The 205th regular meeting of the NSS Board of Governors was held at Wakefield Middle School in Tucson, Arizona, on March17, 2007. These minutes, when accompanied by corrections submitted by the Board, constitute the official record of the meeting.
President Bill Tozer called the meeting to order at 9:08AM. Barbara Moss was present as Recording Secretary pro tem.
OFFICERS
William Tozer, President
Steve Ormeroid, Administrative Vice President
Cheryl Jones, Operations Vice President
Peri Frantz, Secretary-Treasurer
DIRECTORS
Jay Clark
John Lamar Cole
Linda Devine
Ted Kayes
Joe Levinson
James Lewis
Bill Liebman
Gary Moss
Doug Robertson
Kevin Smith
Bernie Szukalski
PROXIES
Dave Taylor for Executive Vice President Gordon Birkhimer
Louise Hose for Lee Florea
Kayes moved: The November 2006 Board of Governors meeting minutes are approved as published.
Seconded by Szukalski.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
A. President – Bill Tozer
President Tozer noted that Scott Fee, Chairman of the Fund Raising committee, reported that significantly more money was raised last year than in prior years.
In 2005 donations totaled $10,249.
In 2006 total donations totaled $29,298.01.
371 members donated in 2006 vs. 147 in 2005.
B. Executive Vice President – Dave Taylor for EVP Gordon Birkhimer
Additions to the submitted written report are as follows:
1. American Caving Accidents - Final proof reading will
be done this week and it will be sent to the printer by the end
of next week.
2. The Journal of Cave and Karst Studies - Funding for the
special anniversary issue is in the FY ‘07 budget, and will
be transferred to next year’s budget if necessary.
C. Administrative Vice President – Steve Ormeroid
Additions to the submitted written report are as follows:
1. Dr. George Veni reported that preparation for the
International Congress is going well.
2. Conservation Task Forces - John Beard reported that he
received reports from most of the CTFs.
3. Nature Preserves- All but three preserves submitted reports.
D. Operations Vice President – Cheryl Jones
Additions to the submitted written report are as follows:
1. NSS Bookstore - Both Caving Basics and On Station
need to be updated before they are reprinted. The new NSS online
Bookstore is nearly completed and should be live soon. It has
important new features such as the ability to process credit card
transactions immediately. In the past bookstore orders had to be
done processed through the NSS office. Louise
Hose on behalf of Lee Florea asked whether we have purchased
software licenses for the Adobe and other software, or individual
titles. Cheryl replied that our recent acquisitions from
TechSoup were individual copies, however she is sure we have
licenses for the software shared among the NSS office
computers. A copy of On Cave Conservation and
Restoration will be sent to all NSS Cave Preserve
managers. In contrast to the Board Act covering book
publishing, the EVP and Special Pubs Committee Chairman are
setting book prices. Cheryl suggested that the Directorate
needs to decide whether they want the EC to follow the Board Act
or they want to amend the act, and she believes that it is not
appropriate for the EVP Department to set Bookstore prices.
She has discussed this with the EVP and the Special Pubs
Committee Chairman.
2. NSS Office and the Smith House – The
"fire-proof" room at the office is not fireproof, and
not adequate to effectively protect our critical documents and
digital media. The NSS Office manager has purchased a fire proof
safe that is capable of protecting these items. The Smith house,
which presently serves as a storage facility for our bookstore
inventory and NSS achieves, is in need of significant repairs.
The OVP is exploring various options for safe storage that
include removal of the Smith house altogether and erecting a
climate controlled Butler building, and will present a motion on
this later in the meeting to receive direction from the Board.
3. NSS Museum – Cheryl reported that Museum Chairman
Craig Hindman has a garage and half a house full
of items collected for the NSS Museum, and he would like to
reclaim this space for himself. She believes it is
important for the NSS to take possession of the items and find or
build suitable storage space, where the items can be inventoried,
catalogued, and photo-documented. She has talked with Craig about
finding new storage facilities and display options for the museum
items.
