Attachment B

TABLE OF CONTENTS

NO. COMMITTEE, COMMISSION, PUBLICATION PAGE

INTRODUCTION

(1) American Caving Accidents Committee

(2) AAAS Rep-BIOLOGY

(3) AGI DELEGATE

(4) AAAS REP-GEOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY

(5) U.S. EXPLORATION COmmittee

(6) International exploration Committee

(7) Research Advisory Committee

(8) Speleo Digest Committee

(9) Special Publications Committee

(10) Publications Coordinator

(11) JOURNAL OF CAVE AND KARST STUDIES

(12) NSS News

(13) Members Manual Committee

(14) Permission To Reprint

Introduction

There are thirteen committees, commissions, publications, etc. in the Department of the Executive Vice-President (EVP). A fourteenth item has been added here to cover permissions to reprint from NSS publications, which I handle myself.

In this report a numbered block of information is provided for each of these items. In each block the committee is first identified, followed by the name of the committee chairman (editor, coordinator, whatever) and the most recent mailing address that I have for that person. Additional communications information (Phone, FAX, and E-mail) is also included. The names of other committee members deserving recognition (as supplied by the committee chairmen themselves) are listed next. Each report then follows a format called P3, that is Progress, Plans, and Problems. For those not familiar with this format, let me explain.

Under the heading Progress is given information about progress the committee has made since the previous report. This includes items covered under Plans in the previous report, as well as items not anticipated in the previous report. Progress is normally written in the past or present tenses.

Under the heading Plans is given information about progress the committee intends to make between the current reporting period and the next reporting period. Plans will normally be written in the future tense. Many (perhaps most) of the plans will end up being mentioned under Progress in the next report to the Board of Governors (Board).

Under the heading Problems is given information about actual problems which prevented more progress and anticipated problems which will impede the plans. Typically these are problems with which the committee needs help. Normally encountered, everyday problems with which the committee is used to dealing will not normally be mentioned here.

Background information may be included under any of these headings, but will normally be included under the heading where a subject is first introduced.

The information given under Progress, Plans, and Problems is supplied entirely by the committee chairman, although it may have been edited. These headings appear for all committees whose chairmen supplied reports.

The last item in the block has the heading EVP Comments under which I occasionally add some additional information not provided by the committee chairman.

(1) American Caving Accidents COMMITTEE

Bill Putnam (Editor)

1865 Eagle Summit Ct

Lawrenceville, GA 30243-6669

Home & Work: (770) 822-0003

FAX: (770) 682-5536

E-mail: putnam@msm.edu

Louise Hose (Committee Member)

John Gookin (Committee Member)

George Dasher (Committee Member)

Sam Chewning (Committee Member)

Progress

The two tasks described in my last report (Sep 96) are pretty much complete. I have assembled a committee (listed above) to help with the review and analysis of the accident reports. There are a couple of people I haven't been able to talk to yet that I would like to have on the committee, so it may grow a bit more.

I have also collected as many 1994/95 reports as I can find by combing the Speleo Digest files, advertising in the NSS News and on the Internet, and by making personal contacts. I have begun editing the reports for publication. Some reports are missing details, which I am trying to run down this month. I am now editing and condensing the reports for distribution to the committee members for review and comment. I expect to have them ready for distribution sometime in March.

I have built and installed a simple web site for American Caving Accidents (ACA) which includes an on-line accident report form. I have received several accident and incident reports for 1996 via this form.

The numbers of reports currently on file are as follows:

1994: 48 1995: 30 1996: 43 1997: 1

Plans

(1) Contact NCRC coordinators, SAR organizations, government agencies, and NSS IOs regarding re-submission of 1994/95 reports and submission of 1996 and future reports. This will be the last call for 1994/95 reports.

(2) Complete editing and condensation of the 1994/95 reports and distribute them to committee members for review and comment.

(3) Add accident reports and material from previous ACA issues to the web site to make it a resource for caving accident and safety information.

(4) Publish the 1994/95 reports in an ACA double issue in Spring 97.

Problems

None.

(2) AAAS Rep-BIOLOGY

Kathy Lavoie

Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences and

Professor, Biology Department

University of Michigan-Flint

Flint, MI 48502-2186

Home: (810) 234-0524

Work: (810) 762-3360

E-mail: klavoie@umich.edu

Progress

There was a lot of discussion of the Biology Section and the NSS National Convention at the recent Karst Waters Institute meeting in Nashville, TN. We agreed on the necessity of developing a web site, encouraging more participation at the NSS National Convention this year than we had last year, and the status of the newsletter.

