National Speleological Society

Executive Vice President’s Complete Report

Board of Governors Meeting Tucson, Arizona March 17, 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

( 1) AMERICAN CAVING ACCIDENTS COMMITTEE
( 2) AAAS REPRESENTATIVE BIOLOGY
( 3) AAAS REPRESENTATIVE GEOLOGY
( 4) AMERICAN GEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE DELEGATE
( 5) U.S. EXPLORATION COMMITTEE
( 6) INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION COMMITTEE
( 7) REASEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE
( 8) SPELEO DIGEST
( 9) SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
(10) JOURNAL OF CAVE AND KARST STUDIES
(11) NSS NEWS
(12) MEMBERS MANUAL COMMITTEE
(13) PERMISSION TO REPRINT

INTRODUCTION / SUMMARY

There are 13 committees in the Department of the Executive Vice President (EVP).

Progress:

(1) Bill Putnam reports the latest issue of ACA is almost complete, and should be in press by the time of the BOG meeting. The 2004 and 2005 incident reports are being proofread and reviewed, and he is making arrangements for printing and distribution. He is awaiting an updated quote on the printing and postage costs, and a schedule for the press run and mailing. The exact distribution date is dependent on the printer's workload and press schedule, but he expects the issue to be mailed around the 19th of March. The issue is 48 pages long and includes 91 incident summaries, plus the usual tables, statistics, and overview.

(2) & (3) Kathleen Lavoie, American Association for the Advancement of Science (Biology), and Daniel Chess, American Association for the Advancement of Science (Geology) have submitted a paper to the NSS News on the history of the NSS with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They have not heard of the status of the article as it is reviewed. The working title is: "NSS and AAAS: What does it all mean?"
(4) Kimberly A. Johnson, Ph.D. has agreed to accept the position of NSS representative to the American Geological Institute, pending approval by the BOG.  Harvey DuChene has offered to remain as assistant to Dr. Johnson for up to one year to facilitate the transition. Mr. DuChene has enjoyed his time as NSS Representative to AGI and appreciates the opportunity to serve the society.  During that time, the larger geological community has become more aware of contributions to Earth Science by cave and karst scientists, highlighted by the work of Dr. George Veni and others, who were responsible for the AGI Environmental Awareness Publication Living with Karst: A Fragile Foundation. This book is widely recognized for its excellence is used as a karst primer and textbook around the world.  The transition to Dr. Johnson as AGI Representative insures that the NSS will continue to be recognized as the leading organization dedicated to the advancement of Cave and Karst science.

(5) Bill Steele is requesting to step down as Chairman of the U.S. Exploration Committee after more than a decade as the Committee Chairman. Bill has recommended Thomas Shifflett to take over his responsibility based on his knowledge of the committee operation. Bill reports the Sara Corrie Fund grants have been approved and issued to the following projects for exploration and survey related expenses: $250 – September 2006  - Christopher Anderson - Webster Cave Complex Survey Group – KY.

(6) International Exploration Committee Chairman Joel Despain has awarded two grants for $250 each this quarter. One grant was for an expedition to Laos and another was for an expedition to China. There is another request that is currently under review.

(7) Don McFarlane, Chairman of the Research Advisory Committee, says the Research Grant applications are reviewed twice annually, in June and January, hence no new grants have been awarded since the fall report – 3 proposals are currently under review and awards will be announced by the end of February. The relevant sections of the NSS website have been updated, and the term "award" (eg. Ralph Stone "Award") has been changed to avoid confusion with other NSS programs. No new instructions regarding the NSS Preserves grants has been received from BOG, and no applications received by RAC. No new applications for Project status have been received.

(8) Speleo Digest Committee Chairman Scott Fee reports the following:

2003 Digest: He has seen the final manuscript. It is undergoing final review.

2003 Speleo Digest Committee Report (Submitted by Meredith Hall Johnson)

The layout is finally finished! We are now working on correctly numbering all the pages, preparing the multiple indices and front section of the book, and doing the final "eyeballing" to make sure the end product is as good as it can be. The final layout for the United States Cave Descriptions has been sent to the Series Editor for his approval. We hope to finish all of the above by the end of February, if possible. Then it is up to the Series Editor to do the final minutia that is involved with publishing a book. The main problem we have run into recently has been the page numbers. The back part (International, etc.) of the book layout was finished before the front part (U.S.), but the pages numbers were just guesses. When the front section was finished, I got to number the back section. However, the Series Editor culled some articles and made some suggestions that ended up with both sections being renumbered. This caused a delay in both the renumbering and the final work on the indices. Once the final numbers have been set, the index work can be finished up.

2004 Digest: None since report. See Problems.

2005 Digest: None.

2006 Digest: None.

2007 Digest: The 2007 newsletters are coming in daily.

With the help of Cheryl Jones, we prepared a new marketing ad hoping to generate potential editorial team candidates. This ad was posted on the NSS Forums and circulated via email.

(9) Tom Rea of the Special Publications Committee reports: Oregon Caves by Steve Knutson. This book was completed around the first of December and is available in the Bookstore. I am very pleased with this book. It is 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 and just over 200 pages. Through no fault or skill on my part this book came in only about $20 over budget even though it’s bigger than I expected.

