Monthly 2nd & 4th Monday / 7 PM   Bexar Grotto meeting.  Chester's Hamburgers, 16609 San Pedro.

Monthly 2nd Wednesday   Texas Speleological Survey Work Session in Austin  Contact Ron Ralph for details.

Everyone is invited to come out and help at the Colorado Bend SP project Saturday January 10, 2009, and also to stick around Sunday, the 11th, for the TSA Winter Business Meeting and the TCMA Business Meeting.

The TSA meeting will start promptly at 9 AM Sunday morning and the TCMA meeting will start immediately afterwards.

Weather permitting, this is a great chance to go caving, conduct some worthwhile projects and assistance to the State Park, enjoy deluxe accommodations at the Conference Center, partake of some genuine caver camaraderie, revel in the beauty of the Hill Country and this excellent state park, and help a couple of very worthwhile associations plan for another exciting year of karst related activities and pursuits!

So, mark your calendars and hope to see you there!

Thanks,

John Brooks and Mark Alman

The South Central Region of the National Cave Rescue Commision, with Texas Parks and Wildlife, presents Orientation to Cave Rescue, Feb 7 & 8, 2009 at Colorado Bend State Park, Bend, TX

About the Seminar:

Orientation to Cave Rescue (OCR) consists of classroom and fieldwork in all phases of cave rescue including underground environment, vertical operations, extrication techniques, medical management, communications systems, and the organization and management of cave rescue operations.  Participants typically include cavers, emergency service personnel, and emergency managers.  OCR provides a solid foundation for the Level One course held at periodic regional seminars and annual NCRC national seminars.

The seminar provides approximately 16 hours of instruction over 2 days.  Fieldwork can be strenuous, and participants must be in good physical health.  Students should be prepared to work in difficult situations, both above and below ground.

Participants must review and sign a liability waiver at check-in registration.  Persons under the age of 18 should contact the Course Coordinator prior to registering.

REGISTRATION FEE $50.  No refunds after Jan 31, 2009.

For more information contact:

Rod Dennison
Course Coordinator
254-780-3256 land line
254-563-5990 cell
rld0508@yahoo.com

We are building a rainwater collection system.  This will evolve setting posts, framing a tin roof, installing piping to water storage tanks and drinking troughs.

Tools needed:

• Cordless drills & saws
• Hammers
• Step ladders
• Shovels
• Concrete mixer

Date: Feb 28, 2009
Time: 8:30 am

Bring your lunch, I'll have water & sodas.

The TCC Winter Conference is a special event for new cavers, however Old-timer's are welcome as well. Take this opportunity to round up your new people and get them caving and learning about caves. The TCC asks for a donation to assist in the costs, however, but for new cavers (less than five years) everything is free. There is really no good reason not to take part.

Our special guest is Ron Kerbo. For a number of years Ron was with the National Parks Service. Ron's presentation will be "Wooden Lettuce, Chili Peppers and the Speleo-education of an Oil Field Roust-a-Bout".

Here is the tentative schedule:

• Friday:
  • Camping & caving.
• Saturday:

  Breakfast provided.

  Tours & Workshops - 10:00 AM

  • Geology-Caving Tour
  • Twin Creeks Tour
  • Basic Caving Workshop
  • Introduction-Land Owner Relations-
  • Cave Biology, Survey, Photography
  • Cave Restoration (Visits several caves)

  Urban Cave Monitoring & Management Workshop- This will be conducted at the TCC Headquarters at 5:00 PM

  Avery Ranch Cave- All Day

  Avery Ranch Cave Special Event- 4:00 PM

  Dies Ranch Treasure Cave-All Day

  Dies Ranch Shelter Cave-All Day

  Caving-All Day

  5:00 PM Dinner - Mexican Food 6:30 PM

  After Dinner

  Special guest presentation by Ron Kerbo

  "Wooden Lettuce, Chili Peppers and the Speleo-education of an Oil Field Roust-a-Bout"

  Hall of Texas Cavers slides & Party

  Dave Cave's Salon- Strawberry Margaritas

• Sunday:

  Breakfast provided

  Caving

More information will be provided closer to the event
stephengutting2@juno.com

The date and location for the 2009 TSA Spring Convention has been set.

April 25, 2009
Kerrville - Schreiner Park, Kerrville, Texas

I have made reservations for the same 16 Campsites and the Recreation Hall.  Reservations are for Friday and Saturday Nights.  Diana Tomchick & Bill Steel have once again agreed to act as Program Coordinators.  Please mark your calendar and show your support to Texas Caving by attending.  Further information will be posted as it becomes available. 

Kindest regards

Robert Bisset
TSA Vice Chair

For general ICS questions, contact Secretary John Moses at secretary@ics2009.us, or johnmoses@excite.com. For questions about the message below, contact Bill Mixon at bmixon002@austin.rr.com.