Plans

The Biology Section is planning on developing a WWW site. The work will be done by Bill Elliott. We hope that keeping a web page updated will supplement the infrequent publication of the North American Biospeleology Newsletter and allow for more timely transmission of information to our members. An edition of NABN will be mailed in March, including an updated membership list. Keeping the section active is important, and it is also important for the biology section to increase its membership.

Problems

None.

(3) AGI DELEGATE

Harvey R. DuChene

7216 E Bentley Circle

Englewood, CO 80112

Home: (303) 688-5315

E-mail: 74547.3220@CompuServe.com

Progress

We are moving forward with the preparation of a primer on karst to be jointly published by the American Geological Institute (AGI) and the NSS. George Veni has assembled an excellent group of authors to write the chapters and Bill Halliday has sent material on problems in areas where there is vulcano-karst. Ernst Kastning has agreed to replace Ira Sasowsky who had to withdraw from the project. The tentative title for the publication is "Living on Karst."

Plans

George Veni and I are still working on preparing the funding request forms for the National Science Foundation and the Richmond Area Speleological Society. The delay in applying for funding will not influence the preparation of the primer manuscript nor the timing of its publication.

Problems

The big hang-up in preparation of the grant requests has been in getting answers to certain questions from AGI. Hopefully, I will solve this in the very near future. Also, I am currently seeking employment because my former employer sold the company, but I was not hired by the buyer. So my free time is being spent hunting for work. I hope to attend the AGI meetings in April during the American Association of Petroleum Geologists meeting in Dallas. This depends on my job situation and how much free time I have. If I can't go, I will try to find a proxy.

AAAS REP-GEOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY

Daniel L. Chess

19 Tavano Road

Ossining, NY 10562

Home: (914) 945-2479

E-mail: dlchess@watson.ibm.com

Progress

I am planning to gather together all the abstracts from the 1996 AAAS symposium and publish them in either GEO² or the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. I have the abstracts from the proceedings in a useable format; however, I still need to get in touch with the speakers to extend the length of the abstracts and include a little more information than the 100 word format used in the proceedings.

Plans

Publish the abstracts in either GEO² or the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies.

Attend the AAAS business meeting on Friday 14 February 1997 in Seattle, WA.

Problems

None.

(5) U.S. EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Catherine Bishop

1190 Delaneys Ferry Rd

Versailles, KY 40383-9607

Home: (606) 873-1189

E-mail: horsecave@juno.com (Catherine H Bishop)

Progress

I have received two or three requests for Sara Corrie grants in the last few months. To each I sent a reply that all available grants have been issued for this fiscal year, but that they will be considered along with other requests in the new fiscal year.

I was contacted by Cable News Network (CNN) and asked to provide the names of some people who could assist in the production of a program involving caves. I contacted three cavers who are involved in projects, secured their permission for their names to be passed on, and gave these to the CNN staff. I also answered CNN's questions on caving in general.

Plans

I have submitted my resignation as chairman of this committee, due to time constraints resulting from a change in employment. I have suggested Charles Bishop (NSS 9355), my husband, as my replacement, due to his long-time caving experience, interest in this committee, and familiarity with the history of the Sara Corrie fund. I understand that the position must be advertised, and that approval of a new committee chairman will be made by the Board.

Problems

None

EVP Comments

In accordance with Board Act 40-498, the following advertisement has been submitted for publication in the NSS News:

Volunteer Needed, Chairman of U.S. Exploration Committee

The US Exploration Committee serves as one of the points of contact for those wishing to use the NSS name in a list of sponsors for an activity or event within the United States. In addition to the normal duties of a committee chairman, the Chairman of the US Exploration Committee administers the Sara Corrie Fund Grant Program, which provides funding for projects within the United States. The U.S. Exploration committee is in the Department of the Executive Vice-President (EVP). Persons wishing to volunteer for this position should immediately contact the EVP via e-mail at <fwefer@mitre.org>.