The Cave Art of Tom Culverwell by David W. Hughes. This book was prepared for production by Hughes and became available last fall. The Board approved production at that time and 500 copies were completed and in the Bookstore at the end of December. There were 119 overs on this order for some reason. We are obligated to accept plus or minus 10% of an order so we were billed for only 50 of these overs. That will amount to a nice windfall if the book sells well. It is 8 1/2 x 11 and 120 pages. It includes all of Tom Culverwell’s cave drawings along with historical information regarding them and a fold-out map of the cave. There have been many favorable comments about this book.

Caves of Chattanooga. Larry Matthews is finishing up his book on the past and present show caves around Chattanooga, Tennessee. I estimate that to cost $1,900 for 300. It will be 8 1/2 x 11. It will be typical Larry Matthews with lots and lots of illustrations. It's a history book more than a field guide. This book will be on the 2007 Capital Budget and will be ready to go to the printer soon after the budget is approved. The Executive Committee needs to approve the price of the book in order to create the bar code.

The Lost Cave of the Jaguar Prophets by Larry C. Simpson. This is an adventure fiction book with artifact hunters, drug and gun dealers, and lots of descriptions of the jungle, people, Mayan ruins, and caves of the Yucatan and northern Guatamala. I have read it three times now and like it. It will be a book 7 x 9 inches and about 200 pages with a color cover and black and white illustrations inside. I can send the book on CD to any Board member who is interested. I estimate it will cost $1,800 for 300 copies. This book was not accepted for publication in its current format by the Executive Committee at the January EC meeting.

Pushing the Dark by Larry C. Simpson. This is a second book proposed by Simpson, which is the history of exploration of Coral Cave in Kentucky. It comes across as a long, long trip report describing in detail the discovery and exploration of this large cave. Several reviewers have suggested that this type of book does not sell well and I have decided not to produce it. This book was not accepted for publication in its current format by the Executive Committee at the January EC meeting.

Naiads and Nails: One Woman’s Struggle to save one of the Last Pristine Places on Earth by Stephanie Jutta Schwabe. I have had this book for about a year and have had a couple of people review it. The author is not totally finished writing it. It is a cave diving book but it needs a different title and a rewrite. I have a committee member working with her on getting the book ready to be presented to the Board.

(10) Malcolm Field, Editor of Journal of Cave and Karst Studies reports Volume 68, number 3 (December 2006) is extremely late due to a number of circumstances:

NSS Convention abstracts took months to get sent in despite repeated requests by the Editor; these then had to be reviewed and edited prior to forwarding to Scott Engel. (NSS Convention Chairmen should forward all accepted Convention abstracts to the Journal Editor immediately following the conclusion of the Convention.)

The retirement of Jim Pisarowicz caused an initial delay for the following reasons:

a. A new Production Editor had to be retained.
b. The new Production Editor, Scott Engel, had to be trained in the Journal production process.
c. The production software used by Jim Pisarowicz could not be installed by Scott Engel because the licensing was problematic.
d. New production software had to be identified and purchased. The new software included a significant learning curve for Scott Engel.

A draft of the Journal could not be sent to Ira Sasowsky for inclusion of the volume index until late January because of the above delays. Completion of the index is expected in early February.

Editorial reviews by Donald Davies and by me (Malcolm Field) are expected to be completed by mid to late February.

(11) Dave Bunnell, Editor of the NSS News, reports he has enough material on hand right now for 3 to 4 issues. He can’t recall ever having such a backlog of good material as I do right now. Some of this has been in response to written requests for features, some specifically solicited by the editor, but overall people just seem more interested in submitting things for the News. A good number of the features on hand are from caves in the USA, which he knows will please those who think we have too much on foreign caves.

(12) Meredith Hall Johnson, Editor, reports the Members Manual Committee is the same as last year, with her as editor, Scott Parvin as layout guy, Bob Hoke as statistics/cool facts guy, and Gordon Birkhimer as ad salesman. It is a proven group that works well together. She has notified all of the submitters, NSS Officers, and NSS Board members about submitting updated material by February 15, 2007. She has put together a schedule that will ultimately end in the publication of the Members Manual by late May or early June. She has already begun to hear from people regarding their information and submissions. Meredith has already gotten one major section from the front of the manual.

Plans:

(1) Bill plans to finalize printing and mailing arrangements for ACA 2004-2005 for distribution in March. His goal is to receive and incorporate review comments and corrections by 28 February in order to deliver to the printer by 5 March. Bill anticipates continuing compiling the 2006 reports for publication in the Summer of 2007.

(2) & (3) Kathleen and Dan are beginning to recruit speakers for the next AAAS meeting, keeping with their topic of the Sulfurous Underground.

(4) The next meeting of AGI will be held April 1 - 4, 2007, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in Long Beach, California. Kim may attend this meeting, and Mr. DuChene hopes to attend if his work schedule permits. AGI will also meet October 31 – November 3, 2007 in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver, Colorado and Harvey will attend this meeting.

(5) A motion to appoint Thomas Shifflett as Chairman of the U.S. Exploration Committee has been submitted to the Board for approval.

