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Candidate Platforms 2010
WM GARY BUSH, NSS 17697 RE/FE (Ohio) As a Director, I bring extensive business experience to the Society, having been an industrial Research Chemist, R&D Manager, and IT Project Manager. I'm now retired, focusing on NSS and caving issues. I see the NSS as a truly unique organization, composed of scientific, academic, project, artistic, and sport cavers. We all work together to help the other, to learn from each other, and to help the NSS, while having fun doing it all. As the eminent caving organization, we must provide training and education to our members and to the general public to bring cave preservation and safe practices to their highest levels. The Society is facing a diminishing membership. The Membership Committee is working hard to reverse this trend, so we can gain the financial resources to carry out our mission. Attracting non-NSS cavers is another goal. The Board voted funds to support WNS research. Understanding this widening epidemic is critical to maintaining and protecting our access to caves. Our Cave Preserves are our greatest assets. Supporting the volunteers who care for them is very high on my list. Increasing the number of Preserves by direct ownership or by financing other conservancies is a goal I strongly support. Keeping caves open for caving is the ultimate result of effective cave protection. We must work closely with appropriate government agencies to promote the NSS as the primary authority on caves and caving both to them and to the general public. Helping these agencies to meet their objectives will increase their support of the NSS and will lead to increasing membership and resources for us. With your support I hope to continue these efforts. The Board has established a Building Commission to finalize the design and functionality of a new headquarters, as our current building no longer meets all our needs. Key to this development will be the determination of funding sources, without which we can't proceed. Your input is important to the Directorate, so I ask for and listen to it. Please freely voice your suggestions, support, and/or concerns. I humbly ask for your support. Thanks.
My platform is relatively simple, I have had ample experience as a Society Director and as a practicing attorney in excess of 40 years. I would propose the following:
Throughout the 4 years that I’ve served on the BoG, I’ve been an active presence for all sessions, twice representing the Directorate in EC meetings. I consider attendance, preparedness & active participation essential toward fulfilling the responsibilities of Director. Regarding the heatedly controversial matter of headquarters location, I’ve made it my highest priority to remain well-informed & open-minded, visiting all sites proposed, studying all material presented, while researching personally & making myself available as an attentive sounding-board to the oftimes incompatible opinions of our diverse membership. I’ve long realized the impossibility of making everyone happy, so I’ve concentrated on what I believe I was elected to do: make informed decisions based upon all extant information, setting aside personal preferences for what the facts indicate are in the best interest of the Society as a whole, toward securing our strongest foothold in an unpredictable future. This has often proven a daunting task, but one I feel I’m well-prepared to tackle. I strongly believe that through adversity we can gain wisdom & unity. But I also believe that without constant vigilance & proactivity, we’ve everything to lose. We must remain at the vanguard of WNS activism while doing everything possible to encourage reasonableness concerning cave closures, guarding against knee-jerk reactions by entities that would inhibit research & exploration -- the very reasons we’re even aware of WNS. We must continue to define & direct our missions of conservation, exploration & scientific research while fostering fraternity among karst enthusiasts. And we must promote NSS membership while seeking new avenues to bolster our fiscal security, for without a solid, renewable financial foundation, we will cease to be. If re-elected, I will devote all of my resources toward realizing these goals. CV: Current: NSS Director & Fellow. Conservation Award (1998). NSS Audit Cmte. Associate Editor, NSS Special Pubs. Co-chair, Stonewall Cavers. Previous: Chair, Congress of Grottos. Chair, Ohio Valley Region. Sloan’s Valley CTF; Boone Karst CTF. Chair/Secy, MVG; Treas., BGG. Ed., Cave Cricket Gazette, Kentucky Caver.
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.
I have been a Federal employee for almost ten years, and am accustomed to working in a regimented environment, full of policy and directives. I have had to exercise excellent judgment for many years, where a moment’s hesitation could cost someone their life. I am 27 years old, with many years or caving ahead of me, and I am ready to represent both the state of Texas, and the greater west with all of my ability, and with the same ambition that has helped me become successful, throughout my life. I am aware that the west is not very well represented on the BOG, specifically the state of Texas, and being such a large and dynamic community that Texas is, I see the utmost need for a representative, specifically one with the youth and vigor that mirrors the spirit that is Texas caving at its best. While the western United States is currently represented by two representatives from New Mexico, I will be the sole candidate from west of the Mississippi River. While my goals as your representative are vast, they can all be simplified down to saying that I would like to breathe new life into both the BOG and the NSS as a whole. We are all aware of our median age of membership that continues to grow. My mindset and opinions are not as set in stone as some; and I would like to serve you, on the BOG, as a representative and a voice of your opinions, not just my own. I have been caving for just shy of a decade, and a member of the NSS for nearly that long, and I believe cavers, including those of a younger age deserve a candidate to which they can relate. I am that candidate. Though I have not been caving for as long as some, I feel I can contribute many fresh ideas, while upholding those long loved "caver" traditions.