(6) INTERNATIONAL EXPLORATION COMMITTEE

Jay Arnold

10031 DowneyÕs Wood Ct

Burke, VA 22015

Home: (703) 250-6668

E-mail: jarnold@ap.org

Progress

The committee has four requests pending for grants from the International Exploration Fund: the ongoing Cheve and Lost World projects, plus expeditions to Borneo and Peru.

Plans

Respond to requests as they are received and write a fund-raising appeal for the NSS News, urging members to donate to the International Exploration Fund. Board action on the motion I mention below could affect the substance of this article.

Problems

Research by Dave Irving has shown that the International Exploration Fund has been empty since 1993 and that exploration grants have been funded by previous NSS Treasurers by various and sundry means, primarily through the International Participation Fund. Meanwhile, donations to the International Exploration Fund may have been misdirected to the International Participation Fund.

I proposed that the EVP make a motion to the Board to make the International Exploration Grants a permanent line item in the NSS budget, with general membership dues going to support them annually. I favor an amount of $1,200 each year. Unspent funds would return to the general treasury. It also may be time to consider trying to establish an endowment to keep this fund solvent

EVP Comments

There is a motion on the agenda to this effect.

(7) Research Advisory Committee

Christopher G. Groves (Chairman)

Center for Cave and Karst Studies

Department of Geography and Geology

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY 42101

Home: (502) 796-8361

Work: (502) 745-5974

Fax: (502) 745-6410

E-mail: chris.groves@wku.edu

Carol Wicks (Ralph W. Stone Award Advisor)

Ernst Kastning (ISEF Award Administrator)

Tom Kane (Committee Member)

Allen McCrady (Committee Member)

Joe Meiman (Committee Member)

Art Palmer (Committee Member)

Mel Park (Committee Member)

Tom Poulson (Committee Member)

Phil Reeder (Committee Member)

Progress

(1) The Texas Speleological Survey (TSS) was designated an official NSS Study Group. The TSS was founded in 1961. Its primary objectives are to support speleology in Texas, to collect information on Texas caves, and to publish that information (with appropriate conservation limitations) for cavers and interested scientists. The current president is Dr. George Veni.

(2) The fall cycle of the small grant program has been completed and the following awards were made:

-- Chuck DeCroix was awarded $200 for his proposal "Max Kamper and the Mammoth Cave Connection."

-- Annette Engle was awarded $200 for the proposal "Condensation Corrosion of Movile Cave, South Dobrogea, Romania."

-- Alan Glennon was awarded $200 for the proposal "Application of Morphometric Relationships to Active Drainage Networks within the Mammoth Cave Karst Aquifer."

-- Johnathan Jernigan was awarded $200 for the proposal "Mathematical Modeling of Air Flow in Houchen's Narrows."

-- James C. Knight was awarded $250 for the proposal "Evaluation of Cave Development in the Vanport Limestone of Western Pennsylvania."

-- Nikolai S. Mugue was awarded $300 for the proposal "Sympatric and Allopatric Speciation in Cave Shrimp."

-- MaryLynn Musgrove was awarded $400 for her proposal "High-Resolution Temporal Variations in Groundwater Chemistry: Tracing the Links between Climate and Hydrology in a Karst System."

Competition was keen this time, and two other proposals were not funded.

Plans

The committee will continue to administer the small grant program, designate official NSS Projects and Study Groups, provide advice to members on scientific efforts, answer speleological inquiries, and review proposals for research in NSS owned caves. We will also support the efforts of the NSS Bulletin editors in actively identifying and encouraging the submission of research papers to the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies.

Problems

(1) Informal reports of internal personnel problems within the Woodville Karst Plain Project have made their way to the committee, and further information in this regard is currently being obtained.

(2) Since administration of the Ralph W. Stone Award was transferred from the Awards Committee to the Research Advisory Committee, the status of the award has changed. For example, the winner is not announced at the Convention as the award is considered to be more of a grant than an award. While the Research Advisory Committee should indeed administer this program, I suggest that conceptually the Stone Award be considered again as a Society award by the Awards Committee and be announced with others at the convention and published in the NSS News. This is to recognize the accomplishments of the recipient as well as to raise the profile of the Stone Award within the NSS.

EVP Comments

Concerning Item (2) above under Problems, I have asked the Chris Groves to work with the Chairman of the Awards Committee to have the Ralph W. Stone Award announced with the other awards at the NSS National Convention. It is unclear that a motion is required, hence none has been placed on the agenda.

