NO. COMMITTEE, COMMISSION, PUBLICATION PAGE
INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1
(1) American Caving Accidents Committee . . . . . . B-2
(2) AAAS Rep-BIOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3
(3) AGI DELEGATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4
(4) AAAS REP-GEOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . B-5
(5) U.S. EXPLORATION Committee . . . . . . . . . B-5
(6) International Exploration Committee . . . . . . B-6
(7) Research Advisory Committee. . . . . . . . . B-7
(8) Speleo Digest Committee . . . . . . . . . . B-9
(9) Special Publications Committee. . . . . . . . B-12
(10) Publications Coordinator. . . . . . . . . . B-17
(11) JOURNAL OF CAVE AND KARST STUDIES. . . . . . . B-17
(12) NSS News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-20
(13) Members Manual Committee. . . . . . . . . . B-21
(14) Permission To Reprint. . . . . . . . . . . B-22
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
Bill Putnam (Chairman/Editor)
1865 Eagle Summit Ct
Lawrenceville, GA 30243-6669Home & Work: (770) 822-0003
Fax: (770) 682-5536
Pager: (404) 690-6348
E-mail: putnam@scci.orgLouise Hose (Committee Member)
John Gookin (Committee Member)
George Dasher (Committee Member)
Sam Chewning (Committee Member)
Dave Hughes (Committee Member)
Butch Feldhaus (Committee Member)Progress
All material for American Caving Accidents 1994/95 (ACA 94/95) has been transcribed and edited. The 1994 material was sent to the committee for review on 26 September and the 1995 material went out on 07 October. I have received good feedback from several of them already.
There are 90 incidents for 1994 and 64 for 1995. The issue is expected to be about 60 pages long. Three of the four printers consulted stated that they could complete the job in 5 to 8 working days. The mailing house estimates 2 to 3 days for their processing. I plan to go to press by 20 October, which gives an expected mailing date of 01 November. The press run will be 9,600 copies, of which 9,300 will be mailed to the NSS membership. The remainder (less 50 copies for distribution to search and rescue agencies) will be delivered to the bookstore for sale.
Plans
I am doing final editing and layout this week (the week of 13 October) and expect to have everything ready for the printer by Monday 20 October. ACA 94/95 should be in the mail to members by 01 November. I am having 30 advance copies over-nighted to me and will send them to Board members or have them brought to the NSS Board of Governors Meeting, depending on the timing.
Problems
I have gotten several bids on the printing, and some have come back substantially over the printing budget of $6,600. I have selected a printer and mailer (Ebsco Media in Birmingham, AL) that can meet our budget requirements as well as the time requirements.
Kathleen Lavoie
Dean of Arts and Sciences
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh State University of New York
Plattsburgh, NY 12901-2681Home: (518) 562-1154
Work: (518) 564-3150
E-mail: lavoiekh@splava.cc.plattsburgh.eduProgress
Nothing to report.
Plans
Continue to represent the NSS concerning biological matters at American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meetings. Initiate an email discussion of possible contributions that could be made to/from NSS/AAAS with a group of interested caver scientists.
Problems
None.
Harvey R. DuChene
7216 E Bentley Circle
Englewood, CO 80112Home: (303) 694-3472
Work: (303) 292-1314
E-mail: hduchene@compuserve.comProgress
George Veni is gathering the chapters for the AGI Primer "Living on Karst." In his most recent report dated 19 September 1997, he had received two of the four chapters, and he was expecting a third chapter that week. Dave Jagnow, who agreed to write Chapter 1, has been swamped with other duties. He may not be able to write his chapter, which will necessitate finding a replacement author and will obviously delay the submission of the manuscript to AGI. George is working with Dave on the problem, and he expects to have answers in the next couple of weeks.
Plans
Geotimes, the magazine published by AGI, has again asked me to provide an article on progress in cave and karst research for the February 1998 issue. I have asked Dr. John Mylroie if a member of the Karst Waters Institute would be interested in being a "guest author." He will let me know in mid-October if anyone is interested in writing the article. If nobody is interested, John will provide me with research updates and I will write the article myself.
Regarding the Karst Primer, I have agreed to find referees to review the booklet once the NSS part of the editing is complete. I do not anticipate any problems with the review process.
Problems
Problem 1 is getting the chapters for "Living on Karst" into George Veni so they can be collated and the editing process can begin. George is handling this.
Problem 2 is the matter of funding provided to AGI by the Geology and Geography Section. Both George Veni and I understood that loans were acceptable to AGI, and a loan is what we received from the Richmond Area Speleological Society (RASS). We later found out from AGI that it is not interested in loans, but only accepts donations. This may jeopardize our chances to get money from the National Science Foundation, and may also cause us to return the loan from RASS unused. George is working with AGI to solve this one.
