Progress:
The cave is open for the summer. Ed Lucas and crew dug
out the Ack’s Shack entrance on 6/23/02. No work has been
done on the property except for taking care of the parking lot
and some poison ivy along the trail.
Plans
The Halls Hole entrance gate will be installed <date
to be established>. Repairs to the Acks Shack entrance gate
are also required. Debris from a storm last week needs to be
removed from Disappointment Pit and Hanors Cave entrance. Work
may need to be done (e.g., installation of a culvert) to
stabilize the Halls Hole entrance to prevent further collapse.
Problems:
There are no reported problems.
Trips (including those previously not reported):
| Date | Purpose | Number of People |
| 5/4/02 | Geology Field Trip (surface) | ? |
| 6/23/02 | Recreation | 3 |
| 6/29/02 | Recreation | 4 |
| 6/30/02 | Recreation | 5 |
| 7/6/02 | Recreation | ? |
| 7/13/02 | Recreation | 5 |
| 7/16/02 | Recreation | ? |
| 7/20/02 | Recreation | ? |
| 8/2/02 | Recreation | ? |
| 8/5/02 | Recreation | ? |
| 8/10/02 | Recreation | ? |
| 8/18/02 | Recreation | ? |
Respectfully Submitted,
Thomas C. Rider
McFails Cave Preserve Manager
Plans:
We are in the process of taking bids for the Shelta
fencing project and expect to have these bids by early September
2002. We plan to install a bat friendly fence on the property in
favor of the current restrictive gates in the October timeframe.
We will assemble a list of objective criteria for selection of a
fencing contractor, as we believe we will have at least two
serious bids that will satisfy the needs of the project. We will
begin to devise a bat monitoring program with the State of
Alabama Department of Conservation to be implemented within the
next year.
Progress:
Fundraising for the Shelta fence has been completed and
was quite successful. We even have possible monies for
maintenance. To date, donations were received from 31
individuals, 35 internal organizations, the NSS, Bat Conservation
International, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bob and Bob, The
Robertson Association, Wal-Mart Foundation, and proceeds from the
2002 NSS convention auction. A total of $36,668.45 has been
pledged or raised from this effort. Many thanks to all the
individuals who have made this happen, we are most grateful to
Richard Blenz and Earl Biffle for putting us over the top.
Problems:
We continue to have cars parking on the edge of the
preserve property, sometimes blocking the access road to the
lower part of the property. We hope to handle this situation
tactfully and delicately.
Respectfully Submitted,
Paul Meyer
Shelta Cave Preserve Manager
Plans:
The annual Conservacation is scheduled for September 7,
2002. While it is likely that I will have to be overseas for my
work at that time, Bob Hoke and Pauline Apling will co-ordinate
the day's activities.
Progress:
There has been nothing pressing of late, so we continue
to roll along.
Problems:
Thankfully, none.
David West, Manager
John Guilday Cave Preserve
This report will serve, as is normal, as the official record of the Kingston Saltpeter Cave Preserve Committee of the National Speleological Society for the period of time since my last report dated May 13, 2002. This report is a milestone for myself in that it is the fortieth such report I have submitted to the Board of Governors.
There has been a few trips to the Preserve since my last report. The "off-site" projects concerning the study of the fossil record of the Pleistocene deposit continue. In fact on July 25th. Committee member Joel Sneed received via U.S. mail the bulk of the avian fossils that had been in reposit at the Florida Museum of Natural History. They were promptly shipped to the Frank H. McClung Museum, the University of Tennessee, in care of Dr. Paul Parmalee. With this part of the collection now in place, the majority of the fossil record is located in one place. There are some rodent specimens and a few odds and ends either being studied or housed at different places. However, we are very pleased that this major component of the collection is now in place.
On May 25th. Joel and a friend visited the Preserve. They observed a large number of wild turkey on the surface while only spotting a few bats below ground. Some trash was found and removed from inside the cave.
A week later on June 1st my brother Ronald and I carried a small group to the cave for the purpose of checking the property and for a little sport caving. We found that the main entrance gate had been damaged just in that interim. Everything else was O.K. We found no trash outside the cave but did, however, remove some "old" trash located inside. We also found few if any bats and are puzzled by their absence lately.
On June 18th. Committee member Dan Hills and I led a group of Georgia teachers, Weinman Mineral Museum personnel and Dan's daughter on a trip into Kingston Saltpeter Cave after a classroom session at the museum. We take a group of teachers each year for the museum in partnership with the Georgia continuing education program. We try to expose the group each year to the cave environment and its, life forms. Hopefully they can in-turn better instruct their students as to the conservation and protection of this environment. After all how can the teacher himself teach what he has not been exposed to? In most cases we find that these teachers have never been in a cave much less a wild cave. They almost always state in their feedback at the end of their weeklong session that the cave trip was the best part of the week.