(7) Don says the availability of the new Preserves Research Grants was advertised in the August NSS News, on the NSS Grants webs page, on the NSS electronic discussion board, and on the Cavers Digest e-list, with a September 15^th deadline. As of September 21^st, no applications have been received.  The opportunity will be re-advertised with a January 15^th 2007 deadline, incorporating any changes that NSS BOG sees fit.

(8) Scott says he plans to:

2003 Digest: To ship the book to the printer by March and publish the book by April, at the latest.

2004 Digest: To retrieve the material from the previous Editor and have a new editor by March 1st.

2005 Digest: To assign this book to an editorial team by March 1st.

2006 Digest: To identity an editorial team and assign this one by April 1^st.

2007 Digest: To find an editorial team by December.

I have received about 10 different inquires about the Speleo Digest Editor openings that I have available at this time. I expect to assign the 2004 and 2005 manuscript by Month end. The 2006 should follow shortly thereafter.

(9) Tom reports the Gurnee Guide to Commercial Caves is in the information gathering stage. Production will be a long-term project. Jeanne Gurnee is gathering information from the various commercial caves in this country. Jeanne Gurnee and Gordon Smith will edit the text and Gary Berdeaux will edit the photographs. Tom will handle production. This book will be color throughout. Perhaps it will be far enough along to include it on the 2008 Capital Budget.

(10) Malcolm says efforts are underway to move to an online publication system. Such a system would allow authors to submit their manuscripts directly to the Society via a Web address. The online system would automatically log the submitted manuscript and assign the newly received manuscript a tracking number. Selected reviewers would then be able to download the manuscript for reviewing and be able to upload comments. Authors would then be able to download the suggested changes and be able to regularly check the status of their manuscript. Allen Press, Inc. has provided the best proposal for an all digital publishing service. It is likely that a contract will be awarded to Allen Press, Inc. very soon. Production services are expected to yield more services than are currently provided for very competitive costs.

(11) Dave intends to use some of the savings mentioned last month to do more color printing. In fact, the April issue will have our very first photo centerfold, with a 24-inch wide panoramic image from Lechuguilla, as part of a special Lech issue. May or June will focus on work by US and other cavers in the Cheve region of Mexico. Future features promised include a Germany Valley issue coordinated by Gordon Brace, and an issue on doings in the Mammoth Cave region. Bill Steele has been taking a break from the Spelean Spotlight but plans to make future columns in a few months.

(12) Meredith has planned the deadline for the cover photographs on February 1, 2007. She received 263 photographs. She is now in the process of culling these down. She will have the front and back covers picked and sent to the layout guy by February 10, 2007. Meredith plan to have the editing done by March 1, 2007, so that the layout guy can get to work. As she receive and edit submissions, she will send them on to him.

Problems:

(7) Don recognizes the call for NSS preserves research grants, which had a deadline of Sept 15^th, generated no applications. On the basis of conversations with others, he suspects that the lack of proposals may have been in part due to the requirement for "matching funds", which is a tough hurdle for many people. What is the best course of action on how to proceed?

(8) Scott reports the previous editor for the 2004 Digest related the following: "Unfortunately I am now entering the "retirement" phase of my caving career, and have found it difficult to find motivation to complete some caving-related projects such as this. If a qualified volunteer comes along, I’d be happy to pass these Digest materials along to them." Therefore, I am actively looking for a production team. After being the Speleo Digest Series editor for eleven years, Scott would like to step down. The EVP has been trying to find a replacement that will bring new energy to this underrated publication.

(9) Tom says the fee for registering copyrights has increased 50%, from $30 to $45 (plus two copies of the book). He supposes we have no choice but to continue paying their price.

(10) Malcolm feels funding for the Journal remains a problem in general. Paper and production costs continue to rise. In addition, color photos and figures are really essential in many instances (see for example, pages 49 and 56 of Vol. 63, No. 2 [August 2006]) if important details are to be properly depicted for the reader. However, production costs associated with color figures and photos remain prohibitively expensive (~$1000) for many authors and should be addressed. In particular, the Anniversary issue will contain numerous color figures and photos that need to be funded.

(12) Meredith says one anticipated problem is that the layout guy is going out of the country for a few weeks to do some humanitarian work. Scott Parvin does plan to bring his laptop and hopes for some time and ability to work from there. His travels should not impede the progress much; the schedule has enough time built into it that. The only other foreseen problem is submitters missing the deadline. That has been a problem in the past, but hopefully everyone realizes how important this publication is and well used by the members.

Other:

Joel Stevenson, Bert Ashbrook, Ted Lee, and Gordon Birkhimer (EVP) are continuing work on the Copyright Policy for the NSS and the standard Copyright Agreement, but have not arrived at the proper wording. I intend on forwarding improvements to the Copyright Policy for the NSS and the standard Copyright Agreement to the Board for review, comment, corrections, and ultimately approval as we complete each stage.