E. Secretary-Treasurer – Peri Frantz
Additions to the submitted written report are as follows:
The S-T reported that the NSS National convention in Indiana would be the first convention where all attendees will be covered by accident insurance.
1. Peri stressed the importance of updating our office software as soon as reasonably possible. Unfortunately this is going to be a long process. Karen Dennis is the chairman of an ad hoc committee developing requirements for a new software system. The committee is working with Peri, Chief Accounting Manager David Irving, and Operations Vice President Cheryl Jones to define what the new software should do and how it should operate. Peri hopes to have a completed requirements document by the summer meeting. Once the requirements are defined, it will probably be another year before the new system is operational.
A. Indiana 2007 NSS National Convention – Dave Haun and
Bob Vandeventer – Oral report
B. Florida 2008 NSS National Convention – Marion Gamble
– Slide presentation;
C. Convention dates – August 11-15, 2008
D. 2009 International Congress of Speleology – Dr. George
Veni – Oral report
E. National Cave and Karst Research Institute – Dr. George
Veni – Oral report
F. Colorado 2011 NSS National Convention Bid Presentation –
David Lester - Video
G. New Mexico 2011 NSS National Convention Bid Presentation
– Linda Starr - Video
E-mail vote requested by Ormeroid, Birkhimer, Lewis, Liebman, and Devine
Ormeroid moved: The NSS will purchase Lot 19 adjacent to the eastern boundary of the Shelta Cave Nature Preserve for a maximum of $30,000 plus associated fees and expenses. (Legal description to be attached.)
Seconded by Birkhimer.
VOTE:
In favor: Ormeroid, Liebman, Frantz, Jones, Birkhimer,
Lewis, Moss, Kayes, Cole, Devine, Smith, Szukalski, Levinson,
Florea, Clark, Robertson
Opposed: None
Abstaining: None
PASSED
Ormeroid moved: To cover the cost of
purchasing the property Lot 19, adjacent to the Shelta Cave
Nature Preserve, the Administrative Vice President may withdraw
up to these amounts from the following funds:
$5,000 from the Cave Acquisition Fund
$20,000 from the Nature Preserve Fund
$5,000 from the Shelta Preserves Fund
The amount of the money that may be transferred from the Shelta
Preserve Fund will increase in line with any donations received
specifically to assist in purchasing the property.
Seconded by Birkhimer
VOTE:
In favor: Ormeroid, Liebman, Frantz, Jones, Birkhimer, Lewis,
Moss, Kayes, Cole, Devine, Smith, Szukalski, Levinson, Florea,
Clark, Robertson
Opposed: None
Abstaining: None
PASSED
Tozer moved: Both prior motions (Items 4 and 5) moved by Ormeroid are rescinded.
Seconded by Robertson.
VOTE:
In favor: Devine, Hose, Szukalski, Kayes, Levinson, Taylor,
Robertson, Ormeroid, Cole, Clark, Liebman, Lewis
Opposed: Moss, Frantz, Smith
Abstaining: Jones
PASSED
E-mail Motion requested by Robertson, Moss, Frantz, Smith and Lewis
Birkhimer moved: The NSS shall publish Larry Matthews’ Chattanooga Caves book, which includes the locations of the commercial caves in the Chattanooga area. Publication of this book will be funded through the usual capital budget process, 500 copies will be printed, and at a cost not to exceed $8.00 per copy
Seconded by Ormeroid.
VOTE:
In favor: Lewis, Smith, Frantz, Jones, Liebman, Florea, Kayes,
Szukalski, Cole, Birkhimer, Moss, Robertson, Levinson, Ormeroid,
Devine, Clark
Opposed: None
Abstaining: None
PASSED
Birkhimer moved to Amend e-mail motion (Item 7) to read as follows:
To publish Larry Matthews’ Chattanooga Caves book which includes the locations of the commercial caves in the Chattanooga area. Publication of this book will be funded through the usual capital budget process, <5><<3>>00 copies will be printed, and at a cost <not to exceed $8.00 per copy. > << of $1900.00. >>
Seconded by Robertson.