Problem 3 has been (and continues to be) my inability to attend AGI meetings due to my work schedule. As many of you know, I had to change jobs earlier this year, and my new company does not give vacation time until I have been with them for a year. I was not able to attend the AGI meetings held during the American Association of Petroleum Geologists meeting last spring, and I will not be able to attend the meetings during the Geological Society of America convention in October. Fortunately, John Mylroie has agreed to be my proxy, or to find someone else who can do it. I should have an easier time making the meetings next year.
Daniel L. Chess
19 Tavano Road
Ossining, NY 10562Home: (914) 945-2479
Work: (914) 945-2479
E-mail: dlchess@watson.ibm.comNo Report
C. William Steele
724 Crestland Dr
Bartlesville, OK 74006-8831Home: (918) 333-5761
Work: (918) 336-9170
Fax: (918) 336-6407
E-mail: Oksteele@aol.comProgress
As the new chairman I requested from my predecessor, Sarah Bishop, the committee files. These were received and included a number of requests for Sara Corrie Fund grants dating back to as early as the beginning of this calendar year. I have studied them all and have made seven grant awards which were forwarded to the NSS office on 15 September for checks to be enclosed, spending $1,200 of the available funds for this fiscal year. The grants were as follows:
(1) TAG Dome Climbing Group - Spasm Chasm, Alabama, and various other caves with domes in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. James H. Smith. $250.
(2) Southern Colorado Mountain Grotto - Hurricane Cave and others in Colorado. Michael Frazier. $250.
(3) Rockeaters - Chevy Cave and others in New York state. Joe Armstong. $100.
(4) Mark Twain Grotto - Illinois. Missouri and Illinois caves. David Mahon. $100
(5) New River Valley Grotto - Virginia. Caves of Pulaski County, Virginia. Bob Lewis. $125.
(6) 183 Project - Kentucky. Caves of Wayne County, Kentucky. Bill Thoman. $125.
(7) Windy Mouth Cave Survey Project - Pennsylvania. Windy Mouth Cave, West Virginia. Joe Kearns. $250.
An additional fund request is pending since the requester did not include his mailing address and I cannot find it in the NSS Members Manual. One request will not be honored since they did not meet the requirements for consideration.
I have read all correspondence in the committee's file and am familiar with its business back to its conception.
Plans
I plan to recruit a committee made up of cave explorers, a majority of them Lew Bicking Award recipients, from each of the geographical areas of the United States. They will help me evaluate requests for grants from the Sarah Corrie Fund, help seek additional money to add to this fund, be contacts for inquiries to the committee from their respective areas, and help with special requests such as foreign cavers coming to the U.S.
Problems:
None. Everything is fine. I appreciate the support from the EVP and the NSS office.
Jay Arnold
10031 Downey’s Wood Ct
Burke, VA 22015Home: (703) 250-6668
E-mail: jarnold@ap.orgProgress
There have been no requests for NSS Expedition status this quarter. None are pending. I have given the NSS News an article urging members to contribute to the International Exploration Fund.
Plans
Deal with requests as they come in.
Problems
None, other than the question of finding money for the International Exploration Fund. Because of the Chip Dear bequest, it may not be necessary to seek a budget request to fund expedition grants through the committee in the next fiscal year.
EVP Comments
At the 22 March 1997 NSS Board Meeting I withdrew the motion concerning the International Exploration Fund because I thought I had misunderstood the intent of the relevant act (18-454). The act suggests that dues income not be used to subsidize the fund, but says nothing about using dues income for "direct support" of International Expeditions. The Executive Committee added a line-item for this "direct support" in the
FY97 budget which was approved at the 22 March 1997 Board Meeting. Donations to the International Exploration Fund should still be actively solicited to augment this important NSS activity.
There will be an item on the agenda of the 08 November 1997 NSS Board of Governors Meeting to amend the act by deleting the phrase "that the fund will be subsidized by dues income or." This will allow unused money (at the end of the fiscal year) in the committee budget to be placed in the International Exploration Fund.
For the convenience of the reader the ACT 18-454 is quoted here. The phrase to be deleted by the motion is enclosed in [[ ]] for emphasis.
18-454 -- The International Exploration Fund is established to assist Society sponsored speleological expeditions to be supported by contributions raised for this specific purpose. Applications for grants from the International Exploration Fund will be directed to the International Exploration Committee which will develop appropriate guidelines and require an accounting of how money is utilized by expedition organizers. It is not the intent of this Act [[that the fund will be subsidized by dues income or]] that grants will be routinely awarded for expeditions within the United States or Canada. Grants from this fund shall stipulate that the expedition will provide an article on the expedition for publication in the NSS NEWS, or an audio/visual program for distribution for the NSS A/V Library within one year from receiving the grant.
