Attachments to the NSS Cave Preserves Report
MCFAILS CAVE PRESERVE COMMITTEE REPORT --- February 2004
Progress
McFails Cave closed for the season mid-Oct. 2003.
Besides the usual "sport" trips, there were a couple of
scientific trips by Art Palmer and Jay Siemion, exploration of
Wicks Hole by Mike Martuscello and Tom Rider (see Sept. 2003 Vol.
XXXIV No. 3 issue of the Northeastern Caver), and new discoveries
beyond Asia Dome by Simeon Warner (also Sept. 2003 issue of the
Northeastern Caver). To-date, Wicks Hole has not yet been
physically connected to the main cave as the surface sinkhole
continues to collapse and wash in sediment (see attached
picture).
Plans
The biggest task that stills needs to be accomplished is
the replacement of the gate at the Halls Hole entrance. There
have been a couple of false starts over the last couple of years
and I have been unable to find someone to follow thru with the
job. Other plans include meeting with the landowner of Wicks
Hole, the creation of a brochure describing the property
(in-progress) and an update to the management plan (in-progress).
The management plan is being revised to reflect changes that have
occurred over the last 15-years (e.g., new discoveries). In
addition, consideration is being given to revising the
requirements for entry into the cave. A meeting of the McFails
Cave Committee will be conducted this coming season to discuss
these revisions.
Problems
No problems to report.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Rider, McFails Cave Preserve Chairman
SHELTA CAVE PRESERVE REPORT - February 2004
Plans:
Monitoring of bats exiting Shelta will resume mid March.
Volunteers will observe the entrances with night vision scopes
and will watch the area above the entrances. We hope to see an
increase in the number of bats leaving the cave verses that
observed last year.
Progress:
A winter survey of bats was conducted inside Shelta
cave. During this survey only one eastern pippistrelle was
observed. It should be noted that Shelta has historically been
known not to be a winter roost for bats. Additionally, detection
in-cave is low due to the dark ceilings and walls. The Shelta
committee held a picnic on the preserve grounds February 1st to
celebrate the one-year anniversary of removal of the entrance
gates.
Problems:
None
Submitted,
Paul Meyer, Manager
REPORT FROM THE JOHN GUILDAY CAVE PRESERVE -- February, 2004
Progress:
The annual bat count was held in Hamilton and New Trout
Caves on February 7. Numbers are relatively stable. The number of
pips has rebounded from last year.
Plans:
Work will continue on the dig in search of the reported
"Lost Saltpetre Passage" when the hibernation season is
over. Some rock will need to be broken to permit more than the
tiniest of people to assist. The purchase of a small generator
(Cost <$300.00) is likely in support of this effort. Assuming
the dig is in fact successful, the passage will be gated and
surveyed to determine where the original connection lay. This
connection will then be re-opened and gated. The following
winter, a temperature study will be performed, utilizing the same
temperature points used in the earlier study of some years ago.
Presuming the study indicates a restoration of the habitat best
suited for the Indiana Myotis, another trial closure may be
suggested. All very much a wait and see for now.
Problems:
There was a report of another group leading cave for pay
trips to the property. They were requested to cease and desist.
As it happens, the phraseology in their web announcement was very
poor, making it appear that the cost was for a cave trip. In
fact, they state they are a non-profit educational group led by
volunteers. After discussion with various advisors on the issue,
I have again contacted them and advised them to contact me again
if they wish to continue using the property, explaining what
about their announcement was unacceptable. I have not yet heard
from them.
Respectfully,
David West, Manager
John Guilday Cave Preserve
KINGSTON SALTPETER CAVE PRESERVE COMMITTEE REPORT -- February 2004
This report will serve as the official record of the Kingston Saltpeter Cave Preserve Committee of the National Speleological Society for the period of time since my last report dated July 17, 2003.
In my last report I failed to mention the yearly "teacher's trip" to the Preserve. The trip of June 24, 2003 consisted of three schoolteachers and four employees of the Weinman Mineral Museum. After an hour presentation at the museum in Cartersville, Georgia the rest of the day was a field trip to and into the cave itself. The environment of the cave, vandalism and ecology and our efforts to study and to preserve this site were discussed. Bats were seen and counted and some trash was collected and hauled away at the end of the day. No earthquake damage was observed within the cave. As reported in my last report this area of the southeast had experienced a 4.9 magnitude tremor, pretty strong for our area.
On August 7, 2003 1 was asked to present a lecture on the efforts to preserve the cave and also to present it for a group of local citizens of Cartersville. The talk and slide show was held in the library of the Weinman Mineral Museum. The talk was advertised as part of their "Cookies & Coke Lecture Series" and was attended by thirty people. It was a good platform to get our preservation message across to a wide range of people many of who had visited the cave as teenagers.