VOTE:
In favor: Robertson, Taylor, Moss, Devine, Szukalski, Kayes
Opposed: Smith, Levinson, Jones, Ormeroid, Frantz, Clark, Lewis
Abstaining: Hose, Liebman, Cole
FAILED
(9A) Tozer moved: Scott Fee (NSS 19797), scottfee@bellsouth.net, 2324 Carraway St. Birmingham, AL 35235 is appointed Fund Raising Committee Chairman.
Levinson moved: Items 9A through 9D are considered as a group.
Seconded by Robertson.
Kayes moved: The nominees are elected by acclamation.
Seconded by Moss.
Agreed to by unanimous consent.
Items 9A through 9D
PASSED
(9B) Ormeroid moved: The appointment of Kurt Waldron as Chairman of the Safety & Techniques Committee is approved. Mr. Waldron’s personal information is as follows:
Kurt Waldron, Chairman, 49042 RE, 3465 Solomons Island Road Huntingtown, Maryland 20639, Work: (301) 669-3581, Cell: (443) 756-5303, keystrokeaero@hotmail.com
(9C) Birkhimer moved: The appointment of Thomas Shifflett as Chairman of the U.S. Exploration Committee is confirmed. Mr. Shifflett’s personal information is as follows:
Thomas Shifflett, Chairman, 14207RE (FE, LB), 224 Barker Lane, Bluemont, Virginia 20135, Work: (703) 404-6323, Cell: (540) 535-8389, Thomas.Shifflett@fhwa.dot.gov, Shifflettkt@aol.com
(9D) Birkhimer moved: The appointment of Dr. Kimberly A. Johnson as Delegate of the American Geologic Institute is confirmed.
Kimberly A. Johnson, NSS #51556 (RE), 961 Medina De Leon Ave., Henderson, NV 89015, Home (702) 461-3457, Work (702) 895-1134, Fax (702) 895-4064, kimberly.johnson@unlv.edu
Frantz moved: The FY 2007-2008 Operating and Capital Budgets, as proposed in document "07-08_Budget_EC proposed V1.xls," are approved with the following change:
The budget listed for each of the listed Nature Preserves is increased by the stated amount to cover the payment of property taxes. The funds to cover these payments will be drawn from the Nature Preserve Fund.
Great-Ex $500
John Guilday $200
Russell Cave $15
Wells Cave $80
Tytoona Cave $50
Seconded by Szukalski.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
(Act 25-783; Date Passed: 03-17-07:11)
Birkhimer moved: NSS e-mail and mailing label services will be provided only to NSS Internal Organizations and upon approval by the Operations Vice President. A database of NSS members’ e-mail addresses shall not be distributed, however the NSS may offer a service whereby the NSS delivers e-mail to the target audience without the e-mail list being made public. Permission for e-mailing and mailing services may only be granted for caving related activities and issued for a one-time use, and may only be used for that project. NSS permission and NSS membership mailing information are not transferable to another individual or group for any other purpose ever.
Seconded by Kayes.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Jones moved: Board Act 25-388 and 25-434 Mailing List Availability are rescinded.
25-388 Mailing List Availability 03-17-07:12
Whenever the NSS mailing list is made available to organizations,
it will be at a rate of $.10 per label to a non-profit
organization, and a flat rate of $2,000.00 to a for-profit
Organization. These rates may be adjusted for a specific use at
the discretion of the Executive Committee.
25-434 Mailing List Availability 03-17-07:12
Whenever the mailing list is made available for NSS use the
direct cost of materials and related expenses will be assessed to
the user at a flat rate of $25.00 or $5.00 plus $.25 per label,
whichever is less.