Respectfully submitted,
Gordon Birkhimer
Executive Vice President
National Speleological Society

(1) AMERICAN CAVING ACCIDENTS COMMITTEE

Bill Putnam, Editor, 21117RL (FE)

1865 Eagle Summit Ct
Lawrenceville GA 30043-6669
Phone: 678-371-4517
Fax: 770-682-5536
putnam@scci.org

Progress: The latest issue of ACA is almost complete, and should be in press by the time of the BOG meeting. The 2004 and 2005 incident reports are being proofread and reviewed, and I am making arrangements for printing and distribution. I am awaiting an updated quote on the printing and postage costs, and a schedule for the press run and mailing. Exact distribution date is dependent on the printer's workload and press schedule, but I expect the issue to be mailed around the 19th of March. The issue is 48 pages long and includes 91 incident summaries, plus the usual tables, statistics, and overview.

Plans: Finalize printing and mailing arrangements for ACA 2004-2005 for distribution in March. Receive and incorporate review comments and corrections by 28 February. Deliver to printer by 5 March. Continue compiling 2006 reports for publication in the Summer of 2007.

Problems: None.

(2) AAAS REPRESENTATIVE- BIOLOGY

Kathleen Lavoie 17033SU

101 Hudson Hall
Plattsburgh State University of New York
Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Work: 518-564-3150
Home: 518-562-1154
Fax: 518-564-3152
lavoiekh@plattsburgh.edu

 

(3) AAAS REPRESENTATIVE-GEOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY

Daniel L Chess 21715RL (CM)

19 Tavano Road
Ossining, NY 10562
Home: 914-945-2479
dlchess@us.ibm.com

Combined Progress: Dan Chess and I have submitted a paper to the NSS News on the history of the NSS with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. We have not heard of the status of the article as it is reviewed.  Working title: "NSS and AAAS: What does it all mean?"

Combined Plans: We are beginning to recruit speakers for the next AAAS meeting, keeping our topic of the Sulfurous Underground.

Problems: None

(4) American Geological Institute DELEGATE

Harvey R. DuChene 6318RL (FE)

7216 East Bentley Circle
Englewood, CO. 80112
Home: 303-694-3472
Work: 303-885-1707
Fax: 303-694-3472 (call HD before sending Fax)
hduchene@comcast.net

Progress:  Kimberly A. Johnson, Ph.D. has agreed to accept the position of NSS representative to the American Geological Institute, pending approval by the BOG.  Harvey DuChene has offered to remain as assistant to Dr. Johnson for up to one year to facilitate the transition.

Mr. DuChene has enjoyed his time as NSS Representative to AGI and appreciates the opportunity to serve the society.  During that time, the larger geological community has become more aware of contributions to Earth Science by cave and karst scientists, highlighted by the work of Dr. George Veni and others, who were responsible for the AGI Environmental Awareness Publication Living with Karst: A Fragile Foundation. This book is widely recognized for its excellence is used as a karst primer and textbook around the world.  The transition to Dr. Johnson as AGI Representative insures that NSS will continue to be recognized as the leading organization dedicated to the advancement of Cave and Karst science.

Plans:  The next meeting of AGI will be held April 1 - 4, 2007, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in Long Beach, California.  Dr. Johnson may attend this meeting, and Mr. DuChene hopes to attend if his work schedule permits.  AGI will also meet October 31 – November 3, 2007 in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America in Denver, Colorado.  Mr. DuChene will attend this meeting.

Problems:  None at this time.

(5) U.S. EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Bill Steele, Chairman, 8072RE (CM, LB, FE)

PO Box 166332
Irving, Texas 65016-6332
Cell: (214) 770-4712
Work: (972) 580-2447
speleosteele@comcast.net

Committee members:
Don Broussard – Texas
Dave Black – Indiana
Jim Chester – Montana
Scott Davis – Arizona
Tom Shifflett – Virginia
Jim Smith – Georgia

Progress: Sara Corrie Fund grants have been approved and issued to the following projects for exploration and survey related expenses: $250 - Sept.2006 - Christopher Anderson - Webster Cave Complex Survey Group - KY

Plans: Plans are to continue as have been.

Problems: None

(6) INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Joel Despain, Chairman, 23136RE (FE)

HCR 89 Box 211
Three Rivers, CA 93271
Day: 559-565-3717
Evening: 559-561-4972
joeldespain@wildmail.com

Committee members:
Carol Vesely
Kevin Downey
Cyndie Walck
Rebecca Jones

Progress: Two grants for $250 each were awarded this quarter. One grant was for an expedition to Laos and another was for an expedition to China. We have another request that is currently under review.

Plans: Giving more grants

Problems: None

(7) RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Donald A. McFarlane, Chairman, 23523RE

Professor of Biology
W. M. Keck Science Center, the Claremont Colleges
925 North Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711-5916 USA
909-607 2564
Fax: 909-621 8588
dmcfarla@jsd.claremont.edu

Web page: http://jsd.claremont.edu/faculty/mcfarlane/index.htm

National Speleological Society Research Advisory Committee:
http://jsd.claremont.edu/bio/nss/

Committee Members:
Joyce Lundberg, (Assoc. Prof, Carleton University)
William White (Prof. Emeritus, Penn State U.)
Joseph Troester (USGS)
Donald Davis

Progress: Research Grant applications are reviewed twice annually, in June and January, hence no new grants have been awarded since the Fall report – 3 proposals are currently under review and awards will be announced by the end of February. The relevant sections of the NSS website have been updated, and the term "award" (eg. Ralph Stone "Award") changed to avoid confusion with other NSS programs. No new instructions regarding the NSS Preserves grants has been received from Board, and no applications received by RAC. No new applications for Project status have been received.

