EVP Report

There are twelve committees, commissions, publications, etc. in the Department of the Executive Vice President (EVP). A thirteenth item has been added here to cover permissions to reprint from NSS publications.

Progress:
In summary, The Speleo Digest Committee is still working catching up the back issues. I hope everyone going to the Convention is planning on adding to their libraries. Scott Fee and team have been doing an amazing job. The 1998 Speleo Digest will be at the 1999 Convention and most probably the 1994 SD as well. The NSS NEWS has been looking great, has continued to be on time and is within budget. The same "kudos" goes for the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. Louise Hose, Jim Pizarowicz and company have successfully caught up the backlog of Journal articles. Lois Lyles has the Members Manual in print. Special Publications has a long report. On Caves and Cameras has started it’s review process. Speleogenesis: Evolution of Karst Aquifers should be out this fall. The NCRC book that was expected to be published this fiscal year has a new team working on a different book. A 96-98 American Caving Accidents expects to be publishing mid-July. Bill Putnam is adjusting his schedule to address this. This will both bring ACA up to date and cut some costs. The other chairmen are out doing what they enjoy doing most.

All in all, the EVP committees are in great shape (thanks to my predecessor) and the continuing professionalism of the committee chairs.

Plans:
Continue riding the bull and help the committee chairs where ever possible. On the table right now are the following discussions: 1) Establishing advertising structures for each of the publications. 2) Better defining our Special Publications markets to avoid over inventory. 3) Should ACA be forced to become an "every other year" publication, the December issue of the NSS News or remain a separate, annual publication. I prefer the last. It is also the most expensive option. After the 96-98 ACA is published in June this decision must be made and financed accordingly.

Problems:
EVP Committees were stressed financially from three directly related areas and one indirectly. These are:

1) Postal increases starting January 10, 1999 will have a substantial impact on the

EVP publication budgets. (The publicized $.01 for first class equates to substantially more when mailing the many NSS publications.

3) Cave Minerals of the World II is not selling nearly as well as expected. ie. We have a lot of inventory.

(1) AMERICAN CAVING ACCIDENTS COMMITTEE

American Caving Accidents
Quarterly Committee Report

Report Date: June 1999

Bill Putnam (Chairman)
1865 Eagle Summit Ct
Lawrenceville GA 30043-6669

Phone: (770) 822-0003
Fax: (770) 682-5536
Cellular: (678) 234-0566

Committee Members:
Louise Hose
John Gookin
George Dasher
Dave Hughes
Butch Feldhaus

William Putnam
1865 Eagle Summit Court
Lawrenceville GA 30043-6669
(770) 822.0003 voice
(770) 682.5536 fax
(678) 234.0566 mobile

Plans:
Complete preparation of triple issue covering 1996, 97, and 98 for publication in July. Develop advertising policy and rate schedule for ACA.

Progress:
Following the last BOG meeting, I shifted my publication schedule to Summer 99 as discussed in the last report. I had expected to be ready to send the issue to the printer in early June, but it work issues intervened and it will be late June or early July instead. To fit the News publication schedule and page numbering, the issue will be labeled August 1999, Part 2.

I will be sending the manuscript out for review later this month, and plan to send the issue to the printer early in July. EBSCO media in Birmingham, AL will be handling the printing and distribution as they did for the last issue.

Problems:
Advertising policy - We still do not have one defined for ACA and other special publications. I feel that advertising should be priced at market rates based on a survey of publications with similar circulation and characteristics. ACA and similar special publications should be handled separately from the News due to their infrequent and irregular publication schedules. Also, these special issues are read more than once used as references. We should keep in mind that advertising is for the benefit of the society, not the advertisers, and that it must support the production and distribution of the publication, not merely cover its own expense. I have made a preliminary survey and arrived at what I feel are reasonable rates. I am submitting that information to Ray for review.

I believe that ACA advertising should be treated separately from the News, because ACA is a Special Publication of the NSS (Acts 83-329 and 83-336). The NSS News advertising policy (Appendix V, Act 80-467) does not mention ACA, but if it is intended to apply to ACA there is no prohibition against setting specific rates for special issues or publications. I have conducted a market survey on advertising rates in similar publications and would like to base ACA ad rates on the results of that survey. I believe that this will result in significantly higher revenues from advertising. That additional revenue (est. $3,000 to $5,000 for this issue) will offset the expenses or publication and distribution and will certainly help with the financial issues we have been facing.

Using the current NSS News rates, ad revenue would not cover much more than the cost of printing the ad. That is one reason why I did not solicit advertising for the last ACA - it wasn't worth the time and expense. As stated in Appendix V, advertising is for the convenience of the members, not the advertisers. It should be priced to yield maximum revenue so that a significant portion of the publication cost is covered by advertising income.