Seconded by Liebman.
VOTE to rescind:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Note: Both Acts are deleted and moved to Section 7 of the Board of Governors Manual.
Jones moved: Board Act 25-449 Mailing List is amended to read: (<delete> <<insert>>)
A method will be developed to allow NSS members to keep their names off any bulk mailing list <sold> <<distributed>> by the NSS.
Seconded by Taylor.
Smith moved to postpone consideration until the summer meeting.
Seconded by Kayes.
VOTE to postpone:
In favor: Smith, Hose, Szukalski, Kayes, Levinson, Moss, Frantz,
Clark, Liebman
Opposed: Devine, Jones, Ormeroid, Robertson, Cole, Lewis
Abstaining: Taylor
POSTPONED
Jones moved: Information on NSS customers will be used solely by the NSS and its Internal Organizations. NSS members' personal information may be provided only to NSS members. Address lists may be given only to NSS members representing Internal Organizations for specific purposes, after a confidentiality agreement is signed and upon approval of the NSS Operations Vice President. The NSS will not rent or sell any information about customers or members to non-affiliated organizations or businesses.
The NSS may provide a membership mailing list to a selected credit card company to enable an annual mailing to promote an NSS loyalty credit card.
Seconded by Kayes.
Szukalski moved: Item 14 is referred back to the OVP for further clarification of the motion.
Seconded by Cole.
VOTE to refer:
Unanimously in favor
REFERRED
President Tozer declared a recess for lunch and the closed meetings of the Directorate and the Board at 12:55 P.M.
President Tozer reconvened the meeting at _________P.M.
Gary Moss, Chairman of the Directorate, reported that Bill Tozer was re-elected as President.
President Tozer reported that the candidates for NSS Awards were selected and/or confirmed.
Gary Moss moved: Board Act 01-287 Executive
Committee is amended to read:
<Delete> <<Insert>>
01-287 Executive Committee (03-17-07:18; 07-12-99,
11-16-74)
The Executive Committee comprises the officers of the Society
with the President as Chairman. For the purpose of facilitating
the transition between <Presidents>
<<Officers>>, the immediate past President
<<and the immediate past Treasurer for a period of one year
after their term expires>>, the President pro tem
<<or former President pro tem until the President-Elect
takes office>>, and the President-Elect shall be ex
officio, non-voting members of the Executive Committee, and may
attend meetings and shall be included in correspondence.
<<The immediate past vice-presidents shall be ex officio,
non-voting members of the Executive Committee until the start of
the next Board of Governors meeting following the end of their
term and shall be included in correspondence. >> The
Executive Committee will meet at its discretion to conduct such
business as is authorized by the Board, and any other business
necessary to the functioning of the Society as authorized by
Bylaw IV.S (3) e. The officers shall include notification of
formal and informal actions of the Executive Committee in their
reports to the Board.
Seconded by Smith.
VOTE:
In favor: Clark, Cole, Devine, Hose, Levinson,
Kayes, Lewis, Moss, Robertson, Szukalski, Liebman, Ormeroid,
Taylor, Frantz
Opposed: None
Abstaining: Jones
PASSED
Smith moved: Bylaw IV. A. (1)(d) is repealed.
IV. Board of Governors-- Officers--Directors
A. The Board of Governors shall consist of twelve directors plus the officers.
(1)
(a) The directors shall serve for three years, four being elected each year to take office at the start of the first Board meeting following May of that year. A tie for fourth place shall be broken by an immediate mail ballot of those current officers and directors who are not tied for fourth place.
(b) In the event that one or more vacancies develop, the Board may appoint interim directors. Their terms shall run until a successor to each vacancy can be elected through the normal elections process as described below and such successors take office. The elected successor then serves the remainder of the full term.
