In less than 240 hours, YOU can join the Texas Speleological Association and cavers from all over Texas for the 2009 TSA Spring Convention in Kerrville on the banks of the beautiful Guadalupe River!
It will be held the weekend of April 24th thru the 26th! The TSA, founded in 1956, has been bringing cavers from around Texas for over 50 years. The spring convention is the annual technical meeting featuring presentations on projects and information on the scientific aspects of caving, plus, it's a great time to just hang out and enjoy a beautiful weekend and a beautiful park with loads of outdoor activities available. Fees: $25 per adult and $15 per child 12 and under, the max per family is $80.00. Why should I attend? See below!: * Attend great caving presentations: From high adventure to highly educational, from local to out of this world. Program to be listed soon. * Meet fellow cavers and project leaders from around the state. This is a great opportunity to become involved with ongoing projects and create future caving opportunities for all. * See the latest and greatest Maps and Photos of your favorite caves. See http://www.cavetexas.org/events/mapsalon.html for info on submitting your best map and http://www.cavetexas.org/events/photosalon.html for info on submitting your favorite photo. NOTE: We desperately need submissions for the salon. If none or very few are received, I was planning on bringing photos sent to me for a "Best of THE TEXAS CAVER", where cavers could vote for their favorite photos and, possibly, maps. These photos would run before, in between, and after the talks and during the spread that night. If you have a problem with me using your photos for this, please let me know, but, there area a LOT of talented photographers in the Texas caving community and this is an excellent way for YOU to be recognized. * Come by and visit with suppliers of caving related books & merchandise. * Enjoy a unique and healthy caver prepared dinner. A great breakfast benefiting the TCMA will also be served Sunday morning. * Support Texas caves by participating in the TCMA fundraiser auction. See some of the items or donate at http://tcmacaves.org/financial/auction.html * This will be your last chance to buy a raffle ticket for a measly $5 for one paid registration ICS/NSS convention. Lodging and food not included. Buy a lot to improve your chances. Be sure to buy one or five ICS Registration Raffle tickets before the Convention at http://www.cavetexas.org/PAYPAL/ics_raffle.php The winner will be announced at the end of the TCMA auction Saturday night. * Attend the TSA meeting on Saturday, immediately after the talks, and the TCMA meeting on Sunday for an opportunity to offer your input and insight into the future of Texas caving. Please send any items you would like discussed at the TSA meeting to me so that I may include them in the agenda. I will post the agenda soon on CaveTex. * An open invitation exists on Sunday for all to tour ICS/NSS convention sites. Many opportunities exist for you to become personally involved with the 2009 ICS / NSS Convention. Besides the many great caving related activities, Kerrville -Schreiner Park has many miles of bike & hike trails, water activities like kayaking, fishing, swimming. For an extra cost, also note that the Park has Air Conditioned Cabins and RV sites available for those that would rather not set up a tent. http://www.kerrville.org/index.asp?NID=318 If you have any questions about facilities, contact TSA Vice-Chair <mailto:[email protected]?subject=TSA%20Spring%20Convention> or go to http://www.cavetexas.org/events/TSASC/tsasc2009.html. The Kerrville-Schreiner Park is a city park and as such has specific rules that must be followed. Facilities include restrooms with hot showers; 25 day use picnic sites; 120 campsites for all types of equipment from bicycle, motorcycle, or car camping to super-sized motor homes and trailers. Campsites range from general sites with no hookups to pull-through sites with water, 30/50 amp electrical hookups, and sewer connections. All campsites also include a picnic table and campfire pit with cooking grill. The park has 23 mini-cabins which have air conditioners, heaters, lights, table and chairs, and two sets of bunk beds with twin mattresses. All buildings are smoke free and pets are not permitted. Persons arriving with animals will be required to kennel them outside of park property prior to being registered and issued keys for any facilities. Dog's are allowed in the campground on a leash! There are cabins available but if you are renting a cabin, dog's are not allowed in or out of the cabin. Not a TSA member? No problem! We still would like for you to attend and you can contemplate becoming a member during the weekend. View back issues of The TEXAS CAVER and see what you've been missing. If for some reason you're unable to make it to the Convention (and it better be a good one!), we suggest you visit the TSA website at www.cavetexas.org and become a paid member and/or become an online member of the TSA. There now are a total of 11 back issues available for your reading pleasure. If you're a TSA member, but haven't yet joined the Digital Revolution, it is extremely painless to do so.Go to http://www.cavetexas.org/members/ and sign up. You can still opt to receive the TC in the mail, or you can do your part to be environmentally and fiscally responsible, while sticking it to the USPS and their rate increase in May by opting to go digital! While I have your undivided attention, let me give you an update on the status of the new Members Area on the TSA website. It continues to expand very well and we currently have grown to well over 60 members, this is over 30% of the total membership. Not a bad start, but we're looking for more. Most have signed up for online access only to the TEXAS CAVER , and that frees up a LOT of dinero that can be plowed into CAVING activities and projects in the state. Give it a thought and sign up or, better yet, come out to the Convention! We'd love to see you and meet you! Thanks! Mark Alman, TSA Chairman, and the rest of the TSA Officers CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE This electronic mail transmission is confidential, may be privileged and should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please immediately notify the sender and delete it from your system.
