Reminder, the National Cave Gating Workshop will be held at Gorman Cave in Colorado Bend State Park in San Saba County, Texas starting this Sunday. The week-long workshop consists of hands-on gate construction training during the day, and a series of informal lectures and presentations in the evenings. We cover design, placement, timing, safety, construction logistics, personnel, material handling and transportation, welding and cutting, and follow-up monitoring and maintenance, as well as general bat ecology and cave and mine microclimates. Meals, lodging, and a large library of informative handouts will be provided, all for only $250. There are still spaces available, but you must contact me ASAP to get registered. Cavers not able to stay the entire week are still welcome as volunteers, but I still need your RSVP in order to coordinate meals and bunk spaces. The workshop flyer is at http://texascavers.com/misc/Gorman_gating_workshop_flyer.pdf. I can email the application in either DOC or PDF formats. Anyone interested in cave management, conservation, and protection (or abandoned mine closure), should make plans to attend. We will be building a Basic Gate with a Window to protect a nursery colony of Cave Myotis. This will be the first gate of its kind in Texas. Colorado Bend State Park has over 440 recorded caves and karst features (so far), and is a lovely place to visit. I hope to see you there.
Jim "Crash" Kennedy Cave and Mine Resources Specialist Bat Conservation international NSS 26791 FE, Life [email protected] (Please feel free to repost in appropriate forums.)