At present we are making plans to have the gate damage repaired. Though breached, the damage is not too great and can be repaired fairly easily. Of course as to any problems at the Preserve I can only say that we still have a few trespassers, as stated above, some we catch and some we don't. I would suspect that this problem is to be had by any natural area in which there is no on-site caretaker.
To conclude I will say that the Preserve is in good shape despite this small amount of gate damage. The property is clean and in a natural state.
Respectfully submitted,
Larry 0. Blair, Chairman
Kingston Saltpeter Cave Preserve
PLANS:
Before the end of the year, we plan to pull the top
ladder in the entrance pit and replace the top several feet of
the uprights. The original uprights installed about 12 years ago
are oak. Where they hit the concrete platform, the wood has begun
to rot. The new uprights will be either locust (if we can get it)
or a plastic "wood." Neither one should rot.
Come cooler weather more fencing will be done along the property. Areas of concentration will be where our property crosses the Iroquois Gas transmission line and the east edge of the main parcel.
PROGRESS:
There were a number of trips this year. I made my first
tour of the entire property in a couple of years. The access road
runs close to the south edge of the main parcel and the north
section is not easily accessible. There are a few old logging
roads through it. There have been some storm damage, but the
property shows no evidence of human visitation.
PROBLEMS:
As noted above the oak uprights of the upper ladder have
begun to rot where they touch the concrete platform in the
entrance sink. ATVs continue to be a problem. They are not
damaging the property and keeping them off would be impossible.
However, they are leaving our property at inappropriate locations
and riding onto Neil Baumann's property. To accomplish this, the
ATVers have removed less permanent obstructions such as trees and
brush. Fencing will be placed in these areas.
Larry Davis, Emily's brother, had a slight accident while climbing out of the cave. He lost his footing in a chimney below the ladder and fell 10 feet and rolled farther. He got right up and got out of the cave on his own. Once out of the cave he developed considerably more pain in his ankle. His quick exit probably eliminated the need for a rescue.
Respectfully Submitted,
Thomas Engel,
Chairman, BHKP Committee
(No Report received this period)
Here's an update on what's happening at the Donald R. Russell Cave Preserve.
Visitation has been limited to scientific studies, primarily monitoring Ozark big eared bats at the hibernaculum on an infrequent basis and some paleontology studies. One new discovery I made was the fossil remains of a pleistocene tapir in Sassafras Cave ... about 1200 feet long, which underlies the Preserve. This is a different cave than the one described in the Preserve description. The paleontological work was done by the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, under Nicholas Czaplewski (NSS 27416).
This was the first tapir reported from the Oklahoma Ozark Highland and only the second report of Pleistocene megafauna from a cave in eastern Oklahoma. The first reported Pleistocene megafauna was a short-faced bear tooth "Arctodus" found in Three Forks Cave only a few hundred meters away from Sassafras Cave.
Also of note was the first fossil record of the silver-haired bat in Oklahoma. This was also found at the site of the tapir in Sassafras Cave.
The other tract of land that contains Lindabearpaw Cave receives little or no visitation because of its remoteness. On my last inspection about a month ago, it appeared unvisited and still contained a large colony of grey myotis bats.
Respectfully Submitted,
Clayton Russell (NSS 9487)
PLANS and PROGRESS
Much remains the same in these two areas. The summer is
a busy season, cavers enjoy the cave and Cabin, and the Preserve
looks good. I got an absolutely heartwarming email from a caver
traveling thru the area and stopping at the Cabin. He was
thrilled at the new (1995) Cabin and what we had done with the
property. This is my "pay" for being Committee
Chairman. This ALMOST balances the big Problem below; ALMOST.
OTHER PLANS
The Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. is discussing
organizing a massive Spring 2003 cleanup of the 13 acres of
Preserve property - it needs it. More details will follow in the
next report.
NOW, THE PROBLEM. The Dead Dog Incident now downgraded to the Dog Incident.