Plans: The availability of the new Preserves Research Grants was advertised in the August NSS News, on the NSS Grants webs page, on the NSS electronic discussion board, and on the Cavers Digest e-list, with a September 15^th deadline.  As of September 21^st, no applications have been received.  The opportunity will be re-advertised with a January 15th 2007 deadline, incorporating any changes that NSS Board sees fit.

Problems: The call for NSS preserves research grants, which had a deadline of Sept 15^th, generated no applications. On the basis of conversations with others, I suspect that the lack of proposals may have been in part due to the requirement for "matching funds," which is a tough hurdle for many people. What is the best course of action on how to proceed?

(8) SPELEO DIGEST

Scott Fee, Chairman, 19797RL (CM, FE)

PO Box 380473
Birmingham AL 35235-2012
205-856-9177
scottfee@bellsouth.net

Progress:

2003 Digest: I have seen the final manuscript. It is undergoing final review.

2004 Digest: None since report. See Problems.

2005 Digest: None.

2006 Digest: None.

2007 Digest: The 2007 newsletters are coming in daily.

With the help of Cheryl Jones, we prepared a new marketing ad hoping to generate potential editorial team candidates. This ad was posted on the NSS Forums and circulated via email.

Plans:

2003 Digest: To ship the book to the printer by March and publish the book by April, at the latest.

2004 Digest: To retrieve the material from the previous Editor and turn it over to a new editor by March 1st.

2005 Digest: To assign this book to an editorial team by March 1st.

2006 Digest : To identity an editorial team and assign this one by April 1^st.

2007 Digest: To find an editorial team by December.

I have received about 10 different inquires about the Speleo Digest Editor openings that I have available at this time. I expect to assign the 2004 and 2005 manuscript by Month end. The 2006 should follow shortly thereafter.

Long-term: A second 25-year index.

Problems:

The previous editor for the 2004 Digest related the following: "Unfortunately I am now entering the "retirement" phase of my caving career, and have found it difficult to find motivation to complete some caving-related projects such as this. If a qualified volunteer comes along, I’d be happy to pass these Digest materials along to them." Therefore, I am actively looking for a production team.

After being the Speleo Digest Series editor for eleven years, I would like to step down. The EVP has been trying to find a replacement that will bring new energy to this underrated publication.

2003 Speleo Digest Committee Report (Submitted by Meredith Hall Johnson)

Editorial Team:
Kelsea Johnson and Meredith Hall Johnson (Editors)
George Jaegers and Bob Weaver (Layout)
Sarah Richards (Proofreader)

Progress:

The layout is finally finished! We are now working on correctly numbering all the pages, preparing the multiple indices and front section of the book, and doing the final "eyeballing" to make sure the end product is as good as it can be. The final layout for the United States Cave Descriptions has been sent to the Series Editor for his approval.

Plans:

We hope to finish all of the above by the end of February, if possible. Then it is up to the Series Editor to do the final minutia that is involved with publishing a book.

Problems:

The main problem we have run into recently has been the page numbers. The back part (International, etc.) of the book layout was finished before the front part (U.S.), but the pages numbers were just guesses. When the front section was finished, I got to number the back section. However, the Series Editor culled some articles and made some suggestions that ended up with both sections being renumbered. This caused a delay in both the renumbering and the final work on the indices. Once the final numbers have been set, the index work can be finished up.

(9) SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE

Tom Rea, Chairman, 5683OS (OS, CM, AL, FE)

8677 S State Road 243
Cloverdale IN 46120-9696
Home: 765-653-4423
Cellular: 765-719-1004
tomrea@ccrtc.com

Progress: Oregon Caves by Steve Knutson. This book was completed around the first of December and is available in the Bookstore. I am very pleased with this book. It is 5 1/2 by 8 1/2 and just over 200 pages. Through no fault or skill on my part this book came in only about $20 over budget even though it’s bigger than I expected.

The Cave Art of Tom Culverwell by David W. Hughes. This book was prepared for production by Hughes and became available last fall. The Board approved production at that time and 500 copies were completed and in the Bookstore at the end of December. There were 119 overs on this order for some reason. We are obligated to accept plus or minus 10% of an order so we were billed for only 50 of these overs. That will amount to a nice windfall if the book sells well. It is 8 1/2 x 11 and 120 pages. It includes all of Tom Culverwell’s cave drawings along with historical information regarding them and a fold-out map of the cave. There have been many favorable comments about this book.

Caves of Chattanooga. Larry Matthews is finishing up his book on the past and present show caves around Chattanooga, Tennessee. I estimate that to cost $1,900 for 300. It will be 8 1/2 x 11. It will be typical Larry Matthews with lots and lots of illustrations. It's a history book more than a field guide. This book will be on the 2007 Capital Budget and will be ready to go to the printer soon after the budget is approved. The Executive Committee needs to approve the price of the book in order to create the bar code.