Christopher G. Groves (Chairman)
Center for Cave and Karst Studies
Department of Geography and Geology
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101Home: (502) 796-8361
Work: (502) 745-5974
Fax: (502) 745-6410
E-mail: chris.groves@wku.eduCarol 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 following awards were made during the spring 1997 cycle of the small grant program. The committee chairman appreciates very much the considerable work done by members of the committee in the evaluation of these proposals.
-- Jon Cradit was awarded $150 for his proposal "Effects of surface water recharge on groundwater in a critical habitat."
--Jack Wood was awarded $50 for his proposal "Atrazine pollution in spring water as an indicator of karst aquifer contamination with agricultural chemicals."
--Darlene Anthony was awarded $250 for her proposal "Seasonal effects on the geochemical evolution of the Logsdon River, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky."
--Jason Hale was awarded $150 for his proposal "Description of cave fauna occurrence and abundance in Alachua Sinks preserve, Alachua County, Florida."
--Barbara Luke was awarded $225 for her proposal "Cave detection using surface seismic waves."
--Harris Martin was awarded $100 for his proposal "Microbiological survey of three underwater cave systems in Florida."
--Kevin Simon was awarded $250 for his proposal "Flux of bacteria, carbon, and invertebrates in karst aquifers: A comparative study of North American and European karsts."
--Rhawn Denniston was awarded $225 for his proposal "Reconstructing seasonal climatic shifts using stable carbon & oxygen isotopes associated with fluorescent/non-fluorescent banding in speleothems."
--Toby Dogwiler was awarded $250 for his proposal "Understanding bell hole development: A potential tool for interpreting speleogenesis."
--Kris Esterson was awarded $100 for his proposal "Investigations into the karst hydrology of Heceta Island."
(2) Carol Wicks reports that ten proposals were received for the Ralph Stone graduate student research award ($1,500), which was awarded to Angela Lohse of Texas A&M University for her proposal "Divergence in Mitochondrial DNA Among Anchialine Cave Species from the Bahamas and Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico." The committee appreciates the work of Doug Nolte, Carol Wicks, and George Veni in the scientific review of these proposals.
(3) A World Wide Web page describing the committee's activities and grant program is under development.
Plans
(1) 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 Journal editors in actively identifying and encouraging the submission of research papers to the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies.
(2) The committee's web page will be linked to the main NSS page upon completion.
Problems
(1) A budget problem occurred as a result of late reporting of the recipients of the spring cycle of the small grant program, instigating a current motion to the Board by Fred Wefer to transfer additional funds to the committee. The additional funds from this fiscal year are exactly matched by money that was not spent (due to the late reporting) in the last year and thus went back to the Society. The committee appreciates very much careful consideration of this motion by the Board.
(2) A problem is currently occurring due to cave access and landowner relations at Tennessee's Nunley Mountain Cave System, where a research project has been supported by the NSS small grant program. The situation has apparently been exacerbated by emotional communication among various participants on e-mail newsgroups. Currently NSS President Dave Luckins is circulating a letter among NSS committee members and officers to clarify the Society's position. A significant aspect of that position is that the proposal indicated that the investigator would take responsibility for obtaining access permission from appropriate landowners.
(3) NSS support for the Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP) has come under question by various members of the US cave diving community, following public and inflammatory communication between WKPP members and others. The committee is currently in contact with interested individuals and evaluating the status of that support.
EVP Comments
There is also a motion on the agenda for the 08 November 1997 NSS Board of Governors Meeting to abolish the NSS International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) award and replace it with a grant program (to be run from within the Research Advisory Committee and independent of ISEF) directed at supporting research by young (high school or younger) NSS Members.
Scott Fee (Chairman)
2501 Gable Blvd.
Birmingham, AL 35215 -2862Home: (205) 854-7487
E-mail: scottfee@usa.pipeline.com1988 -- Vacant
1990 -- Jay Jorden
1991 -- Eileen C. O'Malley and the VPI Cave Club
1992 -- Vacant
1994 -- George Jaegers & Family
1996 -- Sheilarae Carpentier Lau and the Boston Grotto
1997 -- Kim Metzgar & Loyalhanna Grotto
1998 -- Dave Luckins & Michigan Interlakes GrottoSpeleo Digest Committee Report
Progress
The NSS News article on Speleo Digest has generated some activity. The 1995 Speleo Digest inventory is now just over 100 copies.
