texascavers Digest 14 Apr 2009 17:46:42 -0000 Issue 741
Topics (messages 10483 through 10491):
PBSS meeting announcement
10483 by: J. LaRue Thomas
10484 by: Geary Schindel
10485 by: Bill Bentley
10488 by: J. LaRue Thomas
The 2009 International Congress of Speleology now has 1002 registrants from 48
countries
10486 by: Jon Cradit
OT Spring Chickens
10487 by: wesley s
J2
10489 by: Mixon Bill
Less Than Two Weeks Until The TSA Spring Convention!
10490 by: Mark.Alman.l-3com.com
15th ICS - Critically important, ICS White Nose policy
10491 by: germanyj.aol.com
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--- Begin Message ---
Greetings to cavers and interested parties
The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Permian Basin Speleological
Society will be on Tuesday April 14th at 7:00 PM.
This, the 303rd meeting, will be held in the back room at Murray's
Delicatessen which is located at 3211 West Wadley in Midland.
Topics of discussion: ICS stuff, the ASU club, possible trips taking
advantage of the new equipment of the ASU club, 5M dig this weekend, report
on SWR and Big Manhole, TSA Spring Convention...
For further information contact an officer: Jacqui Thomas
[email protected] , Sharon Long sharon_long2006 at yahoo.com , or Bill
Bentley caver at caver.net
PBSS web page:
http://www.caver.net/pbss/pbss.html
The Permian Basin Speleological Society was founded in October 1983 and was
chartered as the 300th grotto of the National Speleological Society on
January 18, 1984. The Permian Basin Speleological Society is an affiliated
Grotto or Caving club with the Texas Speleological Association and the
Southwestern Region of the National Speleological Society and supports the
cave conservation ethics of the National Speleological Society.
National Speleological Society web page:
http://www.caves.org/
Texas Speleological Association web page:
http://www.cavetexas.org
Southwestern Region of the NSS web page:
http://www.caves.org/region/swr/
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
J.,
You all meet in the back room of a delicatessen, interesting. Seems
that deli's are a favorite meeting place for underground organizations
such as caving clubs and the mob.
G.
-----Original Message-----
From: J. LaRue Thomas [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 5:34 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [Texascavers] PBSS meeting announcement
Greetings to cavers and interested parties
The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Permian Basin
Speleological
Society will be on Tuesday April 14th at 7:00 PM.
This, the 303rd meeting, will be held in the back room at Murray's
Delicatessen which is located at 3211 West Wadley in Midland.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
And we still have to use the back door even in the Winter when it is already
dark.
Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Geary Schindel" <[email protected]>
To: "J. LaRue Thomas" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 6:22 AM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] PBSS meeting announcement
J.,
You all meet in the back room of a delicatessen, interesting. Seems
that deli's are a favorite meeting place for underground organizations
such as caving clubs and the mob.
G.
-----Original Message-----
From: J. LaRue Thomas [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 5:34 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [Texascavers] PBSS meeting announcement
Greetings to cavers and interested parties
The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Permian Basin
Speleological
Society will be on Tuesday April 14th at 7:00 PM.
This, the 303rd meeting, will be held in the back room at Murray's
Delicatessen which is located at 3211 West Wadley in Midland.
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For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
And the password--don't forget the password--J.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Bentley" <[email protected]>
To: "Geary Schindel" <[email protected]>
Cc: "PBSS Mailing List" <[email protected]>; "Texascavers Mailing List"
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 6:33 AM
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] PBSS meeting announcement
And we still have to use the back door even in the Winter when it is
already
dark.
Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Geary Schindel" <[email protected]>
To: "J. LaRue Thomas" <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>;
<[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 6:22 AM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] PBSS meeting announcement
J.,
You all meet in the back room of a delicatessen, interesting. Seems
that deli's are a favorite meeting place for underground organizations
such as caving clubs and the mob.
G.
-----Original Message-----
From: J. LaRue Thomas [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, April 13, 2009 5:34 AM
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: [Texascavers] PBSS meeting announcement
Greetings to cavers and interested parties
The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Permian Basin
Speleological
Society will be on Tuesday April 14th at 7:00 PM.
This, the 303rd meeting, will be held in the back room at Murray's
Delicatessen which is located at 3211 West Wadley in Midland.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
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]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The 2009 International Congress of Speleology
now has 1002 registrants from 48 countries
USA
France
Canada
United Kingdom
Italy
Germany
Switzerland
Australia
Lebanon
Ukraine
Spain
Sweden
Brazil
Puerto Rico
China
Slovenia
Poland
Cuba
Japan
Mexico
Belgium
Netherlands
Greece
Austria
Croatia
Russia
Argentina
Czech Republic
Costa Rica
Portugal
Slovac Republic
Bulgaria
Republic of Korea
Romania
New Zealand
Norway
Serbia
Bermuda
Hungary
Chile
Israel
Colombia
Iran
Nigeria
Algeria
Laos
Honduras
Paraguay.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Bantam Japanese/cochin, Japanese/mille-fleur cross chicks for sale. $2.00 a
piece. 5 weeks old. Contact Wes at 512-762-3003 for info and questions.
