texascavers Digest 20 Jan 2011 22:18:12 -0000 Issue 1229 Topics (messages 16876 through 16891):
TSA 2011 Spring Meeting Request for Papers
16876 by: caverarch
Houston related
16877 by: David
Public web site on the TSA Spring Convention
16878 by: caverarch
16880 by: Diana Tomchick
16881 by: dirtdoc.comcast.net
16882 by: tbsamsel.verizon.net
16883 by: caverarch
TCMA Ezells Cave Cleanup Project
16879 by: Allan Cobb
Fossils of oldest domesticated dog discovered in Texas cave :
16884 by: Jerry
website for Hinds Cave
16885 by: Logan McNatt
16886 by: Mark Minton
16887 by: Fritz Holt
16888 by: Preston Forsythe
16889 by: caverarch
Re: City of San Antonio Job Posting
16890 by: Geary Schindel
16891 by: germanyj.aol.com
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--- Begin Message ---TSA 2011 Spring Meeting Request forPapers Join the festivities at this year's TSA Spring Convention in Brackettville at the Fort Clark Springs resort on April 1st-3rd, 2011! Events include informational talks, Map & Photo Salons, speleovendors, TSA & TCMA meetings, and so much more. Check out the relevant web sites at TSAWebsite:www.caves.org FacebookEvent Page (can be viewed by non-members): http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=507449505&v=app_2344061033#!/event.php?eid=118366598218649&index=1 Mallory Mayeux and I have volunteered to help TSA Vice Chair Ellie Thoene coordinate speakers for the Saturday sessions. Help us out by either volunteering to speak, or suggesting a speaker or cave-related topic. Typical cave-related topics could include (but are not limited to): Archaeology Biology Diving Exploration Geology/Hydrology Long-term caving projects History Photography Restoration Safety Survey/GIS Techniques While Ellie is the coordinator of the event, we are jointly responsible for scheduling the speakers. There are a limited number of time slots available for presentations, so you must contact us (rather than Ellie) if you wish to be assured of a chance to speak on Saturday. There is more physical space for display this year, so we are offering a new venue for presentation that has become very popular at academic meetings over the last decade or so: the Poster Presentation. This is a printed and mounted (on foam core sheets) graphic version of a presentation. Posters are a nice way of getting across information that can be summarized briefly, or for information that needs more time to study than a the blink of a slide in a quick Powerpoint show. Plus, it is a good way to avoid public speaking if you are averse to that! The rules for posters will be looser than for an academic meeting: any size poster up to 3 X 4-ft, but you must provide the tripod or other mounting system (not wall mounted). We will accept up to 10 such poster papers. If you wish to speak or present a poster, please contact both of us at: Roger Moore: [email protected] Mallory Mayeux: [email protected] Thanks, Roger Moore and Mallory Mayeux
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--- Begin Message ---The caving club in Houston held its first 2011 meeting Tuesday night. There were at least 16 cavers there, and 4 newbies who appeared excited. There seemed to be excitement in the air. Elections were held in record time, in under 60 seconds, I think. Congratulations to the new officers, and on behalf of the other cavers, I would like to say thank you to George-Paul Richmann for his dedicated service to caving, and to the caving club. The new president, Clint Ladd, started going over all the upcoming spring activities and there were so many that we didn't get to mention them all. ( He had it all printed out on a paper agenda, that was quite professional looking. ) Ronnie Harrison reported that he went to Roppel Cave several times last year, and was planning to go again this spring. He estimated that there is 20 miles of cave passages waiting to be discovered in that system alone. Lyndon Tui reported on visiting the sump at Cascade Caverns, and some other trips he took in the fall. Wayne Hutchinson reported on going to see petroglyphs at a rock shelter out in the vicinity of D&P Preserve. The main event of the meeting then took place, which involved discussion of caving packs and cave gear. About 6 experienced cavers brought their cave packs and a game was set up. I had to leave early, so I will let someone else fill in the rest, or anything I left out about the meeting. ( For example, I believe several members met beforehand for a Mongolian style dinner ). I am guessing that Don & Syd Formanek have broken the record for most GHG meetings attended, which is probably in the 400 range. Jim McLane was there too, and he has probably been to just as many meetings. I have always felt that the Houston area has great potential to have an influential grotto; and at this meeting, I saw positive signs of that. ( I can think of 15 cavers in Houston that go caving occasionally or show up and actively participate in TCR and they were not there, so had they shown up, the meeting could have been even more exciting than it was. ) David Locklear caver in Fort Bend County NSS # 27639 co-host of the 2nd Annual East Texas Caver's Cookout ( still looking for a co-host ? )