EVP Comments:
I have received similar sized magazine publication advertising quotes from Bill (eg. Rock and Ice and Climbing). He has offered his recommendations and we are starting on the "advertising policy."

(2) AAAS REP-BIOLOGY

Kathleen H. Lavoie
Dean of College of Arts and Sciences and
Professor, Biology Department
University of Michigan-Flint
Flint, MI. 48502-2186

(3) AGI DELEGATE

Progress:
The AGI meetings associated with the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Convention were attended on my behalf by Dr. Ruben Martinez. Ruben is not an NSS member, but is a geologist and is familiar with caves. He and I have been friends for nearly 30 years, and he agreed to attend the meetings at the last minute when my other proxy arrangements fell through. The primary issue concerning NSS that was brought up during the AGI meetings is completion and submission of the karst Environmental Awareness manuscript, discussed below under "Problems."

Plans:
I am looking for a person to work with me on the NSS's AGI committee. I hope to identify this person at the Idaho Convention, and to have her or him involved in time for the AGI meetings associated with the Geological Society of America meetings this fall. It is difficult for me to attend two AGI meetings per year, so I would like for the committee member to be a person who regularly attends the GSA meetings. With two people, it will be easier to conduct NSS business with AGI.

Problems:
George Veni and I are still waiting for the final chapter for the joint NSS-AGI booklet tentatively titled "Living on Karst." The chapters are over a year late, and Phil Lamoreaux of AGI has stated several times that if NSS does not soon provide the manuscript, he will take over the project and do it himself. This would cut NSS out of the picture and be a huge embarassment for us. George tells me that he has all the chapters except one, but that one is preventing him from submitting the manuscript to AGI's editor for the "Environmental Awareness Series."

EVP Comments:
The NSS was invited to advertise in the AGI’s Catalog. The cost of $1200 did not seem like a good return on investment considering our $10K+ budget deficit for 1999-2000 and I did not elect for the NSS to participate this year.

(4) AAAS REP-GEOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY

The Year 2000 AAAS meeting will be held in Washington DC from February 17-22, 2000.

The preliminary program will be out in October 29th, the conference pre-registration deadline is December 20th.

I came across this in the Federal Register and may be of interest to the NSS in obtaining grant money for purchasing: sensitive karst watersheds; inland andcoastal cave systems; and unusual hydrologic features (Tytoona Cave Preserve).

President Clinton, in the FY 2000 budget he will submit to Congress, is proposing a $1 billion Lands Legacy initiative to expand federal protection of critical lands across America, help states and communities preserve local green spaces, and strengthenprotections for our oceans and coasts.

This landmark initiative -- a 125 percent increase over FY 1999 funding -- represents the largest one- year investment ever in the preservation of America's lands legacy. It includes $900 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), marking the first time any Administration has requested full funding from LWCF, which draws revenues from federal offshore oil sales. To sustain these efforts in the new century, the President commits to work with Congress to create a permanent funding stream beginning in FY 2001.

The Lands Legacy initiative continues the Clinton-Gore Administration's vigorous efforts to save America's natural treasures. And, by providing significant new resources to states and local communities, it forges a new conservation vision for the 21st century -- one that recognizes the importance of preserving irreplaceable pieces of our natural legacy within easy reach of every citizen.

Lands Legacy will be administered by the Department of the Interior (DOI), $579 million; the Department of Agriculture (USDA), $268 million; and the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), $183 million. It will be coordinated with the $1 billion Livability Agenda announced by Vice President Gore of January 11 through interagency cooperation and consultation.

In addition, the President is calling on Congress to extend permanent wilderness protection to more than 5 million acres in 17 national parks and monuments, including Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Glacier, Great Smoky Mountains and Cumberland Gap.

Federal Acquisitions - The initiative increases federal land acquisition funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund by 26 percent to a total of $413 million ($295 million for DOI, and $118 million for USDA). In recent years, the Administration has dedicated LWCF funds to protecting Yellowstone National Park from mining, saving ancient redwoods in California's Headwaters Forest, preserving Civil War battlefields, completing the Maine-to-Georgia Appalachian Trail, and acquiring more than 100 other natural and historic sites across the country. Priorities for FY 2000 include acquisition of over 450,000 acres in California's Mojave Desert, 100,000 acres for addition to New England wildlife refuges and national forests, and lands critical to the ongoing restoration of Florida's Everglades.

Protecting Our Parks - The President also is calling on Congress to grant permanent wilderness protection to over 5 million acres within Arches, Big Bend, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Crater Lake, Glacier, Grand Teton, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone and Zion National Parks; Cedar Breaks, Colorado and Dinosaur National Monuments; Assateague Island National Seashore/Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge; and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. Granting these areas the highest level of federal protection available would, in the words of the Wilderness Act of 1964, recognize them as areas ?where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.?

