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Paperless Election FAQ Nominating Committee Chairman: Allan Weberg Members: Sarah Richards Susi Weston John Wilson |
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Here are the candidates for the 2011 NSS Director Election. Click on each name to be taken to their platform statement. Please study each candidate's platform carefully so that you may make an informed choice for the people who will help to run our Society. When you receive your ballot in the the mail, follow the instructions carefully and be sure to mail it by May 1, 2011. Look for the results here and in an upcoming NSS News. Rick Bowersox |
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Rick Bowersox 19885RE (CM-FE) Nevada |
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To my Friends and Fellow Cavers in the NSS: I have been a member of the NSS for almost 35 years. While my grotto memberships have been located in California, Alaska, Nevada, and Arizona, my greatest pleasure has been chairing the Junior Speleological Society and meeting the hundreds of members and their families from all over the country. Indeed it has been a pleasure to work with convention committees, parents, and the individuals who make it possible to provide convention programs for the kids. Each year you have placed your trust in me to lead activities for your children and bring each one home safely. Now I am asking for your trust in another area. I am running for the Board of Governors, and I am asking for your vote. Our NSS is a vibrant and progressive organization that has survived over the years while other organizations have come and gone. We are respected and have established a reputation of public service and conservation. However, we are slowly bleeding to death financially. It is not because of any person or group but due to economic inflation and an unstable membership base. We need to realize that inflation eats away at membership dollars resulting in fewer funds for allocation to conservation, education, cave and karst property purchases, or any other worthy cause. What steps should we take to overcome our financial obstacles and re-establish a healthy asset level able to support all our budget needs, membership services, and also allow for future growth and improvement in the Society’s many functions? We can all work to increase Society membership. We can take time to speak to those in our current caving circles, including our fellow grotto members who do not see the need for NSS membership. We can volunteer to speak at local colleges and to university students, especially those pursing geology and environmental sciences. I do not encourage "making" new cavers but recognizing people who are already caving and those who can contribute to the goals of the Society. I would like to thank you for taking your time in reading the ballot statements and voting. It is up to you to help shape the future of the NSS. |
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A. Peri Frantz 10124RL (FE) California |
Why run for the Board? Managing the NSS is a non-trivial task. Balancing the competing priorities of science, conservation, public outreach, and fellowship requires a strong, diverse leadership—people who can work together harmoniously despite differences of opinion. I’ve been caving for more than 40 years, highlighted by 4 weeks as part of the Gunung Buda expedition in Borneo. I’ve held numerous grotto and regional offices. I’ve chaired one NSS Convention and worked on two others, coordinated field trips for the 2009 ICS, and written a monthly column for the NSS News. Currently I’m wrapping up my fifth term as NSS Secretary-Treasurer. During that time, I’ve increased the transparency of the Society’s finances, improved reporting to the BOG, and initiated a major upgrade to our accounting system. My varied experience and my demonstrated ability to work with people make me an ideal candidate for the Board. These are difficult times for the NSS. White-Nose Syndrome is impacting cave access and killing bats. The economic downturn is stressing our financial reserves. Membership is declining. Printing costs are skyrocketing. To address these issues, we must clearly understand our goals and objectives. The Strategic Planning Committee has taken the first steps towards articulating a long-term strategy, but there is still a lot of work to do. As a Director, I will work closely with the Committee to assure that our strategic goals reflect the caving community’s concerns and with my fellow BOG members to find solutions consistent with those goals. The NSS owns and manages 13 cave preserves. By our example, we demonstrate responsible stewardship. Some members, concerned about risks and liabilities, have suggested transferring our preserves to other organizations, an action I strongly oppose. As active cave protectors and managers, we have more influence on legislation and public policy. As a Director, I will work to strengthen management of our preserves while seeking alternative ways to reduce risks. The Headquarters Commission was established to help the NSS develop a new headquarters facility. There is little question that the office, bookstore, and library need more space. Additional workspace and archival storage would yield vast benefits. Location and financing are, however, far less clear. As a Director I will weigh both the HQComm’s recommendations and membership input before committing the NSS to a course of action. I look forward to continuing to serve the caving community and thank you for your support. |