Wes~
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync.
http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_allup_1a_explore_042009
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Mark Minton and Yvonne Droms came back through Austin on Saturday
after leaving the J2 expedition. They returned my truck, which had
been lent to the project. As of when they left base camp, which would
have been about Wednesday, April 8, no diving had been done, but the
camps up to Sump 2 had been established and the necessary gear was at
the sump. There had been various delays. They left Austin a day or so
late, spent several days getting permissions, and found a temporary
"Surprise Sump" between former Sump 1 and Sump 2. By the time they got
set up to dive Surprise Sump, it had drained enough to no longer
require diving.--Mixon
---------------------------------------------
He who renders warfare fatal to all engaged in it will be the greatest
benefactor the world has yet known. - Sir Richard Burton
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
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.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
15th ICS FIELD
TRIPS POLICY ANNOUNCEMENT
REGARDING WHITE-NOSE
SYNDROME
14 April 2009
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a deadly ailment that has
recently killed more than 500,000 bats in the northeastern United States.
Biologists are working hard to study WNS, but no one yet fully understands the
cause
of the deaths, how to stop them, or how to stop them from spreading. What is
known is that WNS is spreading. There is evidence that people may carry WNS
from cave to cave. To prevent or reduce the risk of people distributing WNS
throughout the
United States
and other parts of the world, the 15th International Congress of
Speleology (ICS) is announcing the following policies and actions. These are in
accord with the U.S. National Speleological Society’s policy on WNS and
supported by the Bureau of the International Union of Speleology
1)
All ICS caving trips in WNS-affected areas are
cancelled immediately. The “affected areas” are those U.S. states
known to have caves with WNS and their neighboring states, as recommended by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Advisory at
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/wnscaveadvisory.html.
“Caving trips” do not include trips into show caves, which are exempt from the
Advisory. As of 13 April 2009, the affected states are (shown in red) - (sorry,
the map didn't copy):
=2
0
Connecticut
Delaware
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
2)
Caving trips outside the WNS-affected areas may also be
cancelled or modified as required by land owner or government policy, or other
special needs. No caving trips will occur in caves that have an active or
seasonally-active bat colony, unless the cave is extensive and active or
seasonally-active bat occupied areas are not entered.
3)
All ICS trips will follow the regulations and policies
established by the land management entity, owner, and/or relevant government
agency.
4)
Decontamination will be required for all caving trips
outside of the WNS-affected areas. A decontamination system will be set up at
Schreiner University and all camp and excursion
sites that will visit wild caves.
5)
The Congress asked that any caving equipment, including
but not limited to clothes, boots, packs, ascenders, gloves, bottles, lights,
helmets, etc., used in a cave or bat roost site in any stat
e covere
d by the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Advisory, not be used on any ICS caving trip.
6)
The following trips are now cancelled because of WNS or
other factors:
Pre-ICS excursion 04: Endangered Species/Endangered
Caves
Pre-ICS excursion 82: Caves of the Bahamas
Pre-ICS field camp 33: Cumberland Plateau of
Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia
Pre-ICS field camp 34: Tectonic Pseudokarst of
Western North Carolina
Pre-ICS field camp 37: Caves of Virginia
Pre-ICS field camp 56: Caves of the Sierra Nevada,
California
Post-ICS excursion 81: Caving with the Maya, Belize
Wednesday trip WD-108: Land and Bat Habitat
Restoration
Wednesday trip WD-109: Powell’s Cave
Wednesday trip WD-120: Fredericksburg, Peaches, and
History
Wednesday trip WD-122
: River Walk and Shopping in San
Antonio
Wednesday trip WD-123: San Marcos Prime Shopping
Center
Wednesday trip WD-124: Schlitterbahn Waterpark
Wednesday trip WD-126: YO Ranch
If you are registered for one of the above trips, you
will automatically be given your 2nd or 3rd choice trip.
If you did not give a 2nd or 3rd choice, please go to
https://secure.concentric.com/ics2009.us/register/regform.php?addInfo=true
and add your choices. If you do not wish to join another trip, please write
that in the comment section of the above registration webpage and your trip20fee
will be refunded.
7)
If you are registered for an ICS trip that is not
listed above, do not do anything at this time except to add 2nd and
3rd choices if you have not already done so. Please do not contact
the ICS for more information
about how WNS will affect ICS trips at this time.
This message has all of the information currently available and we will send
you more as soon as possible. Any modified trips or additional cancelled trips
will be announced via the e-mail list by 5 May 2009. The 15th ICS
understands that many of you have already made travel arrangements that cannot
be changed. Our staff is working hard to quickly provide interesting and fun
alternative things to do for trips where cave entry is not possible. Refunds
for trips will be available and you can also request alternate trips, but wait
until the 5 May announcement to see if your trips will still be offered or
changed. We expect to still offer many excellent trips. Deadlines for refunds,
how
to make changes in your ICS trips, and other information will be included in
the e-mail message sent by 5 May 2009.
The Organizing Committee of the 15th ICS
apologizes for the inconveniences caused by WNS and we thank you for your
understanding and support to prevent this national emergency from becoming a
worldwide crisis. Be aware that the list of affected areas and caves may change
as more information and government advisories become availabl
e. For more
information on WNS, see http://caves.org/WNS/WNS%20Info.htm
Please distribute this
messa
ge to any people, websites, e-mails lists, or newsletters you think are affected
or interested.
Save money by eating out! Find great dining coupons in your area.
--- End Message ---