On another matter, an item concerning the Science Fair Award administered by the Research Advisory Committee was referred to the EVP from the 02 November 1996 NSS Board of Governors Meeting in Phoenix, AZ. This item is addressed in Attachment B-1 to this report.

(8) Speleo Digest Committee

Scott Fee (Chairman)

2501 Gable Blvd.

Birmingham, AL 35215

Home: (205) 854-7487

E-mail: scottfee@usa.pipeline.com

1988 -- Vacant

1990 -- Jay Jorden

1991 -- Eileen C. O'Malley and the VPI Cave Club

1992 -- Vacant

1994 -- Vacant

1996 -- Sheilarae Carpentier Lau and the Boston Grotto

Speleo Digest Committee -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Progress

The change of address announcement has appeared in the NSS News and the notification flyer was sent to every IO with the NSS Office monthly mailing. I am now routinely receiving the majority of the Speleo Digest grotto newsletters, with only a trickle still going to Kambesis.

I have designed an editor application. The application process is two-fold. The first part tries to tell the potential candidate "like it is" in hopes of discouraging the "do-it-yourselfer." The second part is the actual application used to identify the potential staff and equipment available to process the book within 12 months. Please note I said staff, if an applicant does not have a group of cavers (that means more than two) at his/her disposal willing to help produce this publication, he/she will not be given a digest to produce.

I completed the Speleo Digest article and e-mailed it to Dave Bunnell in December for publication in the NSS News. Originally scheduled for February, hopefully it will appear in March. The article is designed to not only promote the Speleo Digest series, but to encourage grottos to submit their newsletters, and to seek out a fresh group of editors. This article can already be found on the NSS web site thanks to Webmaster Joshua Abdulla.

When timely produced, digests sell. Out of 500 copies of the 1995 Digest that were delivered in September, we are down to an inventory of 226 as of 28 January. In addition, 607 remain of 1993 (about 1,000 were printed), 1989 is completely sold out, and only 68 remain for 1987 (published in 1991).

Plans

Continue to scan newsletters for potential editors and respond to inquiries hopefully generated from the NSS News article.

Problems

Lack of motivated editors.

Unpublished Speleo Digests -------------------------------------------------------------------

1988 -- Vacant

Progress: Nil. In late January 1997 the former editors agreed to return the materials.

Plans: To get the newsletters back and find an editor.

Problems: Lack of editorial motivation. It will soon be ten years old.

1990 -- Jay Jorden

Progress: Ironically, for the past few years this committee thought Jay had the 1991 edition. When I sorted out the material from Pat Kambesis, I discovered a significant amount of 1991 material. In a later conversation with Jay, I confirmed that he had the 1990 newsletters and a bunch of 1991 material as well. Jay mailed me the 1991 material which I passed on to Eileen C. O'Malley. Based on the limited communication we have had during this time, little or no progress has been made on the digest.

Plans: Continue with telephone contact to get this edition moving or encourage Jay to return the material.

Problems: Jay's belief that there is no urgency and he took this on as a long-term project for the Society.

1991 -- Eileen C. O'Malley and the VPI Cave Club

Progress: Most of the newsletters were mailed to Eileen in late November. A subsequent package followed in early January which was obtained from the 1990 Editor. Eileen is "not quite halfway" in the sorting and selecting phase of this publication.

Plans: She is giving her four typists material this week. We expect significant progress by the next Board report. We estimate our completion date to be August/September 1997.

Problems: None at this time.

1992 -- Vacant

Progress: The newsletters were returned from the former editor in early November.

Plans: Find an editorial team.

Problems: See Plans.

1994 -- Vacant

Progress: The newsletters have all been retrieved from the new ACA editor. Although this issue had been promised to a volunteer, I have determined that he does not have the time, equipment, or manpower to effectively produce this edition in an appropriate time frame.

Plans: Find a suitable editorial team.

Problems: See Plans.

1996 -- Sheilarae Carpentier Lau and the Boston Grotto

Progress: During the October to December time frame, I opened every 1996 newsletter that I had received in the mail and from Pat Kambesis. I quickly looked them over for appropriate articles and requested, via e-mail, the editors send them to me. I now have approximately 75 articles already on disk for the editor to use.