The editor of the 1997 Speleo Digest complied a list of all NSS publications that she had not received and I subsequently posted this listing on the Cavers Digest. This posting generated a lot of activity and helped to further clarify to many Internal Organizations (IOs) how the Speleo Digest material gets into the actual book.
Plans
I am planning to run some classified ads to effectively sell out the 1995 Speleo Digest by December 1997. This should help to promote the 1996 and 1997 Speleo Digests which will be published quickly (back to back).
Problems
Even with the Cavers Digest posting there are still many misunderstandings out there. A few of the IOs thought that one of the NSS Library Copies was given to the Speleo Digest Committee, and a few others were still submitting to the previous address.
Unpublished Digests
1988: Vacant
Progress & Problems: The material was returned to Scott Fee at the July 1997 SERA Cave Carnival.
Plans: Find a motivated Editorial team.
1990: Jay Jorden
Progress: None
Plans: To obtain the 1990 Speleo Digest material and find an editorial team.
Problems: Jay attempted to mail the 1990 Speleo Digest material in June to me, but the package got returned due to a "screwup with United Parcel Service."
1991: Eileen C. O'Malley & VPI
Progress: Approximately 70 files typed and 20 graphics scanned. No layout done as yet.
Plans & Problems: Many typists left for the summer, and two have told her they can't do any more. She has recruited two more typists and a graphics scanner so that she can begin the layout.
She says she is WAY behind schedule. She is currently recruiting additional typists, but probably won't be able to "catch up" at this point.
Eileen also submitted two large batches of material to Scott Fee to be typed. He has "contracted" with Martha Hendrix to assist the committee with typing preparation. Martha has diligently typed the material and it will be mailed to Eileen by 30 September. VPI should be in full session now, so hopefully further typists should not be a problem. With a little luck, we can still produce this Speleo Digest by the time of the 1998 NSS National Convention.
1992: Vacant
Progress: None.
Plans & Problems: Find a motivated editorial team.
1994: George Jaegers & Family
Progress: George is scanning all the text into the computer by going through each grotto's newsletters in alphabetical order. He is up to "m" at this time and things are working smoothly. He is also editing these articles for content, spelling, etc., and is capturing more articles than he will probably use in the final version to make layout easier. He has over 100 articles, stories, reports, cartoons, poems, etc. on the computer at this time and expects to complete text input by November 1997. Graphics scanning is being done along with the associated text, but he has yet to clean up some of the images. He should finish graphics scanning by December 1997 and editing by the end of the year. He is working on rough layouts for the various sections, but will not get serious about layout until he has completed most of the capturing and editing process.
Plans: George was running behind schedule due to convention and the Old Timer’s Reunion along with some computer problems, but has taken care of the distractions and hardware and is moving faster than he expected at this time. He anticipates he should be able to produce the final product on time if not earlier.
Problems: The biggest problem at this time is the quality of the graphics in many of the newsletters. They are going to require a lot of cleanup work so, since he has gotten a handle on text input, he is farming out much of the graphics cleanup work to team members with computer capabilities.
1996: Sheilarae Carpentier Lau & Boston Grotto
Progress: They have selected 219 articles, 200 of which are scanned, proofed, etc. They have not been so terrific with graphics, of which only about 15 percent are scanned.
Plans: During September they are scanning 1/3 of the remaining graphics and will layout their first chapter. In October they will scan another third of the graphics while complete layout through the "M" states. In November they plan to complete graphics scanning and layout the rest of book. In December they will deliver the 1996 Speleo Digest on a Zip disk. Since we understand the 1997 Speleo Digest will be nearing completion as well, we're aiming to deliver earlier rather than later in December.
Problems: They fell behind on the graphics scanning, but have gotten a sizable team working together, so they don't anticipate a problem with delivering the 1996 Speleo Digest this December, as originally planned. This means delivery to the NSS Office in January, 1998.
1997: Kim Metzgar & Loyalhanna Grotto
Progress: She has gone through over 300 newsletters and made the selections. She has over 200 articles typed in (probably more). She also has 325 pages laid out. Kim mailed Scott the first few chapters. Her layout looks super! The layout will easily accommodate addition of more articles as she receives them. She has about a half dozen articles to place into the layout. I guess you could say she is caught up until she receives the next batch.
Plans: To keep up with submissions, so as to stay on schedule.
Kim hopes to receive all of the newsletters for 1997 by 31 January 1998. Scott Fee thinks this is not a problem. She will most likely take a week off work at the end of February and complete the 1997 Speleo Digest then. Kim had some volunteers ready to help her, but aside from a proofreader she will probably just do it all herself. It is less work keeping track of who has what that way.