Land Acquisition Grants - Lands Legacy includes $150 million through LWCF for matching grants to state, local and tribal governments, and nonprofit land trusts, for acquisition of land and easements for urban parks, greenways, outdoor recreations, wildlife habitat, and coastal wetlands. The DOI program retools the LWCF state grants program for 'smart growth? and open space preservation. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis, with priority going to projects consistent with statewide 'smart growth? plans.

Open Space Planning Grants - The initiative proposes a new $50 million program of matching grants to states to develop open space preservation and "smart growth" strategies. States would use a variety of data and tools to identify priority areas for urban development, farmland, and conservation. The program, administered by DOI, would award grants competitively, with priority going to proposals that tie state plans to regional strategies for managing the economy, job growth, and infrastructure development.

Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund - The initiative proposes $80 million -- a $66 million increase -- for state and local land acquisition to protect threatened and endangered species. By supporting Habitat Conservation Plans and other flexible tools under the Endangered Species Act, the Fund promotes collaborative strategies that sustain both wildlife and economic development. The program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Forest Legacy Program - To protect private forest land that provides critical wildlife habitat and is threatened by development, the initiative proposes $50 million -- an increase of more than six-fold -- for matching grants to states for the purchase of permanent conservation easements. Use of protected lands for forestry and compatible activities is permitted. The program is administered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the proposed funding would protect roughly 135,000 acres.

Urban and Community Forestry - The initiative proposes $40 million -- a 29 percent increase -- for matching grants to states and communities to establish, maintain, and expand urban and community forests and related green spaces. The program, administered by USFS, operates in partnership with 8,000 volunteer organizations in more than 10,000 communities. The proposed funding would support 75,000 projects in more than 10,000 communities.

Farmland Protection Program - To protect farmland and sustain rural economies, Lands Legacy would provide $50 million in matching grants to states, communities, tribes and land trusts for the purchase of permanent conservation easements on farmland threatened by development. The program, administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) was created by the 1996 Farm Bill. Through mid-1998, $35 million in federal funding had leveraged an estimated $230 million in easements, protecting about 127,0 support acquisition of land and easements in rural areas. The Partnership, administered by USDA, would make loans to intermediate borrowers (state, local and tribal governments, and nonprofit corporations), which in turn would loan funds to rural businesses, land trusts and other nonprofit organizations. Proposed funding of $10 million would support $50 million in loans. Priorities are supporting 'smart growth? strategies and helping owners of underproducing forest land at risk of sale improve forest productivity.

Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery - The initiative proposes $4 million in matching grants and technical assistance for the restoration of parks in economically distressed urban communities. The program, administered by the National Park Service, awarded over 1200 grants from 1978 to 1995 but has remained unfunded since 1995.

National Marine Sanctuaries - Lands Legacy proposes $29 million -- a 107 percent increase -- to strengthen protections at 12 marine sanctuaries off California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, and American Samoa, and to plan for future marine sanctuaries. The funding will allow NOAA to accelerate the adoption and implementation of management plans for existing sanctuaries and expand outreach activities with coastal communities.

Coastal Zone Management Act Program - To help promote 'smart growth? strategies along America's coasts, the initiative proposes $90 million, a 55 percent increase, to help states implement Critical Coastal Area Management and Restoration Plans. The matching grants can be used to acquire lands or to undertake other efforts to protect wildlife habitat, protect life and property from coastal hazards, and revitalize ports and urban waterfronts.

National Estuarine Research Reserves System - The initiative proposes $19 million, a 375 percent increase, to expand a network of critical estuaries representing all the biological regions along America's coasts. NOAA provides guidance and matching funds to states to acquire land, protect resources and conduct research and education. Twenty-two reserves in 19 states and territories manage about 500,000 acres. The proposed funding would double the protected acreage.

Coral Reef Restoration - Lands Legacy proposes $10.3 million -- a $10 million increase -- to protect fragile coral reefs from pollution and other human impacts. NOAA, in conjunction with DOI, would restore injured reefs in Puerto Rico, Florida, Hawaii and U.S. territories, and develop a coral nursery to grow donor material for restoration projects.

Coastal Dredge Area Restoration - The initiative proposes $10 million for NOAA to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use material dredged from ports and shipping channels to restore coastal habitats. Dredging is critical to keep shipping lanes open and deepen channels to accommodate larger ships. Reusing dredge spoils benefits the environment and reduces disposal costs.

Fisheries Habitat Restoration - To restore declining fisheries, the initiative proposes $25 million for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service to acquire and protect critical habitat. Efforts would focus on Northeast and Middle Atlantic coast, the Gulf Coast, the West Coast, Alaska, and other regions that participate in the National Estuary Program or have multiple threatened or endangered species.