The NSS is in crisis, but it is not a financial crisis, a membership crisis, or a biological crisis: it is a leadership crisis. Our problems and challenges are but symptoms of this larger deficiency. The mis-management of the 2009 election, the drama and confusion surrounding the NSS office and headquarters issue, and our failure to represent cavers as well as bats in responding to WNS provide excellent illustrations. And as one who has been “behind the curtain” off and on for many years, I can assure you that what you do not see is far worse than what you do see. We must address the root cause -- poor leadership. We have been poorly served by our officers and directors for far too long. Good people have resigned in disgust or declined to run for reelection because they are fed up. It is well-known that we have difficulty each year finding candidates willing to run for the board. One reason is that no talented person wants to waste his or her valuable and limited time serving on an ineffective board. We need leaders who are not afraid to do their homework, take positions, answer questions, make tough choices in the best interests of the Society and its members, and be accountable to the membership. I am such a person. We need an activist board, where each director is expected to chair at least one major committee and serve on at least two others. We need articulate people, who can speak clearly, write coherently, and provide thoughtful and constructive debate. We need serious, committed people, who take the time to read our governing documents, do their homework, and give substantially of their time, talents, and resources to support the Society. We need people who will lead by example and walk the walk. My primary goal is to change the nature of NSS leadership and make it more professional, more appropriate to the core mission and purposes of the Society, and more responsive and accountable to the membership. My full platform statement is available online at www.HodagRevolution.com. I respectfully urge you to read and share it with your fellow cavers. Even if you disagree with my positions, I will listen respectfully, respond to your concerns and input, and consider your ideas and opinions as I represent you on the board. And no matter what, I will always be accessible, responsive, and accountable to you -- the members of the Society. Feel free to email me at bill@putnamconsulting.com or to call me at 678-371-4517. I will also continue to participate actively in the NSS Cavechat forum and will be happy to respond to questions or comments there. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for your consideration. If my message resonates for you, I would appreciate your vote.
As we all know, the National Speleological Society is currently faced with the most formidable set of challenges in its history: The North American bat population is witnessing a crisis of historical proportions with the onset of White Nose Syndrome. The economic downturn and wars abroad are a drain on our government’s ability to direct much-needed attention and effort toward research and conservation of our natural and non-renewable cave resources. Thirdly, the very caves which we hold most dear are being subject to blasting and permanent closure due to ill-informed and liability-paranoid decision-makers. Our Society is also currently in the midst of the decision-making process of where and how to relocate our National Headquarters, a decision which will have immense and lasting ramifications on our Society’s future. Lastly, but most importantly, our Society is facing increasing competition from other activities and media for our most vital resource, our future members. Each of these issues on its own would be tough, but all at once, means our Society is in desperate need of people who will give objective, careful consideration that will serve the best interest of our Society in an effective, professional, and timely manner. Despite these challenges, it is my belief that now is NOT the time to sit back and rest on our laurels, nor is it the time to return to business as usual. Our Board of Governors needs to attack these challenges with all the vigor, conviction, and intelligence that it can muster. When it comes to our "national profile", we must raise the bar; we must increase our outreach and our profile. There was a time when the Society could rely on new memberships strictly on reputation, as well as our exclusivity with regards to knowledge of caves and cave locations. This is no longer the case, and we are increasingly finding ourselves competing with other organizations, media, and activities for members and their participation in our Society. As a result we must redouble our efforts to attract, inspire, and retain members who will be our future leaders and Society’s lifeblood in the effort to preserve, conserve, understand, and sustain our cave resources. As a candidate for the Board of Governors, I promise to bring all my experience, education, reason, and professionalism to bear on these critical issues. I hope you will consider me a candidate who will not serve just an individual interest, but a larger Society-wide picture for today and tomorrow. Thank you for your vote, and cave softly!