Kim is figuring that if her proofreader can get it read in 4-6 weeks, she can have the corrections done by mid-April, and probably ship it out by the end of that month. Scott Fee thinks that with a little luck we can expect this one at the 1998 NSS National Convention!
Problems: None.
1998: Dave Luckins & Michigan Interlakes Grotto
Progress: Dave convinced me he would be bored after his term as NSS President, so I approved his application as 1998 Speleo Digest editor.
Plans: To begin shipping newsletters to Dave Luckins not later than February 1998.
Problems: None.
David McClurg (Chairman)
104 Graves Ct
Vallejo, CA 94591-5704Phone: (707) 642-5528
Fax: (707) 642-5528
E-mail: dmcclurg@halcyon.comTom 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
As of September 1997, we have sold about 4000 copies. This is about the same or slightly ahead of the 10 year sales record of the first edition, which averaged about 5,000 per year.
Plans
When the stock gets down to about 3,000 copies (present stock is 6500), we will begin work on the reprint. We will update the book as necessary and correct the typos that have inevitably turned up. Both the authors and I are keeping a file of known glitches.
We repeat the request of the last report. Anyone reading this should let us know (Padgett, Smith, or McClurg) if any errors are spotted. This error reporting could be a big help to us. As you know, it's really easy to miss mistakes when you're close to the project.
Problems
None
CMW-2
CAVE MINERALS OF THE WORLD, by Carol Hill and Paolo Forti
Progress
As planned, Cave Minerals was completed the first week of August and delivered to the International Congress of Speleology (UIS) in Switzerland. Four hundred copies were shipped to the Zurich airport. I picked up the 34 cartons with a rented car (part of a train/auto Eurail Pass so there was no cost to the NSS) and delivered them to the Congress.
The book was extremely well received and gained universal praise including an award from the UIS as the best speleological book released since the last congress. Some 160 copies were sold---many of them during a special author (including contributing authors) autographing session on Tuesday after the sessions were over. We also delivered some 30 copies to folks who had prepaid the NSS bookstore and requested delivery there.
An errata sheet correcting three minor errors was added to all 408 copies before they were sold or delivered in Switzerland and was also added by the printer inside the shrink wrap to the other 4600 copies before they were delivered to the Bookstore.
Plans
So far about 1,000 copies of CMW-2 have been sold. This has brought in at least $50,000 of income so far.
To generate sales, I am preparing a promotional flyer with a reduced size reproduction (about 3x4 inches) of the front cover complete with its sensational photo of the blue speleothems. This flyer will be mailed out to 137 university and science book stores and 369 public libraries nationwide.
A review for the NSS News has been written by George Moore. For those of you who might not recognize the name, Moore is a past NSS president, the author---with Brother Nick--- of "Speleology," and the geologist who originated the word speleothem.
Problems
None. The monsoons have come and gone. Your prayers and incantations, solicited in the last report, were welcomed and appear to have been wildly successful.
SPELEOGENESIS
SPELEOGENESIS: The Evolution of Karst Aquifers, by Alexander Klimchouk
Progress
This is the scientific book that Alexander Klimchouk of the Ukraine has been working on as the main editor for about three years with the UIS Speleogenesis Study Group. During the past few months the book has progressed a great deal, due largely to the hard work and thinly veiled threats of editor Klimchouk. The manuscript and illustrations may even be ready for us to begin production in the spring of 1998. If so the expected completion date would be in early 1999.
Plans
We are drafting a publishing contract for review by EVP Wefer and the NSS legal chairman Joel Stevenson. The contract will be between the NSS and editor Klimchouk. It will be signed by the NSS president, the secretary/treasurer, and Klimchouk.
This committee sent out requests for printing quotes to 11 short run printers and has received three quotes to date. The book will have an estimated 288 pages with about 250 drawings and 40 black and white halftones. Front and back covers will be in color. The interior of the book will have text in black, with a second color added to make the many drawings easier to read and comprehend. We used a second color in CMW-2 and it really helped in communicating complex scientific data in tables and graphs.
Based on a print run of 2000 copies, total first-run production and shipping costs would be about $12.50 per book (25 K$) for soft cover, and $15 per book (30 K$) for hard bound with a Kivar cover (like CMW-2).
For pricing, a publishing rule-of-thumb is four to five times first-run production costs. Applying that rule, this book could probably be priced at $65 to $70 for a hard-bound Kivar cover (like CMW-2), or $55 to $60 for a paper-cover perfect-bound version.
Problems
None.