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--- Begin Message ---Hi, People have discovered - and pointed out to us - that the Facebook Event page on the TSA Spring Meeting Request for Papers announcement seems to require that you join Facebook to view the contents, and a good many people are not on Facebook for their own very good reasons. We are seeing what can be done to provide an open site for cavers who are interested in attending. Meanwhile, here are the semi-official sites on Fort Clark Springs http://99.139.198.182:1069/ and Brackettville: http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/BrackettvilleTexas/BrackettvilleTx.htm Roger Moore & Mallory Mayeu, Speaker scheduling committee
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--- Begin Message ---So what is wrong with updating the TSA web site for the Spring Convention? Just send the info to the webmaster. This should be done regardless of whether there is a Facebook Event page for the Convention. Diana * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Diana R. Tomchick Associate Professor University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Biochemistry 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Rm. ND10.214B Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A. Email: [email protected] 214-645-6383 (phone) 214-645-6353 (fax) On Jan 19, 2011, at 11:14 AM, caverarch wrote: > Hi, > > People have discovered - and pointed out to us - that the Facebook Event page > on the TSA Spring Meeting Request for Papers announcement seems to require > that you join Facebook to view the contents, and a good many people are not > on Facebook for their own very good reasons. We are seeing what can be done > to provide an open site for cavers who are interested in attending. > > Meanwhile, here are the semi-official sites on Fort Clark Springs > > http://99.139.198.182:1069/ > > and Brackettville: > > http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/BrackettvilleTexas/BrackettvilleTx.htm > > Roger Moore & Mallory Mayeu, Speaker scheduling committee ________________________________ UT Southwestern Medical Center The future of medicine, today.
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--- Begin Message ---Right on. I'm one who complained. DirtDoc (In Your Face) ----- Original Message ----- So what is wrong with updating the TSA web site for the Spring Convention? Just send the info to the webmaster.
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--- Begin Message --- Hijole! Sounds like today at work...
T
Jan 19, 2011 02:58:32 PM, [email protected] wrote:Right on. I'm one who complained.
DirtDoc (In Your Face)
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So what is wrong with updating the TSA web site for the Spring Convention? Just send the info to the webmaster.
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--- Begin Message ---It is obvious that the TSA page should be updated, and that has update has been requested. But "that isn't our department," as Werner von Braun said where the V-2 rockets fell in the old Tom Lehrer song. My post was just the Request for Papers, and I included the information from the original 2011 Spring Meeting announcement. I added the second post as a temporary measure to provide information on Brackettville and Fort Clark Springs until the TSA webmaster can post the usual official meeting site. Roger Moore -----Original Message----- From: Diana Tomchick <[email protected]> To: caverarch <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> <[email protected]> Sent: Wed, Jan 19, 2011 2:02 pm Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Public web site on the TSA Spring Convention So what is wrong with updating the TSA web site for the Spring Convention? Just send the info to the webmaster. This should be done regardless of whether there is a Facebook Event page for the Convention. Diana * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Diana R. Tomchick Associate Professor University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Biochemistry 5323 Harry Hines Blvd. Rm. ND10.214B Dallas, TX 75390-8816, U.S.A. Email: [email protected] 214-645-6383 (phone) 214-645-6353 (fax) On Jan 19, 2011, at 11:14 AM, caverarch wrote: > Hi, > > People have discovered - and pointed out to us - that the Facebook Event page on the TSA Spring Meeting Request for Papers announcement seems to require that you join Facebook to view the contents, and a good many people are not on Facebook for their own very good reasons. We are seeing what can be done to provide an open site for cavers who are interested in attending. > > Meanwhile, here are the semi-official sites on Fort Clark Springs > > http://99.139.198.182:1069/ > > and Brackettville: > > http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasHillCountryTowns/BrackettvilleTexas/BrackettvilleTx.htm > > Roger Moore & Mallory Mayeu, Speaker scheduling committee ________________________________ UT Southwestern Medical Center The future of medicine, today.