We must also work harder to make our current volunteers understand our appreciation for them and their value to this organization. My professional experience includes 25 years in Marketing and Sales with extensive experience in pricing, budgets, forecasts, and customer service. I have strong listening skills and problem solving abilities that can benefit others in my interaction with customers/members on their concerns and needs. I have served as grotto chairmen, treasurer and vice president in the past so I understand the issues with keeping member support. I feel I can continue to bring a flexible and fresh viewpoint onto the Board and will work with other members to continue to make improvements within the NSS. The NSS is an amazingly complex organization for which I have gained a greater appreciation. I can use my learning experiences over the past few years to help our organization grow in a positive direction. I also hope to have the opportunity to continue our ongoing efforts to improve membership numbers and to continue with guiding the progress with the new museum and headquarters plans.
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Nominating Committee
I'm completing my 1st term as an NSS Director. This will be my 33rd year caving with the NSS. My project caving has been in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida. My organization experiences include: Chair and other offices in the Greater Cincinnati Grotto; current Director of the Rockcastle Karst Conservancy; Chair and Director of the Ohio Valley Region; Chair & other offices and current Instructor in the Vertical Section; Officer in the Communications & Electronics Section; Chair of the NSS Cave Preserves Committee from 1994 to 2005; Current member of the NSS I-O and IT Committees; NSS Fellow.
University of North Carolina (J.D. 1967)
These are uneasy times. As cavers & NSS members, we’ve been thrust across a threshold of unprecedented challenge & controversy. During the same turbulent months that we’ve been obliged to investigate the benefits & drawbacks of relocating our national headquarters, we’ve been compelled to confront the ravages of WNS, an epidemic that not only threatens to extinction many bat species, but one that has drawn into question the viability of caving itself. Our future is on the line as never before.
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 Southeast Cave Conservancy, Inc., where I help with the Cave Stewardship Committee and help manage 4 caves.
My passion for caving began nearly a decade ago, when I became a member of the Southern Nevada Grotto, in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was there I began volunteering considerable time to projects in the Great Basin National Park, and to youth activities in the local area. Currently, my career as a Federal employee has brought my family and me to Alpine, Texas, the gateway into the Big Bend National Park, in West Texas, where I now hold memberships in both New Mexico and Texas, and I have been involved in numerous restoration projects in New Mexico, and exploration efforts in Texas. I am also a sustaining life member of the NSS.
Member since 1980, Life Member, Fellow. NSS Office computer support volunteer since 2005, Editor, American Caving Accidents (1996 – 2007), NCRC Instructor. Dogwood City Grotto. Editor 1989 NSS Convention Guidebook, two TAG Cave-In guidebooks. Active caver/surveyor in TAG, KY, NM, and WY. Chattanooga Hamilton County Cave Rescue Team. Founding Director, Chairman (1994-1999), and Acquisitions Chair, Southeastern Cave Conservancy Inc. Self-employed IT Consultant.
I have been a recreational caver since 1981, when I was a Boy Scout in Indiana, later joining the NSS in early 1990’s as a college student. Since that time, I have proudly been a member of two grottos in Indiana (Central Indiana and Bloomington) and in Georgia (Augusta Cave Masters) as well as the Indiana Karst Conservancy, Indiana and Georgia Cave Surveys, a Joint Venturer in the Cave Research Foundation, and a member of the former Lechuguilla Cave Exploration and Research Network (L.E.A.R.N.), and have actively participated in my own and others’ cave exploration, survey, and mapping projects around the country. At this time, I serve as Vice Chairman of the Central Indiana Grotto. One of the reasons I chose a research career in Biological Science (I am currently a Research Assistant Professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine) is from my many learning experiences and encounters underground. Caving has been an invaluable source of personal skills, including self-reliance, perseverance and responsibility for the well-being of others. Even more valuable to me are the wonderful friends and relationships I have gained from these times, not to mention the astounding memories! Of the thousands of hours I have spent underground, it seems I can recall each and every trip almost like I can recall a friend or acquaintance, each one unique and special in its own way.
I have been an NSS member for over 15 years and I am currently serving as the Chairman of the Marketing Analysis Committee as well as my current term on the Board. During my time on the Board I have gained a great deal of appreciation for the amount of volunteer work that goes on in this organization. Volunteers are truly the backbone of the NSS. I believe one of our most important issues is not just growing the membership, but making volunteering more attractive to our members.