CAVE RESCUE
CAVE RESCUE MANUAL, coordinated by Butch Feldhaus
Progress
Real progress has been made on this manual with the recent decision to "adopt" a revised edition of the NCRC Eastern Region cave rescue study guide.
Plans
Complete the revision and redraft the drawings into a more consistent style.
Problems
None.
ON FILM
ON FILM, Techniques and Technology of American Cave Photography, edited by John Van Swearingen
Progress
Significant progress has been made by editor J. Van Swearingen on this book. About 80% of this book is in the editing stage now.
Plans
Target completion date is still the 1998 convention, but this date may slip a few months.
Problems
None.
CAVE MANAGEMENT
U.S. CAVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, editorship is vacant
Progress
Nothing new to report. Current editor is gone. A new editor is still being sought.
Plans
After the 1997 convention, I contacted Rob Stitt of the Cave Management Section once more. But so far, I haven't had a report on his efforts to find a new editor and get this project off center.
Problems
Too early to tell.
CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION
SPELEOTHEM CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION, by Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker
Progress, Plans, and Problems
This new project is still in the early stages.
GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS
CAVES OF THE GUADALUPE MOUNTAINS, by Michael Queen
Progress
This new book by Michael Queen is making slow but careful progress. The author and two collaborating photographers are shooting new photos now in accord with the outline that I reviewed with them earlier this year.
As far as the quality of the photos is concerned, the book will compare very favorably with the Lechuguilla book from Speleo Projects. But the text will be considerably expanded and broadened to include the geology, history, and exploration story of each cave. Personal stories and anecdotes of the cavers who made the original discoveries will be included. It should be a fascinating book and very appealing to our membership and cavers everywhere.
The book will cover Carlsbad Caverns, Lechuguilla, Cottonwood, Three Fingers, Madonna, Virgin, and several other caves on Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Lincoln National Forest, and BLM lands.
Plans
This committee will be preparing a draft publishing contract between the NSS and author Michael Queen.
Problems
None
CAVING BASICS
CAVING BASICS, by Tom Rea
Progress and Plans
Stock of this perennially popular book has run low again, so committee member Tom Rea isworking on the reprint. He has been keeping a log of minor errors and possible updates and has incorporated these into the reprint as needed.
PROBLEMS
None foreseen.
G. Thomas Rea (Coordinator)
8677 S State Road 243
Cloverdale, IN 46120-9696Home: (765) 653-4423
E-mail: trea@tdsnet.comProgress
Working on Caving Basics reprint.
Plans
Get the book reprinted.
Problems
None.
EVP Comments
There is a motion on the agenda for the 08 November 1997 NSS Board of Governors Meeting to abolish this committee and transfer its functions to the Special Publications Committee, of which Tom Rea is also member. It was at Tom’s suggestion that I placed this motion on the agenda.
Louise D. Hose (Editor)
Department of Environmental Studies
501 Westminster Avenue
Westminster College
Fulton, MO 65251-1299Home: 573-642-4399
Work: 573-592-5303
Fax: 573-592-1217
E-Mail: HoseL@jaynet.wcmo.eduJames A. Pisarowicz (Production Editor)
343 N. 9th St.
Custer, SD 57730Home: 605-673-5582(h)
Work: 605-745-4600(w)
E-Mail: pisaro@rmii.com
BOARD OF EDITORS
David Ashley (Life Sciences)
George Huppert (Conservation)
Doug Medville (Exploration)
Ira D. Sasowsky (Earth Sciences /Journal Index)
Marion O. Smith (Social Sciences)
Patty Jo Watson (Anthropology)
Betty Wheeler (Book Reviews)
ADVISORY BOARD
Rane Curl
Andrew Flurkey
Horton Hobbs
Albert Krause
James Mead
John Mylroie
James Nepstad
Thomas Strong
William B. WhiteProgress
Volume 59, Number 2 has been mailed and received by some members as of 23 September 1997. It is a rather thin issue as we are trying to stay within the budget and the next issue will be another monster.
Volume 59, Number 3 is presently being laid-out by Jim Pisarowicz. In addition to several general articles, the first articles in a two-part mini-symposium on Appalachian Cave Archeology is slated to appear. This mini-symposium was convened by David Hubbard at the 1996 NSS National Convention in Blacksburg, VA. Because of over-commitments to special issues when I became editor, Dave agreed to split this symposium into two issues to allow more timely publication. Otherwise, we would have had to wait until next summer or a lot of worthy general publications would have had to wait too long following acceptance.