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Dave Haun 24672RL (FE) Indiana |
In the early 70s, I started caving with the Boy Scouts and continued while in the Air Force. I was introduced to the NSS and joined the Central Indiana Grotto in 1983. I have served the NSS locally through the years in many roles such as CIG Chairman, Indiana Cave Capers Chairman, Indiana Cave Survey Vice Chairman, Louisville Grotto editor, and nationally as the 2007 Convention Chair. I have been involved in cave conservation and sit on the Board of Directors for the Indiana Karst Conservancy. If elected to the Board, it would be my pleasure to serve the NSS and help continue molding the Society into the premier caving and conservation organization that it is known for in the U.S. and abroad. Being an engineer, I am able to look at the facts presented and make an informed decision about what is best, given those facts. I love cave exploration, and I find enjoyment in sharing the world of caving with new cavers, schoolchildren, and the general public. Just because I love exploration does not mean I don’t have a handle on conservation. Cave conservation has many definitions—explorers, diehard conservationists, developers, and the public will always differ. I believe that there is always middle ground where all sides can come together. Conservation relies on education. This is where I think the “best bang for the buck” lies. I would like to fund more for karst education. Being a cave landowner, I can appreciate both sides of landowner relationships. In Indiana, we started a program to keep landowners informed about their caves and current issues, such as WNS. This type of education helps show the landowners that we have more than a “grab booty here today and gone tomorrow” mentality. It also shows we are here for the long haul and helps them understand what we treasure below their property. Obviously, the Society has major issues to overcome in the next few years. The headquarters issue notwithstanding, I think the two bigger issues are WNS and membership. We need to engage younger and novice cavers, and we need to retain and draw upon our “seasoned” members’ experience. This comes back to investing in education and mentoring programs. WNS has changed caving. I would like to see the caving community get involved with legislators to promote more WNS funding. In my pay-to-cave life, I am an engineer. I own and operate an engineering company in the construction industry. I manage people, budgets, and projects on a daily basis. If chosen to serve on the Board, I would welcome any input and ideas you may have. |
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John Hoffelt 20058RL (FE) Tennessee |
I started caving in 1975 with the Nashville Grotto. My interests led me to study karst hydrogeology at Western Kentucky University. My first NSS experience involved helping with the Eighth International Congress of Speleology in Bowling Green (1981). I serve the NSS Conservation Division as Conservation Specialist for the Southeast. I serve the NSS Cave Conservation and Management Section as an at-large Director and on various ad hoc committees. I served the Southeastern Regional Association as Chairman and Secretary-Treasurer and on various ad hoc committees. I served the Nashville Grotto as Chairman, Vice Chairman, Chairman of the Conservation Committee, and as a member of the Cave Management Committee. As a member of the Tennessee Cave Survey, I served as an at-large Director, Mapbook Director, and Bibliography Director. I am a sustaining member of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc., where I help with the Cave Stewardship Committee and help manage four caves. Enough about my service credentials. The most important message I can convey is this: Go caving; Stay out of bat caves; Meticulously clean your gear; Avoid using the same cave gear in different regions. As a scientist, I approach issues with an open mind and use data and experience to guide my opinions. The most satisfying experiences come when all groups cooperate and win-win solutions are found for common concerns. The NSS faces serious challenges such as WNS, headquarters and office location, and financial stability. Our responses and actions must be based on accurate information and careful consideration of options. I take the NSS nomination to the BOG very seriously and will bring all my experiences and talents to find the best solutions. |
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William (Bill) Jackson 20163FL Georgia |