The Lost Cave of the Jaguar Prophets by Larry C. Simpson. This is an adventure fiction book with artifact hunters, drug and gun dealers, and lots of descriptions of the jungle, people, Mayan ruins, and caves of the Yucatan and northern Guatamala. I have read it three times now and like it. It will be a book 7 x 9 inches and about 200 pages with a color cover and black and white illustrations inside. I can send the book on CD to any Board member who is interested. I estimate it will cost $1,800 for 300 copies. This book was not accepted for publication in its current format by the Executive Committee at the January meeting.

Pushing the Dark by Larry C. Simpson. This is a second book proposed by Simpson, which is the history of exploration of Coral Cave in Kentucky. It comes across as a long, long trip report describing in detail the discovery and exploration of this large cave. Several reviewers have suggested that this type of book does not sell well and I have decided not to produce it. This book was not accepted for publication in its current format by the Executive Committee at the January meeting.

Naiads and Nails: One Woman’s Struggle to save one of the Last Pristine Places on Earth by Stephanie Jutta Schwabe. I have had this book for about a year and have had a couple of people review it. The author is not totally finished writing it. It is a cave diving book but it needs a different title and a rewrite. I have a committee member working with her on getting the book ready to be presented to the Board.

Plans: Gurnee Guide to Commercial Caves:
This book is in the information gathering stage. Production will be a long-term project. Jeanne Gurnee is gathering information from the various commercial caves in this country. Jeanne Gurnee and Gordon Smith will edit the text and Gary Berdeaux will edit the photographs. I will handle production. This book will be color throughout. Perhaps it will be far enough along to include it on the 2008 Capital Budget.

Other: Don Shofstall is working on a book on past NSS Conventions. I have not seen any of it.

A biography of Bill Cuddington is said to be in the works but I have not seen it either.

Soon I will be working on the 2007 Convention Guidebook and will slow down on other books for a while. I am not editing the guidebook but I will be responsible for typesetting, layout, and production.

I will also be handling the production of the publications for the International Congress and will be editing the Program. Work on parts of this should start soon. Namely the field trip guidebooks.

Problems: The fee for registering copyrights has increased 50%, from $30 to $45 (plus two copies of the book). I suppose we have no choice but to continue paying their price.

(10) JOURNAL OF CAVE AND KARST STUDIES

Malcolm Field, Editor, 26915RE

National Center for Environmental Assessment (8623D)
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460-0001
Work: 202-564-3279
Home: 301-349-5712
field.malcolm@epa.gov

Scott Engel (Production Editor)

CH2M Hill
304 Laurel Street, Suite 2A
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
Phone: 225-381-8454 x230
Fax: 225-381-0869
Cell: 225-281-3914
scott.engel@ch2m.com

BOARD OF EDITORS:

Julian & Salisa Lewis (Life Sciences/Conservation)
Paul Burger (Exploration)
Greg McDonald (Paleontology)
Ira D. Sasowsky (Earth Sciences/Journal Index)
Joseph C. Douglas (Social Sciences)
Patty Jo Watson (Anthropology)
Stephen Mosberg (Medical Sciences)
Kathy Lavoie (Microbiology)
Arthur N. Palmer & Margaret V. Palmer (Book Reviews)
Donald G. Davis (Proofreader)

ADVISORY BOARD:

E. Calvin Alexander
Steve Worthington
Hazel Barton
Barbara am Ende
Harvey DuChene
Annette Engel
Megan Porter
John Mylroie
Gareth Davies

Advisory Board Changes: Kathy Lavoie, Carol Hill, Joyce Lundberg, Horton Hobbs III, and Julia James all completed their respective three year terms and are now retired from the Advisory Board. Replacement board members include Harvey DuChene, Annette Engel, Megan Porter, John Mylroie, and Gareth Davies.

Associate Editors: Jim Pisarowicz has formally retired after ~12 years as Associate Editor for Production for personal reasons. His position has been filled by Scott Engel who had expressed strong interest in the position.

Progress: Volume 68, number 3 (December 2006) is extremely late due to a number of circumstances:

NSS Convention abstracts took months to get sent in despite repeated requests by the Editor; these then had to be reviewed and edited prior to forwarding to Scott Engel. (NSS Convention Chairmen should forward all accepted Convention abstracts to the Journal Editor immediately following the conclusion of the Convention.)

The retirement of Jim Pisarowicz caused an initial delay for the following reasons:

e. A new Production Editor had to be retained.

f. The new Production Editor, Scott Engel, had to be trained in the Journal production process.

g. The production software used by Jim Pisarowicz could not be installed by Scott Engel because the licensing was problematic.

h. New production software had to be identified and purchased. The new software included a significant learning curve for Scott Engel.

A draft of the Journal could not be sent to Ira Sasowsky for inclusion of the volume index until late January because of the above delays. Completion of the index is expected in early February.

Editorial review by Donald Davies and by me (Malcolm Field) are expected to be completed by mid to late February.

Plans: Efforts are underway to move to an online publication system. Such a system would allow authors to submit their manuscripts directly to the Society via a web address. The online system would automatically log the submitted manuscript and assign the newly received manuscript a tracking number. Selected reviewers would then be able to download the manuscript for reviewing and be able to upload comments. Authors would then be able to download the suggested changes and be able to regularly check the status of their manuscript.