Plans: I have finalized the determination to give this digest to Sheilarae Carpentier Lau. She has assembled a six member team from the Boston Grotto and writes "When trying to scare my team away, I told them the NSS wants the Speleo Digest produced within 10 months. They didn't blink."

Problems: None

EVP Comments

There is a motion on the agenda of the 22 March 1997 NSS Board Meeting to extend the $500 Speleo Digest Honorarium (see Board ACT 82-557) to editors of the older digests.

(9) Special Publications Committee

David McClurg (Chairman)

104 Graves Ct

Vallejo, CA 94591

Phone and Fax: (707) 642-5528

E-mail: dmcclurg@halcyon.com

Tom Rea (Committee Member)

Urs Widmer (Committee Member)

Gale McCoy (Committee Member)

Barbara Ritts (Committee Member)

ON ROPE II - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ON ROPE, by Bruce Smith and Allen Padgett

Progress

The book is finished and the NSS Bookstore has already sold several hundred copies. To take care of Christmas orders, about 300 copies were picked up by Tom Rea at the bindery in Grand Rapids, MI and delivered to the bookstore. The remainder were delivered by motor freight just after the holidays. Total received was 10,044 copies. Total cost including printing, shipping, pre-press, and all other costs was about $5.75 per book.

Plans

When the stock gets down to about 3,000, we will begin work on the reprint and correct a few typos that have inevitably turned up.

Problems

Nothing major at this time.

CMW-2 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CAVE MINERALS OF THE WORLD, by Carol Hill and Paolo Forti

Progress

This title is on schedule. All text and photos were received in January. Style editing is underway by Barbara Ritts and will be completed by the end of February. In the meantime, the 300 plus photos have been scanned and color separations are being started. Drawings and tables have been received. Some drawings in the special topics section need minor reformatting which is underway.

In the January issue of the NSS NEWS and other publications, we began the announcement about pre-publication prices. By mid-February, we had received some 50 orders for the book.

Plans

It now seems likely we will print the book here in the U.S. The cost is lower here, and the savings are large enough to pay for the shipping of 1,000 copies to Europe for the International Congress of Speleology in August. This is where the first release of the book will be made. We may have a few copies for display at the convention in Missouri. But the early (June) date could make this difficult.

Problems

None.

ON FILM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

ON FILM, Techniques and Technology of American Cave Photography, edited by John Van Swearingen

Progress

J. Van Swearingen has assumed the editorship of this book and has re-energized the contributing authors. Some contributions have been received.

Plans

To receive the remaining material and complete the editing process.

Problems

None.

U.S. CAVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

U.S. CAVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, editorship is vacant

Progress

Current editor is gone. A new editor is still being chosen.

Plans

Work with the Cave Management Section to find a new editor and get his project restarted.

Problems

Locate an new editor and get this project restarted.

CAVE RESCUE MANUAL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

CAVE RESCUE MANUAL, coordinated by Butch Feldhaus

Progress

When we can expect a real first draft of the text is still indefinite.

Plans

The project is still in development.

Problems

We await the output of the NCRC.

CAVING BOOKS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Progress

It has now been determined that this book would have a limited market. Most libraries can access the information on line, so a hard copy published version seems unnecessary.

Plans

This project is on hold.

Problems

See above.

EVP Comments

This book is a comprehensive bibliography of caving books and publications. The Special Publications Committee met with the principals on the book at the 1996 NSS National Convention in Salida, CO. Based on that meeting, it was estimated that it would cost $9,000 to print 1,000 copies of this book. There are available approximately $800 in the Ed Zawlocki fund to offset this expense.

It was the consensus of the officers at the Spring EC Meeting that NSS funds should not be spent on this effort for the following reasons: (1) Much of the information contained in the bibliography is, or soon will be available on-line to researchers using library search facilities in which the NSS Library is participating. (2) The book would have to sell for approximately $20 in order to make a reasonable profit on it. This means we would have to sell 450 copies in order to recover our costs, which seems unlikely. Note that lowering the price of the book means we have to sell even more to recover our costs.

None of this should be construed as criticism of the original goals of the project, the performance of the people who produced the manuscript, or even of Ed Zawlocki. The project has simply been overcome by events.

I believe that if the principals of the project think differently and can find the funds to proceed with publication, then the NSS should consider contributing the money in the Ed Zawlocki fund to that effort.

