The DFW Grotto is approached fairly often by Scout groups to be taken caving. I don't know of any members who are interested in doing this very often. I organize one trip per year for Venture Scouts (14 years of age and older) and have done so for many years.
What we do send to inquiring Scout groups is the following information: Caving Opportunities for Metroplex Scout Groups The Boy Scouts of America publishes a statement of their caving policy and guidelines, which can be found on the NSS Website (http://www.caves.org/) as a PDF file. The guidelines list 35 numbered points, the first of which states the following: 1. All caving, other than simple novice activities, should be limited to adults and young people 14 and over – members of Venture Crews or Learning for Life posts, and older Scouts in troops and teams. “Simple novice activities” means commercially operated cave excursions. The following are suggested caving activities for Boy Scout troops or teams and Venture crews from the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex: • Colorado Bend State Park, Texas – 3 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip • Longhorn Caverns State Park, Texas – 3 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip • Inner Space Cavern, Georgetown, Texas - 3 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip by arrangement • Enchanted Rock Cave, Enchanted Rock Natural Area - near Fredericksburg, Texas – 4 hour drive from the Metroplex – self-led trips. Easy cave. Map available at park office upon request. • Natural Bridge Cavern – 5 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip • Old Spanish Treasure Cave, Arkansas - 5 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip – camping in the cave. • Kickapoo Cavern State Park, Texas - 7 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip • Alabaster Caverns State Park, Oklahoma - 7 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip • Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico – 8 hour drive from the Metroplex – guided wild caving trip. For a super activity, perhaps over a weeklong camping and touring occasion, or a four day weekend, a trip to Bustamante, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (about 80 miles south of Laredo, Texas), is a wonderful place to take a Scout troop or Venture crew. The cave is much like Carlsbad Caverns. There is good camping in the Bustamante Canyon behind the town. The people are friendly, and the mountains are beautiful to behold. http://www.showcaves.com/english/mx/showcaves/Bustamante.html Caving gear: http://www.4bobandbob.com/ Bill Steele DFW Grotto chairman ---- [email protected] wrote: > Thanks for posting this, Geary. > > There's also a need for someone to do this at a Powder Horn training session > on Sunday morning, October 12th (yes, TCR weekend) at Clements Scout Ranch in > Athens, TX. > > I posted this a couple of weeks ago and received no response. > > I would do it, but, I'll be at TCR and the TSA meetings Sunday AM. > > C'mon folks! Help Geary and me out. > > If you're not going to TCR, let's get these leaders and young folks educated > on the value and correct way to go caving. Otherwise, we'll be rescuing these > folks (see the Airman's discussion), facing closed and damaged caves, and > declining Grotto membership. > > > I know that there's a LOT of folks in the DFW area that don't go to TCR (and > I know who you are!), so let's see some of y'all step up. > > > Thanks! > > Mark Alman > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Geary Schindel [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Fri 9/26/2008 9:49 AM > To: Texas Cavers > Cc: Geary Schindel > Subject: [Texascavers] RE: Powder Horn and Caving > > > > Folks, > > > > Eric Holman is running a Venture Scout Leader Program called Powder Horn. > Venture Scouts is a coed BSA program for young adults aged 14 to 21 and > replaced the old BSA Explorer Program. Powder Horn is a National Scout > program to introduce new Venture Scout leaders to various activities such as > caving, climbing, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, backpacking, shooting, > bear and alligator wrestling, etc. It runs for 6 days total over two > weekends and includes a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The intent is not to > make experts out of these folks in a particular activity but to introduce > them to the activity and give them an idea of what's involved, safety > requirements, how to find competent experts and resources to assist their > programs, etc. It is an excellent program and has been very successful. > > > > They have asked if anyone is available to give four - one hour programs on > caving on Friday morning, Oct 3 at Bear Creek Scout Ranch near Kerrville, > Texas. They have a total of 60 people in the class mostly from the > central Texas area. I think they break up into 4 fifteen person groups that > run concurrently for presentations. This helps to reduce the group size down > to something manageable. They asked if I would be available to make a > presentation on caving on that Friday morning but I'm tied up. They would > like to have a powerpoint presentation covering cave safety, ethics, cave > conservation, and go over the caving portion of the guide to safe scouting, > etc. This would probably include a gear show and tell, question and answer > session, etc. > > > > It is a good group of folks for a presentation as they are always an > interested and enthusiastic crowd. It's also a great way to find free labor > for your favorite cave conservation project. For example, Venture Crew 410 > out of San Antonio (of which Eric and I have been involved with) has done an > incredible amount of work at Deep and Punkin Preserve including building all > but one of the bunks in the cabin, helping clean out the raccoon carp and > reinsulated in the attic, building the east trail from the cabin to Deep Cave > and the trail from Punkin Cave to Deep Cave, building the wildlife watering > trough, and probably 70 percent of the work on the new outhouse including > pouring the concrete slab. Scouts have also done a number of projects at > Robber Baron Cave and Bracken Bat Cave. The reputation of scouting has > changed from being part of the conservation problem to being a part of the > solution and a strong tool for protection, education, and conservation of > caves. > > > > Anyway, if you are interested and available to make a presentation, they > would be very appreciative. Please email me back directly if you can help > and I'll forward you Eric's contact information. Also, the ability to speak > good is not a requirement if you have lots of pretty pictures, some cool > equipment, and do lots of arm waiving. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Geary Schindel > > 210-479-2151 home > > 210-326-1576 cell > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Nathan Williams <mailto:[email protected]> > > To: 'Geary Schindel' <mailto:[email protected]> > > Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:54 AM > > Subject: Powder Horn and Caving > > > > Geary, > > > > Would you be available to come out Friday Oct 3 to Bear Creek to > discuss caving with the folks at Powder Horn. > > > > We'd need you in the morning and you'd do 4 hour long sessions. You > could even do them at the Bear Creek cave if you wanted, but It might be > better to do a power point etc with photos. > > > > Eric may have already chatted with you about this. > > > > -Nathan > > > > > > > > Nathan Williams > [email protected] > http://www.nehwilliams.com/ > nehwilliams (skype - www.skype.com <http://www.skype.com/> ) > 210.757.4699 (phone) > 210.275.6111 (cell) > 512.366.9936 (fax) > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