Allen Press, Inc. has provided the best proposal for an all digital publishing service. It is likely that a contract will be awarded to Allen Press, Inc. very soon. Production services are expected to yield more services than are currently provided for very competitive costs.

Special Issue: Preparation to produce a special Anniversary Issue (December 2006) is slowly progressing. The year 2006 marked the 65^th Anniversary of the National Speleological Society. Although most authors met the deadline of November 30, 2006 for sending in their final manuscripts, some authors were very late in sending in their manuscripts (one manuscript was not received in final form until late January 2007 as hardcopy only — we are currently entering it into our system). This Anniversary issue of the Journal promises to be quite large (16 manuscripts) as numerous authors volunteered manuscripts even though these additional papers were not originally solicited. This large volume of manuscripts has created an unforeseen problem, however (see below).

I am currently working on the assumption that the Anniversary issue will be published as a separate issue from the regular three-volume set published each year (Vol. 68, No. 4). Additional funding was requested from the Board of Governors and a grant application was filed for additional funding from the NSF which generously awarded us $2000. This special issue and future special issues that might be published as separate issues from the regular three-volume set will still require additional funding. As such, an increase in funding on an irregular basis should be available for the publication of special issues.

Many of the figures/photos in several of the papers planned for the Anniversary issue will require color printing, but which will likely be too expensive for many of the authors to absorb. An examination of many of these color figures/photos clearly require color printing if important details are to be delineated.

Our current situation is as follows:

Out of a total of $52,000 we spent $22,598.97 for the April and August 2006 issues leaving $29,411.03 for the December 2006 and Anniversary issues. In addition, we have $2000 from the Foundation, $2,228.29 from the Journal Restricted Fund, and $3,029 from the Fund for Special Features in Publications for a total of $36,668.32 available for publication of both the December and Anniversary issues.

The costs for the December issue have not yet been worked up, but is it likely that the costs will be relatively high because it is a fairly thick issue (although I don't really know any specifics at this time). If we only spend about $10,000 on the December issue then we are possibly in very good shape for the Anniversary issue. However, if we spend $20,000 then we are in very bad shape for the Anniversary issue.

Our options are as follows:

1. Plan on the Anniversary issue as a separate fourth issue as we have been doing and hope for the best.

2. Make the Anniversary issue the April 2007 issue as is usual for Special issues and delay the April papers until August 2007.

3. Wait and see how the expenses for the December issue play out and if they end up not being too far out of line, proceed with the Anniversary issue as a separate fourth issue for 2006.

Other Special Issues: Other special issues listed below are still in the works to my knowledge, but no progress reports from the organizers have been sent recently (note that the list continues to grow):

(1) A special issue on a portion of the Florida karst hydrology is still being planned. Some very new and interesting work is being conducted and it is very likely that we may be able to get a full issue packed with articles on the topic.

(2) A special issue on Vietnam Karst is being worked on. It will be an outgrowth of the "International Transdisciplinary Conference on Development and Conservation of Karst Regions" that took place in Hanoi, Vietnam. There is a significant amount of both pure and applied karst research going on in Vietnam, primarily by Vietnamese and Belgian scientists, and until the meeting proceedings, very little had been published in English. I think that although it will take considerable effort, there is plenty of material to make an interesting and valuable Journal issue that could become one of the most important reference works in English for Vietnamese karst. This project is being coordinated by Chris Groves of Western Kentucky University.

(3) A special issue on Mystery Cave is also being developed. Calvin Alexander of the Univ. of Minnesota is taking the lead on developing this issue. A number of people have been working on a variety of scientific projects in Mystery Cave, Fillmore County, Minnesota for several decades. A major effort involving the Palmers, several of the UMINN people, Rich Lively of the Minnesota Geological Survey, Gerta Nordquist the Mammalogist for the MnDNR, did projects on geology and speleogenesis (Art and Peg Palmer), hydrogeology (UMINN group), radon (Lively), and bats (Gerta). Very little of this has ever been systematically published. Lively had earlier done a lot of work on the U/Th chronology of the cave using alpha counting techniques. That work has been expanded enormously in the last decade using Larry Edwards’ high precision TIMS U/Th techniques. People from the UMINN Geology Department, along with the Univ. of Iowa and other places have been involved. The DNR just moved into a magnificent new visitor’s center at the cave and has been doing all sorts of cave management science.

(4) Dr. Andreas Pflitsch, from Bochum University in Germany, and Rod Horrocks, the Wind Cave National Park cave management specialist, have been working at both Wind Cave and Jewel Cave dealing with air movement and temperature variation studies for the past four years. At this point they have about six to eight papers which they wish to publish as a special issue of the Journal. They are looking at the summer issue of 2008 on the meteorology of Black Hills caves. An official confirmation and supporting letter was provided by me to Dr. Pflitsch for use by him in soliciting funding to support his efforts.

(5) Dr. Dominique Rissolo of San Diego State University has proposed a special issue on cave archaeology in the Maya area. Approximately six to eight papers on various aspects of the cave archaeology in the Maya area are planned.