(c) The number of votes cast for each candidate shall determine which are elected for three-year terms and which for shorter terms to fill vacancies. In the event of ties for the shorter terms, such shall be broken by an immediate mail ballot of current officers and directors, excluding any under interim appointment or any tied for fourth place.
(d) The Board may remove any Board member who attends in person no meeting in a fiscal year.
No second. The motion died.
(03-17-07:20, 03-23-02, 04-07-01, 03-27-99, 06-23-97, 11-21-81, 11-17-79))
Frantz moved: Act 18-367, Save-the-Caves Fund, is hereby amended to read:
The Save-the-Caves Fund shall be used to support the general conservation goals of the Society. This fund was established by donors. Money may be expended by Board action on the recommendation of the Conservation Committee and AVP or as authorized by Acts 18-289 (Loans to Conservation Task Forces), 19-321 (Conservation Grants), and 43-116 (Conservation Award). <<In addition, the Executive Committee may authorize the expenditure of up to 5.5% of the beginning value of the Save-the-Caves Fund in any fiscal year for the reprinting of NSS brochures, which promote the conservation goals of the Society. >>
Seconded by Jones.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Ormeroid moved: The 2008 NSS Convention bid proposal as presented by the Board of Directors of the Cave Diving Section, the Flint River Grotto, the Florida Speleological Society, and members of the Tampa Bay Area and Central Florida Grottos be approved.
Seconded by Devine.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Tozer moved: The Spring 2008 Board of Governors meeting will be hosted by East Tennessee Grotto on Saturday March 15, 2008.
Seconded by Smith.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
(A) The spring 2008 board of governor’s
meeting will be hosted by Bubble Cave LLC on Saturday April 19,
2008 at the Brier Inn in Lewisburg, West Virginia.
(B) The spring 2008 board of governor’s meeting will be
hosted by East Tennessee Grotto on Saturday, March 15th.
Note: The Bubble Cave Board Meeting bid is Attachment A to this agenda.
The East Tennessee Grotto Board Meeting bid is Attachment B to this agenda.
Florea moved: The Oral Histories Project is approved as a Project of the NSS. Dr. Robert Brinkmann (NSS 58355RE) of 503 Fern Cliff, Temple Terrace, FL 33617, ph: 813-984-8937, e-mail: rbrinkmn@cas.usf.edu is hereby named as Project Director.
Seconded by Liebman.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
( http://www.karst.usf.edu , http://www.ees.nmt.edu/Geol/Caves/ , http://www.i-pi.com/~diana/ ). For more information about the KIP, visit their Web site at http://karst.lib.usf.edu/.
(24A) Jones moved: Board Act 04-421 is rescinded.
04-421 Advance Copies of Agenda 03-17-07:24a
Advance copies of the agenda for meetings of the Board of Governors shall be posted on the NSS Web site, sent to the Editors of the NSS NEWS and the Administrative Memo and the chairmen of the following committees: Conservation, Internal Organizations, and Membership.
Seconded by Kayes.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Deleted and moved to Section 7 of the Board of Governors Manual.)
(24B) Jones moved: Board Act 05-290 is amended to read:
05-290 Recording Secretary 03-17-07:24b, 08-04-89, 10-29-83, 11-16-74
A permanent committee known as the Recording Secretary is established in the Department of the President. The duties of the Recording Secretary are to attend all << open>> Board meetings, << open>> meetings of the Directorate, and other meetings specified by the President for the purpose of recording minutes in accordance with Act Section 05 <<and Appendix J>>. <Minutes of Board meetings shall be circulated to the Board by the Recording Secretary for comment within 30 days of the meeting. > The Recording Secretary may appoint a substitute. The Recording Secretary may attend closed meetings of the Board.
Seconded by Levinson.
Moss moved to amend: Insert the word "open" after "all" in the second sentence and before "meetings" in the third sentence.
Seconded by Hose.