SPELEOTHEM CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

SPELEOTHEM CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION, by Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker

Progress

This is a new project just getting underway. It looks like it would be an excellent addition to our book program.

Plans

More information will be provided as this project develops.

Problems

None

NEW PROJECTS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Two new book projects are now under development by the committee. In the next report they will be detailed in the progress, plans, and problems format.

CAVES OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS: This is a new coffee-table type book by Michael Queen that I heard about last summer as a possible NSS book. Since then, the author and two photographers have come up with an outline. I met with them to discuss it in January. Several other photographers, like Dave Bunnell, David Harris, Kevin Downey, etc. will also contribute photos. Mike Queen is a geologist who spends a portion of each year doing research in the Guadalupes. He has worked for oil companies and also has taught geology at a couple of universities. His work at Carlsbad Caverns is well known to the Park Service and his name would be familiar to many geology professionals in the Society.

The book will be similar to Urs Widmer's Lechuguilla book, as far as the quality of the photos is concerned, but the text will be considerably expanded and broadened. It will describe the geology of the region and the specific geology of the major caves, the history of area and of the cave exploration, plus the personal stories of some of the main cavers who made the original discoveries. It will cover Carlsbad Cavern, Lechuguilla, Cottonwood, and many other caves on the Park, on Lincoln National Forest, and on BLM lands.

SPELEOGENESIS: This is a book that Alexander Klimchouk of the Ukraine has been working on for a couple of years. As chairman of the Speleogenesis Study Group of the International Union of Speleology, he has been pulling together many international authorities in this field. The book is in outline stage now, but as with all these multiple author efforts, it takes a long time to get born. Like Cave Minerals of the World, this will be a scientific book that will enhance the image of the NSS, and probably make a little money too.

(10) Publications Coordinator

G. Thomas Rea (Coordinator)

8677 S State Road 243

Cloverdale, IN 46120-9696

Phone: (317) 653-4423

E-mail: trea@tdsnet.com

Progress

I provided advice and council to the Editor of the guidebook for the 1997 NSS National Convention in Sullivan, MO.

I met with Ed Sira concerning the pamphlet he is writing called ÒWhat Every Caver Should Know.Ó We discussed photographs and format. He provided a couple of acceptable pictures and is rounding up more. I have produced a tentative layout, but only I have seen it.

Plans

Assist with the publication of Ed SiraÕs pamphlet and continue to provide coordination services as required.

Problems

None.

(11) JOURNAL OF CAVE AND KARST STUDIES

Louise D. Hose (Editor)

Department of Environmental Studies

501 Westminster Avenue

Westminster College

Fulton, MO 65251-1299

Home: (573) 642-4399

Work: (573) 592-1303

FAX: (573) 592-1217

Internet: HoseL@micro.wcmo.edu

James A. Pisarowicz (Production Editor)

343 N. 9th St.

Custer, SD 57730

Home: (605) 673-5582

Work: (605) 745-4600

Internet: pisarowi@rmii.com

BOARD OF EDITORS

David Ashley (Life Sciences)

George Huppert (Conservation)

Doug Medville (Exploration)

Ira D. Sasowsky (Earth Sciences - Index)

Marion O. Smith (Social Sciences)

Patty Jo Watson (Anthropology)

Betty Wheeler (Book Reviews)

ADVISORY BOARD

Rane Curl

Horton Hobbs

Andrew Flurkey

Albert Krause

James Nepstad

John Mylroie

Thomas Strong

William B. White

James Mead

Progress

Volume 58, Number 2, a special issue on the Caves and Karst of Belize, was sent out on time and has received many positive comments. We are grateful to George Veni for his outstanding work on the issue. Volume 58, Number 3 also arrived on schedule and included the abstracts from the Salida convention. This is probably the first time the abstracts for our convention have appeared in the same year as the convention. The Blacksburg abstracts have recently been sent to me and they will be included in the second issue of the coming year (the first issue being a special issue).

Volume 59, Number 1 is presently being laid-out. It will be another special issue. This one is on Cave Archaeology and is guest edited by Janet Steele. Jim Pisarowicz continues to be plagued with Òthe computer from hell;Ó nevertheless, he expects to have the issue ready for the printer in March. Most of the work on the issue was completed before we both left for the Christmas holidays.