(5) U.S. EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Home: (918)333-5761
Work: (918)336-9170
Fax: (918)336-6407
E-mail: oksteele@aol.com

Progress:
No grants have been awarded since the March 13th award to Ron Simmons reported at the March NSS Board meeting. Feelers have been put out seeking additional funds for the Sara Corrie Fund. No results yet.

Plans:
The committee is bouncing around ideas for a standard set of criteria for grant requests.

(6) INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Progress:
The end of the fiscal year saw an increase in activity for the International Exploration Committee. A grant of $600 was awarded to the Proyecto Purificacion. They are working in a new area at Christmas this year with great potential. A grant of $600 was also awarded to
the Gunung Buda Project for their January 2000 return to Borneo. The Committee was also contacted by a Russian Caver who is interested in NSS assistance and NSS involvement in a new caving area in Russia. Thanks to the office staff for getting those grants out at the last minute.

EVP Comments: The Russian Caver is not an NSS member, would like to get an NSS International Exploration grant, join the NSS, and invite NSS members on this caving exploration/expedition. I am not comfortable with the allocation of this NSS money (yet) when currently there are no NSS members in the proposal. Comments welcome.

(7) RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Progress:
A grant for $750 was made to Jill Yager (NSS-19089 L) to support her project titled "Ecological Investigations of Submerged Caves of Cuba."

Plans:
To increase the visibility of the RAC through better advertisement of its grants program and achievements.

(8) SPELEO DIGEST

Editors:
1988 Mark & James Adler
1990 Scott Fee & Tom Willett
1991 Eileen C. O’Malley & Northern Indiana Grotto
1992 Jennifer Pinkley
1994 George Jaegers & Family
1998 James and Shelley Reyome
1999 Scott A. Parvin

Speleo Digest Committee Report

Recently Published Speleo Digests:

Progress: The manuscript was overnighted to the printer on June 14^th, 1999.

Plans: We believe, at this point, it will be printed and delivered in time for Convention sales. Assuming that occurs, this committee will then be closed.

Problems: George scanned over 100 photographs. Upon final printing and review by the Series Editor, it was determined that a substantial amount (over 50%) of these were unacceptable or marginal. This required a significant amount of rework in the form of scanning, removing, and/or reformatting.

Current Year Speleo Digests:

Progress: At the end of approximately one-month of working on the 1999 Speleo Digest I have read, reviewed, and selected items from more than one-half of the newsletters currently on-hand. I have e-mailed the editors of the representative newsletters to request such items in digital format. Listed below are the statistics representing the response to these mailings:

Plans: In the next thirty days I intend to finish review of all remaining stockpiled newsletters and begin active editing of the digital articles already received. Also, I plan to begin desktop publishing during this period.

Progress: The prior editors have indicated that they finished the selection process and have retrieved a substantial material via email. The remaining articles and graphics were mailed to Richard Honebrink who has since prepared them.

Problems: The prior editors resigned in late April citing "extreme circustances." As you may recall, they had taken on this project at the end of December when the original editor resigned.

Unfinished Speleo Digests:

Progress: All typing and scanning is done. I have personally seen the DTP up through Nevada; however, from what I can tell, very little progress has been accomplished lately.

Plans: Tom Willett wrote on June 13, 1999: "I am in the final stages finishing the states and have most of the first pass through the international, humor, etc done. I am guessing about another three or four weeks."

Problems: During the last month, Tom has been difficult to reach. When I finally connected with him via phone he mentioned that he had been really busy due to his business. He indicated he would communicate more frequently in the future.

Progress: I have laid out Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado and California.

bit. If I don't make significant progress by August, I will send all of the electronic files to Scott and let someone else finish the layout. (She has had the materials since late December, 1997.)

Problems: After not being able to reach her via email or phone, Jennifer and Scott spoke at the regional SERA Cave Carnival held over the weekend of June 12^th. From Jennifer: It is going slow as a result of my work schedule.

Progress: Scott spent a month quickly reviewing the newsletters and selected a tremendous amount of material easily tripling the size of the manuscript (See Problems). These articles were sent priority mail to Richard Honebrink in Arkansas who immediately started preparing the articles and scanning the graphics associated with them. In the meantime, Tom was reviewing the articles Eileen had selected and prepared them for insertion into book form. Richard has now completed the preparation phase and has shipped the materials to Tom. Scott has previously returned the remaining materials to Tom as well.

Plans: Tom will begin reviewing the material Richard has prepared and start building the book. It is hoped that 100 or so pages will arrive in rough draft form at the Idaho convention for potential buyers to peruse.

Problems: Tom Rea was disappointed at the lack of material and, therefore, he considered it to be insufficient to fill the digest appropriately. After a variety of emails, Scott concurred. Tom then sent most of the Digest materials to Scott via caver courier.