On August 12 1 carried a friend, Alex Gary to the Preserve to check on the property. Alex, a non-caver has only recently located to this area from Connecticut. He has worked for years in an effort to preserve the site of the famous Connecticut Charter Oak and also the location nearby of Hospital Rock, both near New Britain. Though his site and ours are very different we wanted to exchange ideas and to learn from the experiences of each other as to how to approach preservation problems, resources and etc. It was a good learning experience for the both of us. Alex was impressed with the ease at which I could discover lithic artifacts on the surface near to the KSC Preserve. He stated that he had never "seen such a rich site!" We discovered a destroyed surface site, which had been erased since my last visit to the surrounding Anheuser Busch acreage.
I discussed this problem with Busch managers on August 20. It seems as though their workmen created the damage while building a firebreak for a controlled burn! We were asked to work with their people in identifying such locations for future reference. Of course this was agreed to and it is my hope that an effort can be made in this direction before the copper heads and rattlers come out in warmer weather.
On October 19 Committee member Karl Sneed and his brother Timothy visited the property. The wire fabric was replaced on the main entrance gate to the enclosure surrounding the Big Entrance to the cave. A lot of "old" trash was located and removed from a muddy crawl within the cave and a lot of surface wildlife was observed, mainly turkey. No "new" trash was located.
In conclusion I can state that we currently have no problems at the KSC Preserve. We plan to work with our neighbor, the Anheuser Busch Company, this New Year and will most likely have our yearly teacher's trip in June again this year. I expect a good year.
Respectfully submitted,
Larry O. Blair, Chairman
BARTON HILL KARST PRESERVE COMMITTEE REPORT -- February 2004
Progress:
With the help of Neil Baumann and a Boy Scout troop from
Connecticut, we finally seem to have gotten a handle on the ATVs
tearing up the property. First, the scouts helped in constructing
a most impressive barricade at the property line on the old road
from Neil's property where the ATVs were accessing the property.
Second, Neil caught the ATVers trying to dismantle the barricade
and kicked them off his property permanently. The same weekend,
the scouts helped me install a new farm gate on our road near the
cabin. The old wooden gate was so heavy and had sagged to the
point where to open it meant risking a hernia. The new gate is
now locked. I have a key as does Emily and Seymour Vanderveen, a
local farmer who uses the road to access and farm some of Neil
Baumann's property. Seymour has agreed, in principle, to repair
that part of the road he uses. (It got torn up a bit during
harvest.) During New York's big game season, I gave permission to
Peter Haberland and Clare Anderson (both NSS members) to do
limited and very restricted hunting on the preserve. The
conditions were no hunting when we knew cavers would be on the
property and no shooting across the road. Hunters, cavers, and
game all seem to have survived. We had several significant
windstorms that brought down a number of trees on the road. These
have all been cleared accept one just west of the side trail to
Greens Cave. This will be cleared in the spring.
Plans:
I will be making application to the NYS Dept of
Environmental Conservation for work on our road where it crosses
a state regulated wetland. I will request a long-term permit and
at some point in the next three years we expect the roadwork to
proceed to this area. We plan a bat count for March. After this,
I will complete the revisions to the management plan, which will
be submitted for approval at convention. Now that the ATVs seem
to be under control, the trail around the north side of the
property that has been blazed will mark and cut. Next year
several cosmetic changes will be made in preparation for the 2005
NCKMS. I have located a source of locust 2x4s. The upper part of
the ladder will be repaired this year. The managers of the NSS
caves and the NCC cave preserves have asked Aaron and Amy Cox to
assist in managing group caving permits. These deal with scouts,
camps, and the like. They will assure that insurance certificates
are in place and that the scouts follow their own rules. They
have considerable experience with groups, being scout leaders,
themselves. I look forward to their assistance. (It was their
troop that helped with the barricade and the new gate.)
Problems:
A non-NSS caver from Connecticut was caught driving back
to the cave without permission. He was asked not to do that
again. He ranted at me. This is really a "stupid caver"
trick. 2003 was a wet year in New York and the road was in poor
shape all year. The current management plan as approved by the
board discourages use of the road by vehicles.
Submitted,
Thom Engel, Manager
WARRENS CAVE PRESERVE REPORT -- February 2004
Summary:
Low visitation this quarter, no break in attempts. A
very normal quarter. Really, nothing new to report.
Progress
Accompanied a group of NSS Board members to the cave.
Very nice meeting everyone.
Plans
Hope for more quiet quarters just like this one. Some
property nearby has recently changed hands. Will make contact
with the new landowner as soon as they have fully moved in
(apparently doing restorations at this time).
Problems
The lock is finally so corroded that one cannot remove
the key after opening it. WD-40 to the rescue. If that doesn't
work, we'll replace it with local funding by the FSS.
Respectfully Submitted,
William H. Oldacre,
Manager, Warren Cave Preserve
DONALD R. RUSSELL CAVE PRESERVE REPORT -- February 2004
(No Report received this period)
SCHOHARIE CAVERNS PRESERVE REPORT - February 2004
Very little activity on the preserve due to extremely cold winter.