Born in Lubbock, Texas, and intrigued by Carlsbad Caverns and Texas commercial caves as a youth. Was not exposed to wild caving until stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where I joined what became the Fort Knox Grotto. Caving became a passion that I pursued as I moved among Army assignments. As a result, I joined and was exposed to many different grottos and was able to cave in numerous regions and in Europe. Now retired from the Army, living near Augusta, Georgia, I continue to cave in the Southeast and the Virginias. Previous 10-year Chairman of Augusta Cave Masters and four-year Chairman of the Congress of Grottos. Served as committee member and food services chair for 1998 NSS Convention; on staff for 2000 Convention, and at 2010 Convention as banquet coordinator; currently serving as an alternate member on the NSS Planning Committee. On OTR staff and building project team. Support cave conservation and member of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. and the West Virginia Cave Conservancy. Earned a Master of Science in Nursing Administration in 1996 and post-Masters certificate as family nurse practitioner in 2004. Currently employed as a nurse practitioner in a local emergency department. Member of NSS Human Sciences and Medical Sections. Through the years, I’ve held positions in Army and civilian health-care organizations involving leadership and financial and personnel management. Regularly attend BOG meetings at conventions, and served as a BOG proxy at the Vermont Convention. I believe the current BOG members do try their best to represent the members of the NSS. They are all volunteers who donate time and talents to the NSS. The officers and directors of the Board of Governors are not the NSS. They are the stewards of the organization. The operators of the NSS are the many hundreds of volunteers who are members. The leadership at the national level should be expected to: • Listen to and be sensitive to the concerns of members; • Develop realistic plans to accomplish the goals of the organization; • Operate the NSS in a businesslike manner to sustain the organization and accomplish those goals; and • Emphasize recruitment and retention of members through good relations and member services. If elected as a Director, I plan to participate in NSS operations and vote thoughtfully after analyzing issues and options to further the goals of the organization. |
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Mark Joop 46846RE New Mexico |
After my first term on the BOG (2008–2011), I have come to learn that progress takes time, and I have the willingness and patience to see the NSS become more than a national caving club—as has been maintained and perceived. I feel that I have been a voice of reason during the hard decisions and have prevented needless or noncritical spending. The NSS is at a major crossroads in its history, and I want to do my part to make sure we take the right road toward a better future by not only serving at the top to help make final decisions, but also where the rubber meets the road. As a geologist, one area where I want to see the NSS grow is in its support of cave and karst science. The NSS accomplishes this through research grants and the publication of research (the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies). I immediately joined the Research Advisory Committee to help direct where research dollars are going, but this Committee’s funds need to increase to support more research. I am also a big supporter of increasing the circulation and prestige of the JCKS, which will require a bigger budget and collaboration. The other key ways I have sought to fulfill my dream for the NSS is by helping to develop a strategic plan, and by bringing another location option to the table for the new National Headquarters (there was only one at the time). Both of these areas will have a major impact on the future of the NSS. It’s time to leave the good-old-boy system of maintaining the status quo, and bring the NSS out of the doldrums and into the forefront of the U.S. cave and karst arena. I would like to serve another term on the BOG to build on what I have learned and continue my efforts to streamline the organization, ensure that its money is spent wisely, and guide its goals for the future. I value your support. Personal Info: • Geologist in environmental consulting for 20 years, now working as a Park Ranger at Carlsbad Caverns National Park • (1999–present) member of the NSS • (2003–2005) Vice Chair and Chairman of SERA • (2002–2007) Volunteer and Committee member of SERA Karst Task Force • (2005–2009) Director of Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. • (2001–2003) Vice Chairman of East Tennessee Grotto • (2004–2009) Secretary of Pine Mountain Grotto, Kentucky, and continuing member • (2004–2009) Director of Tennessee Cave Survey |
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Ronal Kerbo 11539RL (HM-FE) Colorado |
My interest in caves started in 1959 when I began diving in the karst resurgences of New Mexico’s Bottomless Lakes State Park. For a number of years my cave interests were specific to water-filled sinks until 1966 when a friend and I discovered a gypsum cave entrance that then led to dry caving trips to the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico. I joined the NSS in about 1969. In 1976 I went to work as the cave resource specialist at Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. I worked at those parks for 15 years and was very involved in developing cave restoration techniques, wrote the park’s cave management plans for many caves and cave areas, spoke before a multitude of people, and instructed individuals and groups in caving techniques, safety, and equipment. I continued to work for the National Park Service for an additional 16 years, always in cave-related positions. After 31 years I retired from the NPS as the national cave and karst program coordinator and the acting director of the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, and I am now retired from an adjunct professorship