(9) SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Tom Rea (Committee Member)
Gale McCoy (Committee Member)
Janet McClurg (Committee Member)
George Moore (Committee Member)
Elizabeth White (Committee Member)

Speleogenesis: Evolution of Karst Aquifers
Alexander Klimchouk, Editor

Progress:
We have made most of the style and technical editing changes and are proceeding with layout and typesetting. The front and back covers have been designed and were well received by editor Klimchouk, as were the layouts of the Front Matter Parts 1, 2, and 3. We prepared a one-page color promotional flier describing the book. At the request of Klimchouk, we sent fliers to a European Union hydrogeology symposium in Graz, Austria in May. We have also mailed copies to two additional June symposia in Spain and Slovenia using addresses supplied by Klimchouk.

Plans:
Fliers will be mailed or delivered to several additional European and U.S. symposia and conferences later this summer and fall. For display at the convention, we prepared two display binders containing the color covers, Front Matter, Parts 1, 2, and 3, a portion of Part 4, as well as the title pages with photos and overviews for the other four parts. These will be on display in the Bookstore and the Geology and Geography Section meetings.

This committee is preparing a mailing list of about 500 ground water hydrologists from the just-released 1998/1999 AGI Directory of Geoscience Departments. Most of them are university faculty members, so if they can't afford a personal copy, they might ask their library to buy it. This group has been pinpointed by Professor George Moore of Oregon State University and confirmed by the editors and others in the field as probably the most prime market for the book. A mailing of the fliers will go out to them, probably just after convention.

Total quantity of the book to be printed will likely be 1,000. But this is subject to the interest shown after the mailings and various conferences.

We expect to have the book ready to send to the printer in September or October. Printing time is currently running about 30 working days for a book of this size and quantity.

Problems:
This book's technical complexity, particularly its hundreds of chemical and mathematical equations, requires careful production. Additional time is also being budgeted to allow review of layout proofs by both the authors and the editors.

Plans:
We are awaiting materials from this new team. No timetable has been established.

Problems:
Multiple author books are always slow and this has been no exception.

However, it's worth noting that we believe this book could be a good source of profit for the NSS. Besides the expected NCRC sales, it has a good potential to sell perhaps 2,000 to 3,000 more over a three to five year period. Crossover markets include rescue teams at several levels of county, state, and federal governments.

Progress:
In May, we began to receive the final materials from editor John Van Swearingen.

Plans:
Production will probably begin in the fall or winter of 1999. The book's release would then take place in the spring of 2000, with pre-publication prices and promotion commencing in January or February of 2000.

There has been some discussion about this book and its possible competition to Chris Howes 1997 book Images Underground. In this context, it's worth noting that Howes has written the Forward to the NSS book. I think we'll all agree that it's especially gratifying that Howes wrote this Forward. His book, which describes the British style of cave photography, so nicely complements rather than competes with our book.

As we pointed out in our last report, taking pictures in caves is after exploration the most popular activity of NSS cavers. The goal of this book is very straightforward it's to show NSS members how to take better cave pictures. In the book, 18 leading NSS cave photographers tell how to get better results. The book may even make a giant improvement in grotto slide programs and produce more good slides for the annual photo salon.

An estimated 1,000 NSS members should buy the book, if we can keep the price below $40 (the recommended member price is $37). Will it sell outside the NSS at the list price of $42? Probably not to any great extent (500 copies?). Although the 32 page color section with 64 salon winning photos will help sell some copies (Howes' book has eight color pages.) Cost estimates have been based on an initial print run of 2,000. But new estimates for 500, 750, and 1000 will be solicited before the final print quantity is decided by the executive committee.

Problems:
Seems on the track for production to begin in the fall or winter of 1999.

Progress, Plans, and Problems:
This book was once completely outlined, authors committed, and a schedule established. But the project has remained in limbo with nothing new to report.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we must say once againÑthe NSS could reap a tidy return from a well written, authoritative book on cave managementÑa subject we ought to know a lot about. The help of Board members and others reading this report to encourage the Section or a motivated individual to take on the editorship and get this book written, is earnestly solicited.

Techniques of Cave Conservation and Restoration
by Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker, Editors

Progress:
No report of progress was received. According to the outline, it will cover Carlsbad Cavern, Lechuguilla, Cottonwood, Three Fingers, Madonna, Virgin, and several other caves in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Lincoln National Forest, and BLM lands. Descriptions of each cave will include history, geologic setting, exploration, a map, and complete photographic coverage.

Plans:
We need some of the text and photos to judge the quality of the project more fully. At that time, we will get printing estimates and prepare a detailed Specification and Estimate sheet for the EC and Board.

If this book is done right and the photos match the expectations of the author, this committee is confident the NSS can produce a book to equal to any covering this beautiful caving area. Besides excellent sales to our members, this book could be quite popular at National Park Service Bookstores and bring in a modest profit for several years.