VOTE on the motion to amend:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
VOTE on the amended motion:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
(24C) Jones moved: Board Act 05-061 is amended to read:
05-061 Meeting Recordings 03-17-24c, 11-05-05, 03-20-82, 11-18-72, 02-04-56
Recordings of Board meetings should be retained until the Board approves the minutes. The recordings may be reviewed only by the Board members or proxies, the persons responsible for developing the written minutes, and those responsible for making the recordings. <A preliminary set of minutes should be submitted to all Board members or proxies attending the meeting for their comments and corrections. Corrections are to be returned to the Recording Secretary within 15 days of forwarding of the minutes. A copy of all comments and corrections should be sent to the President. > Following approval of the minutes by the NSS Board the recordings are to be destroyed.
Seconded by Moss.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
(24D) Jones moved: Section V.A of
Appendix J is amended to read:
V. Minutes
A. Draft minutes will be distributed to <the board> <<Board>> members by the Recording Secretary as soon as possible after the meeting <<, preferably within 30 days. >> Board members <may> <<will be asked to>> submit corrections and suggestions to the Recording Secretary <before the deadline established when the draft minutes are distributed<<within 15 days>>. After making all necessary corrections the Recording Secretary will submit <<to the President>> a copy of all of the comments <the> <<and>> corrections as well as the final <<draft>> minutes <to the President> for approval <<by the Board at the next regular meeting>>. <The President will forward the final minutes to the office for duplication and distribution. > <<The <<final draft and final >> minutes will be posted on a public area on the NSS Web site. >>
Seconded by Cole.
Moss moved to amend: Insert "and" and delete "the" before the word "corrections" in the seventh sentence; insert the words "final draft and final" before the word "minutes" in the tenth sentence.
Seconded by Frantz.
VOTE on the motion to amend:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
VOTE on the amended motion:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
The amended paragraph is as follows:
A. Draft minutes will be distributed to Board members by the
Recording Secretary as soon as possible after the meeting,
preferably within 30 days. Board members will be asked to
submit corrections and suggestions to the Recording Secretary
within 15 days. After making all necessary corrections the
Recording Secretary will submit to the President a copy of all of
the comments and corrections as well as the final draft minutes
for approval by the Board at the next regular meeting. The final
draft and final minutes will be posted on a public area of the
NSS Web site.
Appendix J: Amended 03-17-07:24d+f, 03-25-06:23b, 07-12-99
Refer to Act sections 03, 04, and 05
(24E) Jones moved: Board Act 04-197 is rescinded.
04-197 Timing and Completeness 03-17-07:24e, 3-27-99, 10-29-66
A preliminary Agenda shall be prepared and distributed to the Board a minimum of one month prior to the meeting. A final agenda shall be prepared and distributed to the Board a minimum of two weeks prior to the meeting, and every effort shall be made to have all motions presented in the agenda.
Seconded by Cole.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Deleted and moved to Section 7 of the Board of Governors Manual.
(24F) Jones moved: Section II.A of
Appendix J is amended to read:
II. Agenda
A. The agenda for a Board meeting is prepared by the President. Its format is subject to the provisions of the Acts of the Board and Robert's Rules of Order. Refer to Acts 04-023, 04-093 The agenda for a meeting at which presidents change is prepared by the outgoing president. <<A preliminary agenda shall be prepared and distributed to the Board a minimum of one month prior to the meeting. A final agenda shall be prepared and distributed to the Board a minimum of two weeks prior to the meeting, and every effort shall be made to have all motions presented in the agenda. The preliminary agenda shall be placed on a public area of the NSS Web site, and replaced by the final agenda when it is completed.>>
Seconded by Levinson.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
Appendix J: Amended 03-17-07:24d+f, 03-25-06:23b, 07-12-99
Refer to Act sections 03, 04, and 05.
Tozer moved: An open discussion is held for a period of time not to exceed 20 minutes.
Seconded by Devine.
Agreed to by unanimous consent.
