%22> Cave Conservancy, which owns the Avery Ranch land that covers the cave. Avery Ranch Cave feeds water to springs that are home to the Jollyville salamander - a candidate for the endangered species list and a source of tension between Williamson County officials, federal officials and environmental groups. One such spring nearby is home to a "healthy" population of the critters, an official said Tuesday. Walsh and other officials were in far Northwest Austin at the cave Tuesday as part of a city-sponsored event promoting Groundwater Awareness Week. More than 50,000 Austin residents rely on groundwater, city officials said. Most cities in Williamson County provide residents a mix of groundwater and surface water, according to a representative for the Brazos <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Brazos+River+Authority%22> River Authority, which serves much of the county. The Avery Ranch cavern was closed off for thousands of years before a crew attempting to put in sewer lines discovered it in 2001. The U.S. <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22U.S.+Fish+and+Wildlife+Service%22> Fish and Wildlife Service then granted the cave conservancy a contract to develop the site as an educational show cave. It's open to the public twice a year; April 14 is the next day for visitors. Walsh's group helps maintain caves for entities that include Cedar Park, the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District and the Williamson <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Williamson+County+Conservation+Foundation%22> County Conservation Foundation. "Cedar Park is very critical to the watershed," Walsh said. He explained that water that enters one Cedar Park cave system - the roughly 1-square-mile Buttercup Creek watershed - flows through a series of underground streams and then surfaces in springs in the Volente area. Those springs feed Cypress Creek, which flows into Lake Travis, from which much of Austin gets its water, Walsh said. Water from Avery Ranch Cave also feeds a dozen springs in the area, several of which are home to the Jollyville salamander - one of two species of salamander that call the county home. Officials have been fighting the potential endangered species listing, arguing the county can maintain the species without federal regulation, which they fear will inhibit development in the ever-growing county. One spring, at the Avery Ranch Golf Course, supports a healthy population of salamanders, said Sylvia <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Sylvia+Pope%22> Pope, a hydrogeologist for the city. She said the public golf course is irrigated with water from Brushy Creek and has a pest management system that's actually helped the ecosystem. "Avery Ranch has done a great job," Pope said. Laurie Dries, a salamander biologist at the City of Austin, said salamanders are important because they are good indicators of water quality. "This whole karst aquifer system is a sensitive system because water runs through it so quickly," Dries said. "Those species are adapted to live in that environment, so how they're doing tells us a lot about the water." The city is promoting Groundwater Awareness Week to remind residents to use "green" gardening habits - such as using natural compost, as opposed to chemical-heavy fertilizers - and emphasize that residents should clean up messes, from motor oil to dog waste, said Wendy <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&sear ch=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Wendy+Morgan%22> Morgan of the city's groundwater protection department. "All of that moves through these rocks and becomes part of the groundwater."
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--- Begin Message ---Trip reports and photos, anyone? (I need 'em!). Thanks, Mark From: Mike Walsh [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2012 10:19 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Texascavers] City of Austin Groundwater Awareness Week Sylvia Pope with the City of Austin Watershed Department made arrangement for the Austin Area television stations and the Austin newspapers to come out to the Texas Cave Conservancy owned Avery Ranch Cave on March 12th. We had all of the Austin television stations with camera crews filming on the surface and in the cave. The local Fox television station even did a live interview broadcast of the TCC President, Mike Walsh, inside the cave. To see some of the interviews, go online and enter: Avery Ranch Cave. The TCC CAVE DAY on Saturday April 14th was promoted on the interviews. We expect record turnout so we need a number of cavers to assist us. Christopher Francke will be in charge of CAVE DAY this year. Contact him if you are available to help on Saturday April 14th: 512-567-7853 [email protected] Caving will be available for volunteers on Sunday the 15th. The TCC will have camping available the entire weekend. Mike Walsh Austin-area cave tour points to groundwater use BENJAMIN WERMUND, Austin American-Statesman Copyright 2012 Austin American-Statesman. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. <http://www.chron.com/news/article/Austin-area-cave-tour-points-to-groun dwater-use-3405371.php#license-4f6208f111b0c> BENJAMIN WERMUND, Austin American-Statesman Wednesday, March 14, 2012 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Nestled in a three-lot patch of land in the middle of the Avery Ranch neighborhood is a concrete and metal hatch the entrance and only sign of an ancient, dripping cave of glistening caramel-colored, calcite-covered limestone beneath. Hundreds of similar karst caverns - about 750 in Williamson County alone - honeycomb the Central Texas landscape. Water from the ground above seeps through the soil, drips down the walls of the caves and into the Edwards Aquifer <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Edwards+Aquifer%22> . It then empties through springs back into creeks and streams on the surface. "It's all connected," said Mike Walsh <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Mike+Walsh%22> , president of the Texas Cave Conservancy <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Texas+Cave+Conservancy%22> , which owns the Avery Ranch land that covers the cave. Avery Ranch Cave feeds water to springs that are home to the Jollyville salamander - a candidate for the endangered species list and a source of tension between Williamson County officials, federal officials and environmental groups. One such spring nearby is home to a "healthy" population of the critters, an official said Tuesday. Walsh and other officials were in far Northwest Austin at the cave Tuesday as part of a city-sponsored event promoting Groundwater Awareness Week. More than 50,000 Austin residents rely on groundwater, city officials said. Most cities in Williamson County provide residents a mix of groundwater and surface water, according to a representative for the Brazos River Authority <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Brazos+River+Authority%22> , which serves much of the county. The Avery Ranch cavern was closed off for thousands of years before a crew attempting to put in sewer lines discovered it in 2001. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22U.S.+Fish+and+Wildlife+Service%22> then granted the cave conservancy a contract to develop the site as an educational show cave. It's open to the public twice a year; April 14 is the next day for visitors. Walsh's group helps maintain caves for entities that include Cedar Park, the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District and the Williamson County Conservation Foundation <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Williamson+County+Conservation+Foundation %22> . "Cedar Park is very critical to the watershed," Walsh said. He explained that water that enters one Cedar Park cave system - the roughly 1-square-mile Buttercup Creek watershed - flows through a series of underground streams and then surfaces in springs in the Volente area. Those springs feed Cypress Creek, which flows into Lake Travis, from which much of Austin gets its water, Walsh said. Water from Avery Ranch Cave also feeds a dozen springs in the area, several of which are home to the Jollyville salamander - one of two species of salamander that call the county home. Officials have been fighting the potential endangered species listing, arguing the county can maintain the species without federal regulation, which they fear will inhibit development in the ever-growing county. One spring, at the Avery Ranch Golf Course, supports a healthy population of salamanders, said Sylvia Pope <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Sylvia+Pope%22> , a hydrogeologist for the city. She said the public golf course is irrigated with water from Brushy Creek and has a pest management system that's actually helped the ecosystem. "Avery Ranch has done a great job," Pope said. Laurie Dries, a salamander biologist at the City of Austin, said salamanders are important because they are good indicators of water quality. "This whole karst aquifer system is a sensitive system because water runs through it so quickly," Dries said. "Those species are adapted to live in that environment, so how they're doing tells us a lot about the water." The city is promoting Groundwater Awareness Week to remind residents to use "green" gardening habits - such as using natural compost, as opposed to chemical-heavy fertilizers - and emphasize that residents should clean up messes, from motor oil to dog waste, said Wendy Morgan <http://www.chron.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=news&; search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Wendy+Morgan%22> of the city's groundwater protection department. "All of that moves through these rocks and becomes part of the groundwater."
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