This is a book that cries out to be created. If this writer and his photographic team run out of gas, this committee will try to find someone else to take it on.

Plans, Progress, and Problems:
Now underway to stimulate lagging sales of Cave Minerals of the World, is this committee's recommended tie-in to the promotion for Speleology. In the NSS NEWS and JCKS ad promoting Speleology, NSS members are offered a special price of $52 for CMW-2 and a combined member price of $100 for both Speleology and Cave Minerals if ordered at the same time. The non-member price is $115 for both books. A copy of the ad to appear in the May NSS news and JCKS is attached to this report.

Also, all the distributions of Speleogenesis fliers mentioned above include copies of the CMW-2 flier as well. This will promote the CMW-2 and call particular attention to the special combination pricing.

This special CMW-2 offer is a natural tie-in since both are basic cave science books that share a similar audience. We hope the special discounted price of $52 (regular member price is $65) or the two-for-$100 combination will generate new CMW-2 sales among NSS members. Sales were brisk to individuals when the $50 and $60 pre-publication prices were in effect. But they seemed to drop off when the $65 price went into effect. Anyway, it's certainly worth a try.

Progress:
This new book by Ronal Kerbo, the National Park Service National Cave Specialist, is making slow but steady progress. As stated in the last report, this book could be very important for the NSS, since can be sold alongside similar NPS guides in National Park bookstores nationwide.

Underground Wonders will cover the seven major NPS show caves with history, descriptions, maps, and photos. In addition, back country caves open to cavers on a permit basis, such as several at Carlsbad Caverns NP, will be mentioned in a separate chapter.

Plans:
Kerbo is preparing an the outline, word count, and other details that were worked out with the previous publisher, plus drafts of a couple of chapters already done. Based on these, we will figure out the page count, get printing estimates, and prepare a Specification and Estimate document for the book.

Problems:
As we said before, there are no problems beyond the fact that having a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to publish an NPS guide book seems too good to be true.

This brief overview of the NSS publishing program is repeated again, for the benefit of newer board members.

It's important to understand that the NSS book program, though not big at best it might be called modest is still ambitious.

It was set up back in 1982 to publish books of interest to NSS members books that would most likely never see the light of day from main-stream publishers because the market is too small. As for the financial side, our goal is that all NSS books should at least break even, and if possible turn a small profit.

To manage this program, a Special Publications Committee (comprised over the years of two chairmen and two to five members) was established and charged with these general functions:

Currently, the NSS has six titles in its book catalog. Arranged chronologically, these are:

You can see that our titles span a wide range of caving and speleological subjects, both technical and scientific. Four are how-to books Caving Basics, On Rope, Cave Rescue Techniques, and On Station. One is scientific Cave Minerals of the World. One is exploration Cumberland Caverns. Of the two books in the pipeline that we have contracts with editors to create, one is scientific Speleogenesis, the other is how to On Caves and Cameras.

We also produced three conference proceedings in quantities of under 1,000 copies each:

So, the NSS publications program currently consists of six books. But if you add in new editions of existing books, symposia proceedings, and the history book, this committee has produced some 15 books over a 16 year period, or about one a year.

During this period, how many authors with ideas for new books approached the committee? In my 12 years, I'd guess this averaged about one to two budding authors per year. And how many of these nascent ideas actually materialized into a final book? Only two. Most of the rest never even got to the table-of-contents or outline stage.

That doesn't mean there aren't a lot of good ideas out there for new caving books. But as anyone who has written a book can tell you, it's a long hard road between the idea in your head and the ink on the printed page.

Louise D. Hose (Editor)
Department of Environmental Studies
501 Westminster Avenue
Westminster College
Fulton, MO 65251-1299

Home: (573) 642-4399
Work: (573) 592-5303
Fax: (573) 592-1217
E-Mail: HoseL@jaynet.wcmo.edu

BOARD OF EDITORS:
David Ashley (Life Sciences)
George Huppert (Conservation)
Andrea Futtrell (Exploration)
Ira D. Sasowsky (Earth Sciences/Journal Index)
Marion O. Smith (Social Sciences)
Patty Jo Watson (Anthropology)
Betty Wheeler (Book Reviews)

ADVISORY BOARD
Penelope Boston
Horton Hobbs
David Jagnow
James Mead
Doug Medville
John Mylroie
James Nepstad
Margaret Palmer
Elizabeth White

Progress:
Volume 61, Number 1, was out on time in April. Volume 61, Number 2, will be a Special Issue on Kartchner Cavern with guest editors, Carol Hill and Bob Buecher. The goal is to produce a publication that will be attractive to cave visitors and sell in the gift shop while maintaining the policies and standards of the Journal. Bob Buecher believes he has found money to assist in printing a couple of signatures in color. The Journal has agreed to pay the usual cost to us for a 96-page issue with a color cover and that the guest editors will have to find the money for any additional color and extra copies, which will be essentially purchased by Kartchner group.