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--- Begin Message --- Cavers, we need your help! The Texas Cave Management Association (TCMA) will be having a work day to spruce up one of our properties, the Ezells Cave Preserve in Hays County. We plan to prune limbs, cut weeds, haul off junk, and just generally make the property more attractive. We need people, saws, loppers, weed eaters, gloves, and maybe even someone with a trailer willing to carry all the debris to the landfill. Bring your own drinks and snacks for the work, but TCMA will treat all volunteers to pizza and drinks after we are done. The date is Saturday, 19 February. The time, 10:00 am. Meet at 1400 block of Brown Street, on the southwest side of Bishop Street, San Marcos.If anyone wishes to enter the cave after the work is completed, Preserve Manager Jon Cradit has agreed to that. All visitors to the Preserve will be asked to sign a liability waiver.Jon can be reached at 512-557-7965 in case any one gets lost, or would like coordinate more details with him.Thanks for your support! Jim Kennedy TCMA Preserves Chair
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--- Begin Message ---Fossils of Oldest domesticated dog discovered David Brown People in North America were breeding—and eating—domestic dogs as early as 9,400 years ago, according to new analysis of a bone fragment discovered in a Texas cave. Scientists were able to identify the bone—about the size of an adult's pinkie nail—as a piece of the right occipital condyle of a canine. Occiptal condyles are parts of vertebrate skulls where the skull meets the spine. Genetic tests later proved that the bone comes from a dog and not a wolf, coyote, or fox. The bone is the earliest known evidence of dog domestication in the Americas, predating other claims by nearly 8,000 years, said study co-author Samuel Belknap III, a graduate student at the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute. "As a genetically identified domestic dog, it's significantly older than any other ones that we have from the New World," Belknap said. What's more, the bone fragment was found inside ancient human feces, which suggests dogs were being domesticated in the Americas for more than chores and companionship. "It's small enough to pass through the gut, but it's still larger than you would expect to find," Belknap said of the bone piece. "It's surprising the sizes of some of the bones that people were swallowing. They didn't chew their food quite as well as people do today." The dog bone sample was found in 2009 in Hinds Cave in southwestern Texas. Previous archaeological evidence suggests a group of unidentified hunter-gatherers occupied the cave more than 9,000 years ago. Working under Kristin Sobolik at the University of Maine, Belknap sent the newfound bone to the University of Oklahoma, where molecular anthropologist Cecil Lewis and his team conducted the genetic tests. Based on previous DNA evidence, scientists think humans began breeding dogs from gray wolves sometime between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago. >From the size of the bone, Belknap and fellow grad student Robert Ingraham >think the dog from the Texas cave weighed roughly 25 to 30 pounds (11.3 to >13.6 kilograms) and may have resembled some breeds of Mexican and Peruvian >dogs. Archaeological evidence suggests some Native Americans, such as the >Sioux of the Great Plains, once used dogs to transport goods in much the same >way that Inuit in Alaska use sled dogs. Historical accounts from Spanish missionaries and early Europeans explorers starting in the 15th century also document some cultures across the Americas eating dogs in times of famine or for ceremonial purposes. Although the dog bone was embedded in dried fecal remains, finding the sample was messy work: The bone was revealed only when Belknap rehydrated the feces and ran the resulting mixture through a sieve. Despite its age, the rehydrated poop gave off an unmistakable odor, Belknap said. "I tend to scare off people in the anthropology department when I'm decanting my samples," he said. http://dailymailnews.com/0111/20/Snippets/index.php?id=3 The Daily Mail, 19 January 2011