A large stack of accepted papers sits on my desk and the remaining issues for 1997 appear to have an adequate supply of good material working its way towards us. I am, frankly, behind on my correspondence, but hope to catch up well before the upcoming Board meeting.

There are several personnel changes. Dr. David Ashley of Missouri Western State College is now serving as the Life Sciences Associate Editor. He was recommended by Horton Hobbs when he resigned the position. I assure the Board that three editors out of nine living in Missouri is purely coincidental!

Doug Medville has joined the Journal staff as our new Exploration Editor, and has already prepared an article for the NSS News soliciting exploration articles for the Journal.

Norma Peacock has resigned from her position as convention abstracts editor. She and I agree that changing technology has dramatically changed Journal needs in this area. At least for the time being, I will not replace Norma but will handle the editing myself. Convention staffs will be expected to submit electronic copies of the abstracts, eliminating the need for a typist. Donald Davis has volunteered to help with proof reading the abstracts to minimize mistakes.

Membership on the Advisory Board was designed to be a three year term with one-third of the members stepping off each year. With the close of 1996, we thank John Ganter, Kathy Lavoie, and Tom Miller for their service on the board. Three new members have accepted my invitation. I think, they will be a valuable contribution to the Journal. Dr. Horton Hobbs, who recently resigned after several years as Life Sciences Associate Editor, will help to replace Lavoie's expertise in Biology. Dr. James Mead, a speleo-paleontologist from Northern Arizona University and an NSS member, is expected to add expertise and enthusiasm in a field with relatively little visibility in the caving community. One of his students is already investigating the possibilities for a future special issue on Cave Paleontology. James Nepstad, Cave Specialist at Wind Cave National Park, has been asked to lend his expertise in exploration and computer applications. He will help fill the void left by the departures of Ganter and Miller.

Lastly, Jim and I have finally begun caving again (and what caving it was!).

Plans

(1) Try to develop some advertising in the Journal during the next year. Any help in this area is welcomed!

(2) Send Joshua Abdulla some material to place on the NSS web site. We will probably start placing abstracts on the web site, too.

Problems

(1) We appear to be heading down a path of too many articles accepted for the pages we can afford to print. In particular, there is abundant interest in special issues. Unfortunately, we can not presently promise to publish them in a timely manner. The only two solutions I see for this "problem" is to encourage the associate editors and reviewers to toughen up the standards and/or provide a substantial advertising flow to increase our allotment of pages. We will be pursuing both of these options.

(2) International mailing has been a budget-buster. Jim has been working on the problem and is trying to improve the situation. It turns out that journals with substantial out-of-house advertising can be mailed at a lower cost than the present Journal. I don't completely understand the situation yet, but it is one more reason for working on advertising in the Journal.

(3) I have learned from overseas friends that the Journal is arriving in battered condition whereas the NSS News is in an envelope and arrives in better shape. Jim thinks we may be able to stuff the envelopes ourselves (the mailer can not for some reason) at a minimal cost. He is looking further into this problem.

(4) A couple of the Associate Editors have shown no activity during the (nearly one) year I have been editor. I probably need to rattle their cages a bit and ask them to either put a little more time into the Journal or help me find qualified folks to work pro-actively in the positions. The recent emphasis in the Journal on geology, biology, and archaeology partially represents the hard work by those associate editors.

(12) NSS News

Dave Bunnell (Editor)

320 Brook Rd.

Boulder Creek, CA 95006

Phone: (408) 338-3853

E-mail: nssnews@goodearth.com

Bonnie Crystal (Virtual Caving)

Djuna Bewley (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

I've currently produced seven issues which have all been printed, and have just completed the March (conservation) issue. To my knowledge, people are getting them roughly in the second week of the month or so. So while they haven't always come out in the first week of the month, at least all have been received in the month of issue.

My primary plan in the last report was to introduce a monthly color section called the "salon gallery" to showcase salon ribbon winners. This and the color covers have been standard features since the November issue, and should continue unless something unexpected drives up paper or ink costs.

As far as I can tell, the membership is very satisfied with the changes I've instituted. In fact, the only complaint I've had was that the font size for the text is too small. This hasn't changed from Glenda Dawson's era, but the text is thinner since it's done on a high-res imagesetter. I may increase the size a tad to compensate.

I've recently posted a web page of style and submission guidelines for the News.