This December issue will also include the abstracts from the 1997 NSS National Convention in Sullivan, MO and also the annual index. Jim hopes to have the proofs to Ira Sasowsky in early October so that he can turn the index around by early November. Jim and I both plan to be in Mexico in December. We expect to have the December issue in the mail by 01 December.
I have completed preparing the refereed material for Volume 60, Number 1 (March 1998 issue) and it is sitting with Jim ready for lay-out. He also hopes to work on it while the proofs are being reviewed. That issue will include the remaining papers from the mini-symposium on Appalachian Cave Archeology and several general papers.
Carol Wicks continues to work on a Special Issue on Isla de Mona for the summer issue (Volume 60, Number 2). All indications are that the project is moving along satisfactorily.
The editors and advisory board met in Sullivan, MO and agreed on some criteria for selecting papers, and we made a slight change in Guidelines to Authors to reflect these new criteria. The basic change is a stated preference to papers "important to North American speleology." That means that the preferred papers will either be extremely important to speleology in general or will be specifically important to North American research.
Dave Lester and I have been making some progress towards approaching advertisers for the Journal. I have made a list of potential advertisers, products, addresses, etc. Dave has drafted material and letters to send prospective advertisers, and he has solicited advice and support from the NSS News staff.
Plans
• Continue working on developing advertising in the Journal.
• Translate some of this effort into developing a web page.
• Provide faster turn-arounds and more regular book reviews.
Problems
We continue to have problems with too many high quality submissions, particularly in geology. I have asked Ira to tighten the standards on acceptance following the guidelines mentioned above. Despite this request, we have two papers recommended by Ira that will not appear until next December (if at all) unless unexpected extra pages become available. I have e-mailed one (Russian) author notifying him of the situation and offering to allow him to withdraw the manuscript if he found the delay unacceptable. The author has agreed to wait until next fall if more pages do not come available before then. I have not contacted the other author yet as that paper only arrived last week.
I am unhappy with the wildly irregular page count of the Journal, but it seems necessary as long as the December issue carries both the convention abstracts (which I hope to continue) and index (which belong in the volume's terminal issue) and the special issues tend to be page hogs. We do not have enough money to make all issues longer, although such a windfall would solve both listed problems. Advertising could help fill in this gap.
The pressure for pages for the accepted papers has nearly eliminated the "light news" section. This seems like the best choice to keep our potential authors from fleeing due to inordinate time delays, but we are diminishing an attractive part of the issue to non-scientists members.
There have been a few complaints, mostly from two members of the history session, about the tightened enforcement on convention abstracts. I have corresponded with them and our History Associate Editor, Marion Smith, about the matter. I believe this is mostly a problem of inertia and will resolve itself when contributors learn the new expectations. A comment I have heard from contributors in several fields is, "Well, the Bulletin always published my abstracts before and never enforced the word limit or other restrictions." At this point in time, I feel our page space is too valuable to use on poorly written, no content, or extremely long abstracts.
EVP Comments
There is a motion on the agenda for the 08 November 1997 NSS Board Meeting to create a fund to which people can contribute in support of JCKS. This fund would be used, in addition to advertising, to help make it possible to print more pages. While having too many high-quality submissions to JCKS is a problem, it is a wonderful problem to have.
Dave Bunnell (Editor)
320 Brook Rd.
Boulder Creek, CA 95006-9717Phone: (408) 338-3853
E-mail: nssnews@goodearth.comBonnie Crystal (Virtual Caving)
John Stembel, or Elizabeth Rousseau (Proofreading)
Scott Fee (Advertising Manager)
Daniel Hazelton (Technology)
Dave Jagnow (Conservation)
Bill Klimack (In the Media)
Bob Springston (Newsletter Review)
Bill Cuddington (Techniques and Safety)
Peri Frantz (Down Through the Decades)Progress
I have currently produced 14 issues which have all been printed, and have just completed the 15th (October) issue. To my knowledge all of these have been received in the proper calendar month. More of the advertisers are getting used to the digital production of the News and almost all now submit their ads that way. Something like 90% of News material comes via e-mail, making it easier than ever to have a fast turnaround for material.
For the second year in a row the cartographic salon medal winner(s) will be printed in the News, but this time in the convention issue as a centerfold.
This may or may not count as progress, but I have been laid off from my other full-time job and will now have more time to devote to the News.
Plans
I plan to continue as I have with a 32-page issue as the standard, and the color centerspread.
I will continue the Salon Gallery this year. We had many fewer award winners this year, so I will run those at larger size, and then use the color as I have recently for some of the feature articles.
I plan to introduce more innovations in the graphic design of the News now that I will have more time to devote to it.
Soon the News issues will be archived on CD-ROM (transferred from Jaz), now that I have purchased a recorder, and I could make copies available to the office or library if they are interested.