The following topics were discussed:
ADDITIONAL MOTIONS
Jones moved: If zoning variance is obtained, the NSS will have the Smith House torn down, and will erect a larger, pre-fabricated Butler, or Butler-type building, for storage, including the Museum collection. The Operations Vice President will present plans to the board at the summer meeting for approval.
Seconded by Clark.
VOTE:
In favor: Clark, Cole, Devine, Jones, Levinson, Kayes, Lewis,
Moss, Robertson, Szukalski, Ormeroid, Taylor, Frantz, Smith
Opposed: None
Abstaining: Hose, Liebman
PASSED
Jones moved: The NSS will acquire property in the Huntsville, Alabama, area on which to construct, an office complex, including an office, publications and supplies storage, library, storage for archives, museum collection storage, museum exhibition, and bookstore. The NSS Operations Vice President is responsible for researching options and presenting appropriate property and general plans to the NSS Board for approval.
Seconded by Levinson.
Smith moved to substitute: The NSS President is directed to form an ad hoc committee to develop long term plans for the NSS office, library, and museum. <This committee is to report back to the Board at the fall 2007 meeting. > << An interim report will be due to the Board at the 2007 summer meeting. >>
Seconded by Liebman.
Ted Kayes moved to amend: Delete the last sentence and insert "An interim report will be due to the Board at the 2007 summer meeting."
Seconded by Jones.
VOTE to amend the substitute:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
VOTE on the substituted motion:
In favor: Cole, Devine, Levinson, Kayes, Lewis, Robertson, Smith,
Szukalski, Liebman, Ormeroid, Frantz, Jones
Opposed: Hose, Clark, Moss
Abstaining: Taylor
PASSED
Tozer moved: The Board of Governors expresses its
appreciation to the Escabrosa Grotto for hosting our meeting and
providing excellent meeting arrangements.
Seconded by Levinson.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
President Tozer, on behalf of the NSS, expressed thanks to Board members John LaMar Cole, Joe Levinson, Bill Liebman, Kevin Smith, and Bernie Szukalski for their service. John LaMar Cole, Joe Levinson, Bill Liebman, and Kevin Smith are standing for election to another term.
Szukalski moved: the meeting is adjourned.
Seconded by Robertson.
VOTE:
Unanimously in favor
PASSED
President Tozer declared the meeting adjourned at 5:54 P.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Moss
Secretary pro tem
Bubble Cave Board Meeting Bid
(file "Spring’08BOGBid. pdf")
East Tennessee Grotto Board Meeting Bid
The East Tennessee Grotto (ETG) would like to host the 2008 Spring Board meeting in Oak Ridge, Tennessee on March 15, 2008. The meeting would be held in the Oak Ridge Civic Center, which is the normal meeting place for ETG. The meeting place comes with a full kitchen and will be used to provide catering for the BOG members during the closed session. Bill DeVan has offered to host the "howdy" party on Friday night, and the Saturday night party will be a cookout at Historic Cherokee Caverns. Oak Ridge is about a 25-minute drive from the Knoxville Airport (TYS), all 4-lane driving. Transportation will be arranged for those who need it. Car rental is available at the airport.
Grotto members will provide sleeping arrangements for Board members that need them. Historic Cherokee Caverns will be available for those that like to camp. People can camp either outside on the 7 acres of land surrounding the cave or they could sleep comfortably inside the cave. There are also plenty of hotels within walking distance of the meeting place (approx. 1/2 mile). There are also dozens of restaurants close by. Everything you need from Wal-Mart to Red Lobster is within easy walking distance of your hotel or the meeting place.
All Board members and guests would be welcome to tour Historic Cherokee Caverns more on Sunday. This cave is handicap accessible. However, there are still places where one can crawl and get muddy too. There are several interesting caves within 15 minutes of the meeting place as well as a really nice 100' pit with cave at the bottom. Bring your gear. For those who can stay through Sunday I am sure some interesting cave trips can be arranged. After all, you are almost in the heart of TAG. Just let us know what kind of trip you would like to do. For those who like to mix other activities in with their caving you will find places like the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as other State Parks and Natural Areas close by.