Approaching the end of the fiscal year, the financial situation is still good and I'm running several thousand in the black.

Plans

I basically plan to continue as I have with a 32-page issue as the standard, and the color centerspread. I'm hoping to do a couple of color maps as well, one of Bob Richard's medal winner from 1996 and one to accompany an article Peter Bosted is doing. While the new, reduced budget may make it tight to run this extra color, perhaps the endowment fund can be tapped for one of these. I'll be running a new series of full-page comic strips by artist Kim van Zant beginning in April. A theme issue on Mexican cave diving is planned, one on Borneo, and many other features are promised.

I may try to hold some sort of News "open forum" session at the convention where people can air their views and tell me what they like or dislike. I've talked with Josh about putting some sort of general information about the News on the NSS web site. Perhaps some cover shots and a blurb about what's inside, so prospective members get an idea what the magazine is like.

Problems

I have no major problems to speak of. My budget-keeping has been problematic because I still don't know all that was spent from May-July '96, plus the postage costs have been a mystery. I don't seem to get good reports on those.

(13) Members Manual Committee

Lois Bergthold (Chairman)

1510 Virginia NE

Albuquerque, NM 87110

Phone: (505) 299-1198

E-mail: lois@rt66.com

Tom Rea (Typesetting)

Vince Kappler (Board Information)

Evelyn Bradshaw (Grotto Information)

Bill Bussey (Section Information)

David Taylor (Survey Information)

Office Staff (Members Listing)

Progress

I have received last year's files from Scott Fee, and they are ready to be updated. I am currently contacting the heads of different NSS departments to have them provide updated information for the 1997 Members Manual. Most of the people I've e-mailed have responded and promise to have their materials in to me on time. I still have not heard from a couple of people. A request for photos has been published in the NSS News.

Two printers have been contacted, who have had prior experience printing the Manual. I have received quotes from both, and they appear to be competitive bids. I have not yet made a decision as to who will be printing the Manual this year, and am still investigating cost-cutting possibilities, such as removing a signature from the publication and printing on the inside covers instead.

Evelyn Bradshaw has sent a sample file on disk for me to translate the IOs, and I was able to read the documents without problems.

I have requested artwork from Paul Stevens from the NSS Graphic Arts Salon for use as filler artwork in the Manual.

I will be producing the NSS Bookstore advert. for Camille Duke this year. She is providing raw text and some scanned book covers to make the ad visually interesting.

Plans

I will continue to collect material for the Manual. I hope to have everything in hand no later than 15 March (except for the actual membership list, which is due 01 April). At that time I will begin seriously formatting on the publication.

Once the February deadline for photo submissions is past, I will select photos for use on the front and back covers.

I will be looking into the possibility of adding some advertising to the Members Manual as a way to defray production costs.

I will have the printer selected before 15 March.

Problems

Things seem to be moving forward satisfactorily; I have no problems to report at this time.

(14) Permission To Reprint

Fred L. Wefer (NSS EVP)

P.O. Box 47

McDowell, VA 24458

Work: (703) 883-7640

Fax: (703) 883-3315

Home: (540) 396-3543

Condo: (703) 370-5194

E-mail: fwefer@mitre.org

Progress

Org = Organization/Publication granted permission

PoC = Point of Contact (the person)

Date = Date Permission was granted

PtR = Permission to Reprint (the publication, article, photograph, or map)

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Org: Ukrainian-American Youth Caver Exchange Foundation (UAYCEF)

PoC: Christos Nicola

Date: 10 October 1996

PtR: Permission to use the NSS Grotto mailing list in UAYCEF fund raising activities.

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Org: Personal

PoC: Kenneth Christiansen

Date: 10 October 1996

PtR: Use of material from JCKS papers authored by Peter Bellinger and Kenneth Christiansen in other publications.

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Org: Project Underground

PoC: Carol Zokaites

Date: 28 January 1997

PtR: Three articles from the 1995 NSS National Convention Guidebook "Underground in the Appalachians".

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Org: Personal

PoC: Rance Edwards

Date: 04 February 1997

PtR: Republication of material from the NSS Caving Information Series on his web site "Hodag Hangout.Ó The URL is: http://www.vt.edu:10021/R/raedward.

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Plans

Continue to handle requests as they appear.

Problems

None.

Respectfully submitted,

Fred L. Wefer

NSS-EVP