at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood, Colorado, where I taught a course titled “The Geology and Evolution of Caves.” The National Speleological Society is the premier speleological organization in the United States and is perfectly poised to have positive impacts on every aspect of cave- and karst-related issues. However, it seems as we continue into the 21st Century only those of us in the Society seem to understand the relevance and importance of cave and karst resources and the impact our Society can have on the future of cave access, protection, conservation, and education. I would very much appreciate the opportunity to serve the Society as a member of the Board of Directors to address such issues and concerns as White-Nose Syndrome, the role of the Society in the public being introduced to caving as an “extreme” sport via movies and television programs, and our future strategy in education efforts. |
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Bill Liebman 11970RL (FE) West Virginia |
The NSS is not a caving club. We are a business and need to operate as such if we want to survive into the future as a business and as a leader in the caving world. Our membership is aging and decreasing. This directly affects our income with less dues income and fewer bookstore customers. We’ve had budget slashing year after year, reducing member benefits and projects. The Board has not addressed changing society demographics and is trying to spend us into oblivion with a new headquarters. They have gone into the HQ project backwards. I voted against it for three years before they admitted that mistake. Still, the NSS has no strategic plan to guide it, no idea what it needs for a facility, no idea what it can afford (I’ve asked repeatedly to no avail), and no idea how it will pay for it. The NSS needs foundation income supplementing the dues income. Foundation investment is not available to use, and we do not have the income to add loan debt service into a decreasing budget. They have wasted valuable dollars on other failed ideas by ignoring knowledgeable sources to the contrary. I will continue opposing this. The NSS needs to change its business model and increase membership by tapping the “unaffiliated” caving community, for starters. The NSS needs experience and business skills on the Board if it is going to turn around and we are to survive. I bring both. I bring 30+ years of business experience to the table, along with 43 years of caving. My caving experience includes expedition, vertical, and river caving across the U.S., Mexico, and Central America. I have held grotto positions and served as Western Region chair and Vice Chair. I have eight years previous NSS director experience. I’m on the NSS marketing and advertising committee. I’ve been involved with mapping, exploring, rescue, digging, sea caving, diving, conservation projects, geology and hydrology research, and recently teaching lava tube geology and thermal imaging of cave entrances developing earth analogs for the search for life in caves on Mars for NASA. I introduced multimedia to the NSS salon, and more. I studied business before getting a degree in Geology. I owned a business doing earthquake hazard mitigation and structural repairs in southern California prior to moving to West Virginia. I’ve endowed two university scholarship funds. In West Virginia I work with steam trains and am a volunteer emergency medical technician on an ambulance. |
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John Moses 7009CM Texas |
John Moses is General Superintendent of Texas State Parks in El Paso, which includes Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site, Franklin Mountains State Park, and Wyler Aerial Tramway. Locally, he is chair of the City’s Quality of Life/Tourism Cabinet, member of the Mayor’s Lyceum, El Paso County Eco-Tourism Committee, and Frontera Land Alliance’s advisory council. He received an MBA from the University of Chicago and BS degree in mineral economics from Pennsylvania State University. Commissioned as an officer, he served in U.S. Army ordnance and combat engineer units. He is a certified (Texas) emergency medical technician. Moses, a lifelong cave explorer and conservationist, has served as International Secretary of the National Speleological Society since 1997, and was secretary on the organizing committee (NSS Certificate of Merit) of the 15th International Congress of Speleology. Currently a member of the Mesilla Valley Grotto, over the years he has also belonged to Greater Houston, Windy City, Michigan Interlakes, Nittany, and Pittsburgh Grottos of the NSS. (Thanks, bio’s are easier in the 3rd person.) In my professional life, I work with volunteer groups but see none that are as motivated or successful as the NSS. Perhaps that’s because caving has been a way of life for many of us. I see my role on the Board—to keep the NSS focused on a few key issues and keep the organization relevant. The NSS has always given cavers the best forum to stay informed, communicate both within and outside the organization, and to maintain dialog about how to deal with the problems. At my first NSS Convention in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1965, the vertical cavers were debating whether single rope technique (term came much later) was safe enough without a redundant belay. We didn’t resolve the issue that day but all sides were aired. I have continued, through the years, to appreciate the value of ongoing dialog within our organization. The current crisis for North American bats, arising from White-Nose Syndrome, is the greatest ecological challenge that I’ve seen in my lifetime and the prime issue today facing the NSS. We don’t yet have answers but the NSS has to take on a lead role. The concerns and cave-visitation restrictions are driving many of the Society’s members and grottos away from recreational caving. This is certain to adversely impact our member base and reduce NSS resources at a time when more are needed. I would like to be engaged at the national level and ask for your support. |