East Tennessee Grotto has 50 members, and recently celebrated 50 years of caving in 2006
Please come and enjoy East Tennessee hospitality.
Oral History Project of the Karst Information Portal (KIP)
The Karst Information Portal is an international project aimed at developing a comprehensive on-line source for karst information. The project is moving forward in a partnership with U.S. institutions, such as the University of South Florida (USF), the University of New Mexico, and the National Cave and Karst Research Institute, and with international partners such as the well-regarded Speleogenesis.info website and the online journal Speleogenesis run out of the Ukrainian Institute of Speleology.
The KIP leadership team has identified several projects for the portal, one of which is the Oral History Project. The oral histories themselves will be conducted within the framework of the USF Florida Studies Center’s Oral History Program; however, we are seeking the support of the NSS in this effort. By support, we mean that we wish utilize the organization of the NSS to gain access to retired or nearly retired key leaders of the NSS and in the larger cave and karst community. In addition, we hope to conduct oral histories at future NSS meetings in order to preserve the rich heritage of cavers and karst scientists worldwide.
The karst research community is engaged in activities with significant potential for benefit to humanity and the global ecosystem. And yet, this globally distributed, highly interdisciplinary group and its focus of study are generally unknown to the public. As karst-related issues move to the forefront of attempts to develop solutions in response to significant human environmental degradation, an understanding of the evolution of the field is one mechanism that may be employed to expand awareness and build support for continued research. Oral histories are one effective strategy to generate and preserve information about cave and karst research as well as a means of "mapping" the development of this important field of inquiry.
What is Oral History?
We are losing our past with each day – questions unasked result in stories left untold. There are many individuals whose lives and careers have shaped our communities, and we are influenced by their contributions. In the past, history has focused on powerful leaders and major events rather than on the people and experiences that shape everyday lives. Each person, however, has his or her own story to tell. People typically think of history in terms of documents, archives, libraries, or other written materials. History can also come from colleagues, family members, and community experiences. Moreover, previous generations have often overlooked the lives of ethnic and religious minorities, women, and those without a political voice. Oral history allows researchers to fill in historical gaps by providing a history from multiple perspectives.
Background for the Florida Studies Center’s Oral History Program
Through an active oral history program that includes interviews, workshops, and seminars, the Florida Studies Center’s Oral History Program records and preserves individual and community memory for future generations. Many of our oral histories are filmed in digital video format, transcribed, and placed on the Web.
Since 1997, the program has generated more than 300 oral histories preserving valuable information concerning socio-cultural, historical, political, and economic activities throughout the state. The oral history collection is available to scholars, students, and community members at the USF Tampa Library or via the Internet at http://www.lib.usf.edu/ldsu/index2.html?f=main-U.
Future developments of the Oral History Program include migration to a new, user-friendly website (January 2007) and expanded collections documenting the evolution of the Florida citrus industry and the GLBT community. At present, oral histories covering the development of scientific fields of inquiry are notable omissions in the collection; this project will facilitate the program’s expansion in this direction.
NSS role in the KIP Oral History Project
We seek the official support of the NSS for this project in order to provide authenticity to the project within the karst community. In particular, we seek permission to conduct interviews for the project at NSS-sponsored events, such as the annual convention. The NSS has a long history of providing a framework for members of the cave and karst community to meet, to publish, and share ideas. We believe that the Oral History Project will enhance the mission of the NSS. At this time, we are not seeking financial support, although we do plan to present a proposal to the National Speleological Foundation for some funding. Partnership with the leadership of the NSS is important to the overall success of the Oral History Project. Thus, we hope to work with the NSS Board of Governors to identify key individuals to interview, to publicize the oral history effort, and to facilitate our efforts at the annual convention.
4/14/07