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--- Begin Message --- For photos of Hinds Cave (including a coprolite) and a very informative description of the perishable archeological finds (fibers, netting, cordage, etc), go to the Texas Beyond History website and click on the dot labeled Hinds Cave on the map of Texas. Texas A&M excavated part of the midden in the mid-1970s, and I went there once around 1979. The description includes a sidebar titled "Cave, Shelter, or Rockshelter"; Hinds Cave is a large rockshelter, 120 ft wide by 75 ft deep.Logan On 1/19/2011 10:33 PM, Jerry wrote:Fossils of Oldest domesticated dog discovered David Brown People in North America were breeding—and eating—domestic dogs as early as 9,400 years ago, according to new analysis of a bone fragment discovered in a Texas cave. Scientists were able to identify the bone—about the size of an adult's pinkie nail—as a piece of the right occipital condyle of a canine. Occiptal condyles are parts of vertebrate skulls where the skull meets the spine. Genetic tests later proved that the bone comes from a dog and not a wolf, coyote, or fox. The bone is the earliest known evidence of dog domestication in the Americas, predating other claims by nearly 8,000 years, said study co-author Samuel Belknap III, a graduate student at the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute. "As a genetically identified domestic dog, it's significantly older than any other ones that we have from the New World," Belknap said. What's more, the bone fragment was found inside ancient human feces, which suggests dogs were being domesticated in the Americas for more than chores and companionship. "It's small enough to pass through the gut, but it's still larger than you would expect to find," Belknap said of the bone piece. "It's surprising the sizes of some of the bones that people were swallowing. They didn't chew their food quite as well as people do today." The dog bone sample was found in 2009 in Hinds Cave in southwestern Texas. Previous archaeological evidence suggests a group of unidentified hunter-gatherers occupied the cave more than 9,000 years ago. Working under Kristin Sobolik at the University of Maine, Belknap sent the newfound bone to the University of Oklahoma, where molecular anthropologist Cecil Lewis and his team conducted the genetic tests. Based on previous DNA evidence, scientists think humans began breeding dogs from gray wolves sometime between 40,000 and 15,000 years ago. > From the size of the bone, Belknap and fellow grad student Robert Ingraham think the dog from the Texas cave weighed roughly 25 to 30 pounds (11.3 to 13.6 kilograms) and may have resembled some breeds of Mexican and Peruvian dogs. Archaeological evidence suggests some Native Americans, such as the Sioux of the Great Plains, once used dogs to transport goods in much the same way that Inuit in Alaska use sled dogs. Historical accounts from Spanish missionaries and early Europeans explorers starting in the 15th century also document some cultures across the Americas eating dogs in times of famine or for ceremonial purposes. Although the dog bone was embedded in dried fecal remains, finding the sample was messy work: The bone was revealed only when Belknap rehydrated the feces and ran the resulting mixture through a sieve. Despite its age, the rehydrated poop gave off an unmistakable odor, Belknap said. "I tend to scare off people in the anthropology department when I'm decanting my samples," he said. http://dailymailnews.com/0111/20/Snippets/index.php?id=3 The Daily Mail, 19 January 2011
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--- Begin Message --- The URL is <http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/hinds/index.html>. There is a photo of some people working on an an archaeological dig in 1976, and one of them is a "student" named Michael Boon! Is that Mike Boon the caver? The picture does not show enough to identify the person, but I didn't think he was ever a student in Texas.Mark At 12:47 AM 1/20/2011, Logan McNatt wrote:For photos of Hinds Cave (including a coprolite) and a very informative description of the perishable archeological finds (fibers, netting, cordage, etc), go to the Texas Beyond History website and click on the dot labeled Hinds Cave on the map of Texas. Texas A&M excavated part of the midden in the mid-1970s, and I went there once around 1979. The description includes a sidebar titled "Cave, Shelter, or Rockshelter"; Hinds Cave is a large rockshelter, 120 ft wide by 75 ft deep.LoganPlease reply to [email protected]Permanent email address is [email protected]
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--- Begin Message ---Mark, The state of preservation of the knotted and twisted cordage in the next to last picture on the right is truly amazing. It is difficult to believe this material is thousands of years old, much less 9000.Great article. Fritz -----Original Message----- From: Mark Minton [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 9:02 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Texascavers] Re: website for Hinds Cave The URL is <http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/hinds/index.html>. There is a photo of some people working on an an archaeological dig in 1976, and one of them is a "student" named Michael Boon! Is that Mike Boon the caver? The picture does not show enough to identify the person, but I didn't think he was ever a student in Texas. Mark At 12:47 AM 1/20/2011, Logan McNatt wrote: >For photos of Hinds Cave (including a coprolite) and a very >informative description of the perishable archeological finds >(fibers, netting, cordage, etc), go to the Texas Beyond History >website and click on the dot labeled Hinds Cave on the map of >Texas. Texas A&M excavated part of the midden in the mid-1970s, and >I went there once around 1979. The description includes a sidebar >titled "Cave, Shelter, or Rockshelter"; Hinds Cave is a large >rockshelter, 120 ft wide by 75 ft deep. > >Logan Please reply to [email protected] Permanent email address is [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 --- I think the picture looks like Blake, rather than Mike Boon. As far as I know Boon did not do that type of work. Is that Ron in the background? The entire crew could have been from the 33rd St. caver house in Austin. Notice Dr. Dirt, an armadillo expert, is mentioned. Thanks for the very interesting link. And, thanks to Logan.Preston in KY ------------------------------------------ Original Message ----- From: "Mark Minton" <[email protected]>To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 9:02 AM Subject: [Texascavers] Re: website for Hinds CaveThe URL is <http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/hinds/index.html>. There is a photo of some people working on an an archaeological dig in 1976, and one of them is a "student" named Michael Boon! Is that Mike Boon the caver? The picture does not show enough to identify the person, but I didn't think he was ever a student in Texas.>
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--- Begin Message ---Mark, I don't know Mike Boon, so I can't comment on the question. But 1976 was close to the peak year for cavers doing archeological field work to make money between Mexico trips, etc. It is in some ways ideal work for a young, footloose caver. A field tech is usually off in the middle of nowhere, but getting his/her food and lodging paid for. The work is often physically hard, so good for staying in shape. And there is crossover with many caving skills such as overland navigation, sketching, and basic map- or plan-making. Sometimes the work actually takes place in a caving area. But, back then, a field session was ALWAY a party when not hard at work. Roger Moore -----Original Message----- From: Fritz Holt <[email protected]> To: 'Mark Minton' <[email protected]>; [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, Jan 20, 2011 11:05 am Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Re: website for Hinds Cave Mark, The state of preservation of the knotted and twisted cordage in the next to last picture on the right is truly amazing. It is difficult to believe this material is thousands of years old, much less 9000.Great article. Fritz -----Original Message----- From: Mark Minton [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 9:02 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Texascavers] Re: website for Hinds Cave The URL is <http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/hinds/index.html>. There is a photo of some people working on an an archaeological dig in 1976, and one of them is a "student" named Michael Boon! Is that Mike Boon the caver? The picture does not show enough to identify the person, but I didn't think he was ever a student in Texas. Mark At 12:47 AM 1/20/2011, Logan McNatt wrote: >For photos of Hinds Cave (including a coprolite) and a very >informative description of the perishable archeological finds >(fibers, netting, cordage, etc), go to the Texas Beyond History >website and click on the dot labeled Hinds Cave on the map of >Texas. Texas A&M excavated part of the midden in the mid-1970s, and >I went there once around 1979. The description includes a sidebar >titled "Cave, Shelter, or Rockshelter"; Hinds Cave is a large >rockshelter, 120 ft wide by 75 ft deep. > >Logan Please reply to [email protected] Permanent email address is [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ---See the link below for a job posting for a Stewardship Coordinator for the City's conservation easements. Please note the application deadline is January 27. Geary Subject: Management Analyst (read Stewardship Coordinator) Job Posting https://ww4.sanantonio.gov/jobs/jobvacs/jobDescription.aspx?objid=30024808
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--- Begin Message ---I'm impressed with the salary based on the requirements/experience, especially in the San Antonio market. Sounds like a great job! julia -----Original Message----- From: Geary Schindel <[email protected]> To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, Jan 20, 2011 1:50 pm Subject: [Texascavers] FW: City of San Antonio Job Posting See the link below for a job posting for a Stewardship Coordinator for the City’s conservation easements. Please note the application deadline is January 27. Geary Subject: Management Analyst (read Stewardship Coordinator) Job Posting https://ww4.sanantonio.gov/jobs/jobvacs/jobDescription.aspx?objid=30024808 =
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