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Gary Moss 10046RL (FE) Virginia |
Professional Engineer 30+ years. Caver 45+ years. Life member and Fellow of the NSS and TRA/Old Timers Reunion. Founding member of Tidewater Grotto, FUN Grotto, and Virginia Region's Land Owner's Recognition Award Committee. PRESENTLY: NSS President pro tem, Chairman NSS Preserves Committee, NSS Awards Committee, Chairperson FUN Grotto. PREVIOUSLY: NSS Director, Chair of the Directorate and many other NSS positions; Executive Committee member of ASTM section F-32 "Search and Rescue"; TRA/OTR Trustee Officer for 6 years; TRA/OTR Grant Review committee; OTR staff and chair of many committees for 25+ years. Editor of the DC Speleograph for 15+ years. For more Bio see: http://members.cox.net/gmoss2001/caver1234/. While the years have gone by, my love for caves and respect for the karst containing them has grown. As our rural lands become more developed, we see conflicts between karst ecosystems and development. The NSS needs to be known as the preeminent authority on caves and karst if we are to be truly effective in protecting these resources. To further these goals we need to build strong working relationships with other conservation groups and their members and perhaps also increase our own membership through these relationships. In the end, education may be our biggest ally in the protection of caves and karst. White-Nose Syndrome has become one of our biggest educational challenges. I first joined the NSS out of a sense of belonging and a desire to broaden my caving experience. In the past 45 years, I have enjoyed sport caving, exploration, cave photography, project cave mapping, TAG and Virginia vertical caving, and many paper caving activities. For many years I was involved in cave rescue, including serving as an officer on several subcommittees and on the ASTM F-32 main executive committee that was developing rescue (including cave) standards. CAVES, exploration, study, protection, and just plain fun, continue to be a large part of my life. I would like to serve on the Board to continue that passion. Cave softly. |
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Randy Paylor 24524RL (FE) Lousiana |
When I was elected to the BOG in 2008, I proudly stated the fact that I was a regular caver and that the NSS should value and draw on the strengths of its cavers more than it does. It felt like the organization had forgotten its roots, and I saw the need to be a strong advocate for balance between responsible caving, education, and protection. White-Nose Syndrome has only reinforced that need for balance. As an organization, we cannot marginalize our caver base any longer. We need to be a strong, unified voice for reasonable cave access in the face of this tragic scourge and to speak clearly against blanket closure policies that assume organized cavers primarily spread the disease. We have incredibly dedicated members working on WNS issues, but if the NSS cannot speak out for cavers, then who will? The NSS is an amazing organization, having done so much good work for so little in the past. Our strength has been you, our volunteers and members, and your selfless conservation, education, and exploration efforts. But the NSS as an organization is facing an identity crisis due to lack of direction. I am proud that I have helped the NSS move forward by chairing the languishing Planning Committee and continuing to be an active member. The planning process will help steer the NSS toward a better future; it has helped me connect and communicate with cavers across the Society, something all BOG members should strive for. But more work needs to be done. What do I feel the NSS and its members need? Strong leadership in the face of adversity. Continued strong support of conservation, science, and exploration. Reinvention of our business structure to become more professional. Modifying our publications to better serve our members. Much better public outreach and visibility. Creating a new facility that we can all be proud of, in a location recommended by our talented Headquarters Commission. I will empower these ideas and many more if re-elected to the BOG. Bio: Life member and Fellow. Karst geologist, pursuing a PhD in karst hydro at Lousiana State University. Got hooked on caving while growing up in TAG and have caved all across the U.S. Founder of the Upper Cumberland Grotto. Former officer of the Bluegrass Grotto and Stonewall Grotto. Have been a primary member of the Nashville, Baltimore, Charleston, and Green River Grottos. Founder and member of the Kentucky Speleological Survey. Currently pursuing a number of cave mapping and karst projects (ya wanna help?) |
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