Camille Duke is planning a regular column on doings at the office.
I have had enough complaints about the cave trek cartoon that I am going to discontinue it.
Problems
I currently have no major problems to speak of. I sure had a major problem getting the 1997 NSS National Convention folks to produce a wrap-up article and send the pictures their photographer was producing. Then when they came, they were disappointingly few. I am going to need to start shooting more of the convention coverage myself. And I am wondering, if it isn't already so, whether we could add something to the requirements given to convention planners that someone on the staff produce an article within, say, two months of the finish of the convention.
The payment situation has gotten pretty bad recently. I haven't received honoraria for either the August or September issues yet. Also, it would be good to have more regular reports from the treasurer on News expenses since I don't get these otherwise. I've been unable to do much on the accounting side for this fiscal year.
EVP Comments
I believe the reimbursement situation has already been resolved.
Lois Lyles (Chairman/Editor)
P.O. Box 95
Los Alamos, NM 87544-0095Phone: (505) 455-2565
Fax: (505) 455-1122
E-mail: lois@rt66.comVince Kappler (Board Information)
Evelyn Bradshaw (Grotto Information)
Bill Bussey (Section Information)
David Taylor (Survey Information)
Office Staff (Members Listing)Progress
Invoices were sent out to all advertisers, and Scott Fee informs me that all invoices have been paid. Final printing and shipping invoices were sent to Paul Stevens for payment. Shipping costs were considerably more than allotted for in my budget due to postal increases, but the amount I was able to save on the printing end covered the extra cost and left me $50 below budget.
I have been working a little with Camille to further fine tune the macro used to format the membership listings. We discussed the problem regarding the alpha order of the listings and will be implementing ways to avoid this in any future issue. Having one complete issue of the Members Manual under my belt, I look forward to producing the next one with more efficiency and accuracy.
Plans
I am pursuing the idea of running a section in the Members Manual which would function as a Directory of Services for members of the NSS. This could include listings for NSS members who are professional consultants, as well as private businesses who wish to cater to caver clientele. I will be approaching individuals in October about this idea to see if there might be interest. If so, I will run a small advert. in the NSS News promoting this new section of the Manual, probably in the December issue. Listings in this directory will be alphabetized under specific headings if I get enough listings to do this. I believe this would be a useful tool to researchers and cavers alike who need special services and wish to patronize fellow cavers.
Based upon the price per page of the Members Manual, I project that these listings would be sold for $15 per column inch, minimum order one column inch. This is approximately the same cost per column inch as classified listings in the NSS News. This would also ensure that each additional page used for the directory would actually pay for approximately 2 1/2 pages of regular listings, so would help defray the cost of printing the Manual.
Finally, I am slowly constructing a handbook to guide the next Members Manual editor through the steps required to produce this publication, along with an approximate time line to help with scheduling.
Problems
I have no problems to report at this time.
Fred L. Wefer (NSS EVP)
P.O. Box 47
McDowell, VA 24458Work: (703) 883-7640
Fax: (703) 883-3315
Home: (540) 396-3543
E-mail: fwefer@mitre.orgProgress
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: The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
PoC: Christine E. Miles
Date: 18 July 1997
PtR: Permission to use an illustration from NSS Bulletin, Vol. 22, Part I, Page 49 in Chapter 56 of The Geology of Pennsylvania. The chapter is by William B. and Elizabeth L. White.
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Org: Cleveland Museum of Natural History
PoC: Rachael Duncan
Date: 07 August 1997
PtR: Permission to use slide images from the Audio-Visual Service of the NSS in a display and free literature concerning caves.
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Org: Huntsville Grotto
PoC: Paul J. Meyer
Date: 03 August 1997
PtR: Permission to use the NSS logo on educational materials developed as a result of funding by Legacy Inc.-Partners in Environmental Education.
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Org: personal
PoC: Rich Geisler
Date: 11 July 1997
PtR: Permission to use the NSS logo and name on organizational license plates in the State of Virginia.
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Org: Southeastern Cave Conservancy (SCC)
PoC: Scott Fee
Date: 12 August 1997
PtR: Permission for a one-time use of the NSS mailing list for members in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia for the purpose of soliciting contributions to the SCC.
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Org: Ukrainian American Youth Caver Exchange Foundation (UAYCEF)
PoC: Chris Nicola
Date: 23 September 1997
PtR: Permission to use the NSS Grotto mailing list to seek contributions to the UAYCEF.
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Plans
Continue to handle requests as they appear.
Problems
None.
Respectfully submitted,
Fred L. Wefer (NSS-EVP)