Initially, Carol and Bob had hoped to have a book published by the State of Arizona but had become frustrated with the bureaucratic slowness. This is a last-minute deal that we hope will serve both the Kartchner group and the NSS well. Although their vision had been for a less technical, book on the cave and we donÕt have the financial resources (especially after the recent budget cut!) nor mission to produce such a book, we are trying to find creative, middle ground that serves both our missions well. We hope this will be a win-win situation, but it is a bit of a risky venture for both groups, I think.

In other news, Andrea Futtrell accepted the position of Associate Editor on Exploration and promises to be a strong and active addition to our staff. Jim Pisarowicz has put up a rudimentary web page for the Journal on the NSS website. We hope to expand it.

Plans:
Our previous expectations of a small summer issue are now gone and we will try to keep the page count down for the December issue so that we can stay within budget. Hopefully, this will not prove a problem. Recent submissions continue to be sluggish. However, the index and convention abstracts appear in the December issue and we have less control over the size of our last issue. The Journal is going to need to return to its more substantial funding next year if we are going to maintain the level of publication of the past couple of years, especially with two special issues planned (see the Spring 1999 EVP report).

I am organizing a workshop with Dave Bunnell and Dave McClurg for the Idaho convention to discuss how to go about being published in our SocietyÕs publications. We are scheduled for lunchtime on Friday.

Problems:
An extremely prominent scientist contacted me complaining that his abstract didn't appear in the Journal last December. I don't fully know where the fault lies but the abstract hadn't appeared in the Convention Program and was never sent to me. After some discussion with the Advisory and Editorial Boards, we decided to continue our policy of not publishing abstracts that did not appear in the Convention Program. (This policy impacted myself and Production Editor Jim Pisarowicz last year when the Program Chair's e-mail account lost our abstract.) This is the standard of a professional journal but it emphasizes the need for the Program Chair and Session Chairs to do their jobs competently. We may be further discussing the policy at the Idaho JCKS meeting.

Blending the vision of the Kartchner group for a flashy, general public book with the mission of the Journal to maintain scholarly standards has been a challenge with some bumps. But, everyone seems to be working hard towards producing a good product and I am cautiously optimistic that it will be the best issue of the Journal yet, at least from the average member's point of view.

The editors and advisors are currently having a discussion on publishing obscure, non-original papers. The discussion has been prompted by a submission of an important paper that is nearly identical to one published in an obscure, conference proceedings. Based on this dialogue, I expect to develop a policy allowing limited publication of such papers when they meet the standards of the JCKS.

(11) NSS NEWS

Dave Bunnell (Editor) (EVP: This address is the previous house)
320 Brook Rd.
Boulder Creek, CA. 95006

Bonnie Crystal (virtual Grotto)
Sharon Bravo (Proofreading)
Scott Fee (Advertising Manager)
Daniel Hazelton (Technology)
Dave Jagnow (Conservation)
Vacant (History)
Bill Klimack (In the Media)
Bob Springston (Newsletter Review)
Bill Cuddington (Techniques and Safety)
Peri Frantz (Down Through the Decades)

Progress:
The News has been coming out on time and within budget. We ended the fiscal year with about an $800 deficit but extra advertising covered that plus gave us a surplus of about a thousand dollars. We've picked up a couple of new advertisers for LED lights, so I'd expect advertising income this year to be comparable to last year's.

Features have been arriving at a steady rate and I have a backlog of quality features now. My armtwisting has paid off on several fronts in this regard. Also, use of color with the feature articles is stimulating more interest, I believe, in submitting them.

Plans:
Continue with the same format, which seems to be popular. More use of the color section to go with the feature article.

Upcoming features: A special issue on Lech "the second 50 miles". A full issue devoted to new discoveries in the Black Hills Caves. Two major features on Virginia caves, I also plan to introduce more product reviews, such as one for the new Tag-lite II, and new vertical gear. Reviews of the new LED lights.

Problems:
I haven't been getting columns from my newsletter reviewer, Bob Springston. With a little pressuring he's promised to get me something for the August issue. We'll see if he comes through. Aside from that, there are no problems to report.

The August issue will be a week later than usual because the printer will be attending convention during the period he is normally printing.

(12) MEMBERS MANUAL

Vince Kappler (Board Information)
Evelyn Bradshaw (Grotto Information)
Bill Bussey (Section Information)
David Taylor (Survey Information)
Office Staff (Members Listing)

Progress:
The members manual is at the printer. Blueline proofs come to me June 15, and the books are due to the shipping house on June 25. All books will be in the mail to members before the end of June. Response to the SpeleoServices directory was good, it will be slightly larger than last year. I believe this could be a much more successful section if someone could devote some more time to developing it.