Dear Friends,

Registration for the 15th International Congress of Speleology (ICS) is now open! Please go to www.ics2009.us/2ndcirculars.html where you will find the 2nd Circular available in English, French, German, and Spanish. The circulars contain much information about the ICS plus the registration form. The registration forms are also available without the circular, including in Italian, at www.ics2009.us/reg.html. The form is 5 pages long because of all of the trip options. Send all of the pages, even if you do not register for a trip, so we will know we have all of your information.

Please be aware that our national convention will start in one week. Our Registration Committee is now traveling and may not be able reply to e-mail until about 18 August. Also, on-line registration is not yet available. I will let you know as soon as it is ready. For now, you can register by mail, fax, or e-mail. Confirmations will be sent after 18 August.

I trust you will enjoy reading the circular. It includes some spectacular photos along with concise yet informative descriptions of nearly all ICS activities. But remember, there is even more information on the ICS website: www.ics2009.us.

In euros, the price of the 2009 ICS is less than the 2005 ICS. This is due to the weakening of the US dollar. For people in the US, this ICS will cost a little more than the 2005 ICS. Below is a message for members of the National Speleological Society (NSS) of the United States, discussing ICS pricing. For those registering for their first speleological event, you'll find the ICS is much less expensive and offers more than many traditional professional conferences. This is because of the all-volunteer staff and use of less expensive but good facilities. Our goal is to keep the price as low as possible for students, people from countries with developing economies, and the many cavers who explore and map the underground wilderness to make good science and management of caves and karst areas possible.

No matter where you come from, you will find the 15th ICS a fantastic experience and an incredible value.

Special message to NSS members:

When you look at the registration form, you'll immediately notice that the prices are higher than a typical NSS Convention. That is not something we did lightly and you deserve an explanation:

1. Look at the circular. You will quickly be impressed by the many things that will be happening at the ICS.
2. This is more expensive than a typical NSS Convention because it is an NSS Convention PLUS an International Congress. Again, please look at the circular to see all that registration buys.
3. NSS Convention lasts 5 days. The ICS last 8 days, so comparing flat registration prices isn't reasonable. The ICS is longer and thus has more expenses. It also has more activities.
4. Compare the ICS prices with the 2008 NSS Convention on a per day rate. The early-bird prices are $23.40/day for NSS and $31.25/day for the ICS. The highest at-the-door prices are $35.80/day for NSS and $37.50/day for the ICS. The differences are not that great, only $1.70-7.85/day. At worst, less than the price of 2 gallons of gasoline. Many of you spend that much each day driving to and from work.
5. For those on tight budgets, up to $50 can be shaved off the ICS registration price by declining the guidebook and proceedings, which brings the daily rates down to $25 and $31.25/day, depending on when you register. And if someone is feeling richer when they arrive at the ICS, they can still buy those books there for the same amount.
6. For perspective, when many cavers fill their tanks and go caving this weekend, they are paying about $80 for fuel alone. That buys about one–third of the registration price to the most significant caving event to hit North America, and possibly the world. For a once or twice-in-a-lifetime opportunity (having an ICS in the US), this is a bargain.
7. Registration for kids is higher than normal due to the longer period of the ICS and other factors. It includes JSS. On the flip side, families that camp will be charged only for the adults and kids are free.
8. The NSS Awards Banquet is a separate fee. We can't require people from other countries to pay for our banquet as part of the overall ICS fee, although non-US cavers will certainly be welcome to join us. The price is $38, which is break-even when you tally the price of the meal, drinks, facility, transportation, etc. Our research shows that meal prices for comparable catered banquets range from $35-40/person at the low end in central Texas, without the costs of facilities, etc. that we are including. Don't worry about the quality. It is excellent.
9. The field trip prices are higher than we'd like. There is nothing to be done about it. The main factor is rising fuel costs.
10. The NSS Convention and ICS are professional-quality conferences in many ways. Not all cavers attend professional conferences and don't appreciate the value they get at NSS and will get at the ICS, which are 2-3 times cheaper, up to twice as long, and with a rich variety of morning-to-night activities often lacking from "professional" conventions.

While we have written a tight budget to keep the ICS prices as low as possible, we have written it so we don't lose money. If attendance is good and we bring in extra money, we have plans to put as much as possible back into the ICS for attendees to enjoy.

The devaluation of the dollar is a prime reason why prices for many products in the US are becoming more expensive, which has taken its toll on ICS registration rates. If we didn't have the financial support of so many excellent sponsors and the volunteer efforts of the 86 members of the ICS Organizing Committee and their staff, the price of registration would have been much higher.

I appreciate your interest in the ICS, and promise you will find it a unique, exciting, and eye-opening event, and a great bargain for all that will be offered.

George Veni, Ph.D.
Chairman, 15th International Congress of Speleology
Adjunct Secretary, International Union of Speleology
Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute

P.S.: Feel free to distribute this information by e-mail, the web, and newsletters.