(6) Dr. Blaine Schubert contacted me about East Tennessee State University’s hosting of the Second Appalachian Karst Symposium at their new museum facility September 12–15, 2007. Dr. Schubert would like to publish the abstracts from the meeting in the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies, which I am agreeable to. Also, Dr. Schubert would like to publish selected articles from the meeting as a special Appalachian Karst theme issue for Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. Again, I was agreeable, but informed them that special issues are normally published in the spring on a first come first serve basis so there might be considerable delay in getting this out depending on timing.

For all potential special issues, we may want to consider publishing each as a separate issue from the regular issues to avoid delays of other manuscripts. However, funding for this would need to be appropriated in advance.

Other Issues: Efforts are now underway to scan back issues of the Bulletin for posting on the NSS web site. This is a significant undertaking that will be of substantial benefit to NSS and researchers alike. (I have no word on how this is progressing.)

A request has been made to consider including the NSS Executive Committee (EC) on the Journal masthead as it is in the NSS News. The thinking is that it might make it easier for readers who want to contact the governing body, or person, by including that information. Also, uniformity and consistency would be achieved. In general, this type of information is not usually included in scientific journals, but the issue was presented to the Journal Advisory Board for consideration. Although the majority opinion was that such information was not needed, opinions were split. This may be an issue for either the EC or the BOG to address. (No final decision has been made on this to date.)

Problems: Funding for the Journal remains a problem in general. Paper and production costs continue to rise. In addition, color photos and figures are really essential in many instances (see for example, pages 49 and 56 of Vol. 63, No. 2 [August 2006]) if important details are to be properly depicted for the reader. However, production costs associated with color figures and photos remain prohibitively expensive (~$1000) for many authors and should be addressed. In particular, the Anniversary issue will contain numerous color figures and photos that need to be funded.

(11) NSS NEWS

Editor

Dave Bunnell 14760RL (OS, FE)

PO Box 879
Angels Camp, CA 95222
209-736-1689
davebunnell@comcast.net

Conservation:
Jim & Val Hildreth-Werker
PO Box 207
Hillsboro, NM 88042-0207
505-895-5050
werks@zianet.com

Technology Reviews:
Dave Bunnell
davebunnell@comcast.net

Newsletter Review:
Bern Szukalski
1224 Mira Monte Dr
Redlands, CA 92373-6542
909-798-5986
bszukalski@esri.com

Spelean Spotlight:
Bill Steele
oksteele@aol.com

Safety & Techniques:
Kurt Waldron
keystrokeaero@hotmail.com

In the Media:
Sharon Faulkner
1311 2nd Ave NE
Culman, AL 35055
sfaulknr@bellshouth.net

Progress: I have enough material on hand right now for 3 to 4 issues. I can’t recall ever having such a backlog of good material as I do right now. Some of this has been in response to written requests for features, some specifically solicited by the editor, but overall people just seem more interested in submitting things for the News. A good number of the features on hand are from caves in the USA, which I know will please those who think we have too much on foreign caves.

Plans: I intend to use some of the savings mentioned last month to do more color printing. In fact, the April issue will have our very first photo centerfold, with a 24-inch wide panoramic image from Lechuguilla, as part of a special Lech issue. May or June will focus on work by US and other cavers in the Cheve region of Mexico. Future features promised include a Germany Valley issue coordinated by Gordon Brace, and an issue on doings in the Mammoth Cave region. Bill Steele has been taking a break from the Spelean Spotlight but plans to make future columns in a few months.

Problems: None at this time, other than the good problem of having to fit in so many submissions to the News!

(12) MEMBERS MANUAL

Meredith Hall Johnson, Editor, 21477 RL (FE)

8061 Kittiwake Court
Springfield, VA 22153-2939
703-451-3637
merecaver@wildmail.com

Committee Members:
Editor: Meredith Hall Johnson
Databases and Cool Facts: Bob Hoke
Advertising: Gordon Birkhimer
Layout: Scott Parvin

Progress: The Members Manual Committee is the same as last year: me as editor, Scott Parvin as layout guy, Bob Hoke as statistics/cool facts guy, and Gordon Birkhimer as ad salesman. It is a proven group that works well together.

I have notified all of the submitters, NSS Officers, and NSS Board members about submitting updated material by February 15, 2007. I have put together a schedule that will ultimately end in the publication of the Members Manual by late May or early June. I have already begun to hear from people regarding their information and submissions. I have already gotten one major section from the front of the manual.

Plans: The deadline for the cover photographs was February 1, 2007. I received 263 photographs. I am now in the process of culling these down. I will have the front and back covers picked and sent to the layout guy by February 10, 2007.

I plan to have the editing done by March 1, 2007, so that the layout guy can get to work. As I receive and edit submissions, I will send them on to him.

Problems: The only problem yet noted is that the layout guy is going out of the country for a few weeks to do some humanitarian work. He does plan to bring his laptop and hopes for some time and ability to work from there. His travels should not impede the progress much; the schedule has enough time built into it that.

The only other foreseen problem is submitters missing the deadline. That has been a problem in the past, but hopefully everyone realizes how important this publication is and well used by the members.

(13) PERMISSION TO REPRINT

Gordon Birkhimer, EVP, 42778SU

2807 Hogan Court
Falls Church VA 22043-3525
Home (703) 573-4653
birkhimer@cox.net

The following actions were accomplished regarding reprinting NSS copyrighted materials and release of NSS Member information:

2/28/07