Problems:
No problems at this time. Progress was ok with a couple hitches in gathering information. For instance, I couldn't find anyone who knew what research grants had been funded in 1998. Camille finally ferreted out the information, but I'd already sent the Manual to the printer and filled the space with other information. Also, there was some confusion as to pricing for advertising space. I would appreciate having a set policy governing advertising rates in the Members Manual.

(13) PERMISSION TO REPRINT

Progress:
The following permissions/contacts/non-permissions were made for reprinting NSS copyrighted materials and release of NSS Member information:

WHO ORG. TYPE ORGANIZATION	REPRINT PERMISSION STATUS	REASON FOR REQUEST
Paul Wynen For Profit Waikato Polytechnic Aboriculture	my screw up 2-25-99	Request for several diagrams and photographs from On Rope, Ch. 2 and 3. This is an educational institution fut for profit. (left from Feb 99)
Katy Freye State Government AZ State Parks	Granted 3-18-99	Demographic estimates of Cavers for marketing for Kartchner Caverns State Park. Requested age group, gender, ethnic background, marital status household income and motivations to explore caves.
Jerry Parker NSS Member Personal	Granted 3-23-99	Graffitti in Howards Cave. NSS Member number and partial name. Jerry is Chairman of Chattanooga Grotto.
Steve Knutson NSS Member NSS Project	Granted 4-1-99	Use of NSS emblem to be incorporated into Peru Expedition flag. Grotto.
Florance Vaughn K-12 School Woodland School	Granted 4-14-99	Use of the "Virtual Cave" from "Cave Minerals of the World II" for an 11x17 poster for lesson activity. She teaches 115 students, eighth grade.
Jackie Stratton For Profit/Non-profit Dore Safety Services Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) .	Granted 4-19-99	Use of "Harness Pathology" from "On Rope", p.99 for Dore / SAIT training manual revision.
Daryl Greaser NSS Grotto Chouteua Grotto, MO.	Granted 4-25-99	Use of NSS Emblem for grotto newsletter "Chouteau News." Add NSS Conservation Policy into grotto Members Manual.
Paul Meyer NSS Grotto Huntsville, Grotto, AL.	Granted 4-25-99	Receive NSS mailing labels for Southeast Region for SERA Cave Carnival.
Doug Plemons NSS Member Personal research	Granted 4-25-99	Release of NSS Member info for four old NSS numbers. He is researching history of Godwin Cave Maury Co., TN.
Bob Hoke Non-Profit OTR	Granted 5-5-99	Use of Grotto addresses east of Mississippi River for OTR-99 mailing. He used the NSS Web site.
Erik Agrell Caving Publication Grottan, Swedish Speleological Society (SSF) .	Granted 5-5-99	Re-print of 1981 "Hollywood Cave" Doug Kirby cartoon from NSS News, Feb. 1981.
Dogwood City Grotto NSS Grotto	Granted 5-5-99	NSS Grotto labels for mailing.
TAG Fall Cave In	Not Granted 5-5-99 Granted 5-6-99 .	Use of NSS Database and regular database updates (email or diskette) for activity to TAG events. NSS Member name and number list only.
Tara Hills Non-Profit Cohutta Springs Wildlife	Granted 5-14-99	Use of "Dave in the Cave" poem, NSS News, Jan. 1999, p 8, in their Caving Student Guide. (outdoor school). Circulation appx. 100 .
Bill Putnam Non-Profit SCCI	Granted 5-16-99	Use of NSS Membership list for SCCI mailing. Members in AL, GA, TN, KY, FL, NC, SC, MS, and VA .
Branden Gunem NSS Member Personal	Alternative given	List of NSS Members on Okinawa to go with caving. He will wait for the new Members Manual to come out.
Peter Sprouse Non-Profit Proyecto Espeleological Perificacion (PEP) .	Being worked	Placing a JCKS article on the PEP web page. There is a question of NSS policy for JCKS paper re-publication.
Gabby Call Non-Profit The Nature Conservancy (TNC)	Granted 6-16-99	Use of NSS Logo with TNC Logo for t-shirts for volunteers participating in Hubbards cave gating project. NSS and TNC.
PMI, Inc. For Profit	Granted 6-20-99	Permission to provide PMI dealers with photos of NSS products shown in the PMI Catalog. PMI dealers sometimes request photos of items sold in their catalogs.
Gerald Forney Non-Profit Rocky Mountain Caving	Granted 6-20-99	Request for NSS Members in Colorado labels for Rocky Mountain Caving

National Speleological Society, Inc.

Executive Vice President's Report

July 12, 1999

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION / SUMMARY