With the help of the NSS office, the cabin registrar, Pete Teresco, and I have finally placed the cabin regulations and permission letter into electronic form.
Is the NSS letterhead available electronically? - (The office did not think so- I asked for hard copy)
Speleologically,
Bob Addis, Chairman
MILL CREEK SINK QUARTERLY REPORT (previously ALACHUA SINK PRESERVE) - February 2004
The newly organized management team for the Mill Creek Preserve met for the first time this quarter to discuss issues relevant to safe diving at the site. These issues are mentioned here as the plan and progress.
1. Rebuild the steps to the water (The steps will be new utilizing $ from the CDS 'Mill Creek Steps Fund' and will include hand rails, a staging area and incorporate methods of erosion management).
2. Building of the steps and the erosion management project is targeted for the last two weekends in March.
3. Install new line to the upstream down stream intersection. This project will replace the old and existing line and will utilize PVC pipe to anchor the line out of the silt.
4. In May a Mill Creek 'clean up' will be planned to remove trash from the surface of the preserve. Included in the 'clean up' will be the mowing of the parking area and camping areas.
5. Guided tours are being planned for May and will include guides touring divers on trips upstream and down stream as well as 'nature tours' of the property surface.
6. A sign to be placed at the property line on the West (Sonnys BBQ) side informing people of the ownership, geological, and ecological importance of the Mill Creek Preserve was discussed. Plans are to have this sign in place this spring as a method of education and public relations.
7. The latest CDS cave diving waiver was handed out by CDS chairperson and Mill Creek Committee person Mike Poucher.
8. Finally a method of informing Jim Taylor of all dive activity at the site was discussed and agreed such notification would include current dive conditions. This will not only allow us to look at patterns of dive activity but allow for a future database of diving conditions and patterns of weather and water relationships.
The diving conditions at the preserve were fair to good this quarter.
There are no problems at present. The transfer of Alachua Sink to Mill Creek and the management of the site from NSS to NSS/CDS have proceeded better than expected with little to no interruption in diving activity. The goal of the committee as it has always been is the management of the site to assure diver safety and to maintain an environmental/ecological balance.
Submitted,
Jim Taylor, Manager
TYTOONA CAVE PRESERVE REPORT - February 2004
Plans:
* Replace a few pieces of Plexiglass over signs. Some are cracked due to the extreme cold temperatures and public use. This will be done when the weather temperature warms up.
* Replace, as needed any wooden steps from previous project prior to 1985. This is an ongoing project to replace as needed.
* Repair or dress up the erosion stream bank barrier. The high water moved some stones in 2003. This will have to be done later in the year when the water level returns to normal.
* Continue to monitor the property on a bi-weekly basis.
* Clean up any trash and keep the kiosk stocked with brochures as needed
* Service the CCUS cave register as needed.
* To apply another coat of wax over the handrails and kiosk as a preventative graffiti measure (paint doesn't stick as well to wax coated surfaces).
Progress:
* A basic resurvey of the property was completed and missing property pins were installed.
* Some minor work was done on the erosion stream bank barrier but couldn't be completed because of constant (and unusual) high water levels during 2003.
* 10 or more cavers inspected the cave property at least 32 times in year 2003 (I was on 20 of these inspection trips). Inspection trips consist also of servicing the brochures, clean up of any garbage, repair or maintenance and checking for vandalism.
* The small parking area signs were replaced twice, caused possibly due to vandals and another as a result of high winds.
* The CCUS cave register book was serviced 4 times in 2003 (January-June-July-December).
* A survey of the sump section has been started in 2003, but further planned trips had to be canceled because of extreme weather conditions.
* No trespassing tie-on signs were placed along the front of the property other than the designated trail for visitor usage.
Problems: (minor)
* A small amount of graffiti was found on some of the wooden structures. All of it was removed except for a spot on one of the fence railing.
Because of the type of marker that was apparently used, we will have to hand sand it off. This should not pose a problem.
Submitted,
Garrett Czmor, NSS 22709(R)(FE) Manager & Chairman.
WELLS CAVE PRESERVE COMMITTEE REPORT --- February 2004
Progress:
We have continued maintaining the parking area and
cleaning the property. Rodney Ping of Somerset has taken care of
the day-to-day maintenance and monitoring of the site.
Plans:
We have arranged through the Nature Conservancy and
through the USDA to have Wells Cave included on their list of
native vegetation sites. This spring, they will kill the invasive
species in the backfield and re-seed the plot in native
wildflowers and grasses. All of this will be done at no charge to
the NSS because the preserve is located within the Buck Creek
Bioreserve Corridor of the Nature Conservancy.
Problems:
The preserve is in need of property markers due to
adjacent private lands. Last summer I was told that the NSS could
help provide signs for this purpose. I have heard nothing since.
(AVP Note – Thom Engle was making them for all of the
preserves)
Lee Florea,
Manager, Wells Cave Preserve
GREAT EXPECTATIONS CAVE PRESERVE COMMITTEE -- February 2004
(No Report received this period)