On 6/1/02, six cavers (one NSS member, the trip leader) stayed at the Cabin with 5(?) dogs. Friday night a dog fight erupted, and one dog was seriously injured. Emergency vet care was sought (Here the story has variations), finally one caver said that he "would take care of the fatally injured dog for its owner." He asked for a black trash bag from other cavers at the Cabin. The other cavers left after supplying the trash bag, having enough of noise and conflict. Allegedly, the trip leader didn't learn of the disposition of the carcass or any details. Emily Davis heard a rumor of a dog carcass on the property in early June, notified me by e-mail, but neither one of us checked it out or reacted properly. I want the Board to understand that this occurred shortly before Convention 02, that both Emily and I were heavily involved with Convention as volunteers, and that Convention is one of Speleobook's largest income producing events. I work 13-14 hour days and drive 288 miles five days a week. Yes, we are both volunteers with responsibilities, but the Board must note that we both have obligations to our respective private and family lives. Emily and Mike, along with reassembling Speleobooks at home after Convention, took on the additional heavy responsibility of hosting the weeklong NCRC. It was not until mid-July that I reacted with Emily's prompting by having her call the Schoharie County Sheriff's office to investigate. They referred the incident to the Department of Environmental Conservation's Officer, an individual with full law enforcement powers in the state of New York. He investigated, but could only find a decomposed fox or dog in the pinewoods near Cook Road. It was not in a black trash bag and could not be identified as much of anything without DNA testing. This would be expensive and time consuming to the Department so it was not done.
Two legal questions were outstanding:
1. Was there unusual cruelty in killing the dog? It is not
illegal to kill an animal in New York State, vets and farmers do
it all the time, only the cruelty issue can be addressed.
2. Was the proper procedure followed in disposing of the carcass?
This is an important watershed affecting several wells a few
hundred yards downstream.
Legal Facts in the Case - Frankly we have none, and the Encon Officer stated this - we have no eyewitnesses; we have no evidence. I have asked for signed statements from the dog's owner and the individual who allegedly killed the dog. I mailed six certified letters requesting specifically that those two give a signed response. I also clearly stated the none of the six could enter the property until this issue was resolved and promised that the Preserve Committee would reach a decision within ten days of receiving those two statements. Five of the six cavers signed for the certified letter.
Two cavers sent signed statements. No details were offered in spite of my request for answers to specific questions. In fact, one caver was "...at the campfire..." and that "...events did not take place there..." "...if they took place...", and that "On the way home I was told that one of the dogs was killed the night before."
Neither the dog's owner nor the individual who allegedly killed the dog has offered statements, although both received the certified letter.
Based on the last three paragraphs, the Schoharie Caverns Preserve Committee (Emily-Manager, Peter Teresco-Registrar, and I-Chairman) will meet and reach a decision. We are trying to do this before Labor Day weekend, but time is severely limited for all of us. I will inform you of that decision as soon as have it, and the cavers will be told as well. This will be done before Fall NRO, 9/14.
The biggest problem by far has been from the trip leader. I had to specifically ban her from the property in an email 7:36 A.M. on a Friday in July when she wanted to return to the cabin. This was short notice and it was before I issued a formal ban on the six visiting the property. This was the Friday when I finally realized the severity of the incident and the legal questions that it imposed. I could not allow any of them on the property until it was resolved, and then the lengthy certified letter process commenced. It is understandable that my Friday A.M. decision imposed hardships on the trip leader, and she by far has been the most vocal. It is interesting to note in the quantity and quality of her responses that specific facts of the incident have not been offered. In fact, she is quite certain that a trip leader has little or no responsibility when visiting Society property.
Yes, you can have all the gory e-mails and letters if you want them, and yes, they have been informed of the chain of command within the NSS and their right to appeal the committee's decision.
Interesting, huh?
Speleologically,
Bob Addis, Chairman
Alachua was divable for most of the quarter with best visibility occurring earlier in the year. Summer temperatures and rain fall has generated increased algae levels and clouding do to runoff in the basin. Upstream and downstream still remain clear with minimal amounts of particulate and some influence from mill creek.
There were no meetings this quarter. The are two new guides who began tours this quarter, Cindy Butler and Frank Ohidy.
As usual, summer dives are limited due to the physical nature of dive preparation, heat and decreased basin visibility. A committee meeting will be scheduled for winter or spring to discuss building of the new path and steps , mowing and changing the name of Alachua Sink to Mill Creek Sink (there is an Alachua Sink in Gainesville, Florida. The county has officially changed the name on county and state maps to Mill Creek Sink. Mill Creek is the official name of the creek/drainage basin that drains into “Alachua Sink” owned by the NSS).
The NSS/CDS workshop on Memorial Day brought several divers to Alachua sink for tours of the system.
Condition of the property continues to be great. 99+% of trash
has been removed, there is little erosion, trees and other
vegetation appear healthy, the low land is moist but not flooded,
and plans to mow the camping area will be finalized at the next
meeting. Underwater cave condition is still close to pristine
with little evidence of divers ever
having been there. This system is truly a special place.
Jim C. Taylor
NOTE: This report only updates from the previous report submitted May 2002
Plans:
Progress:
Problems:
Possible Future Plans:
Submitted by,
Garrett Czmor, NSS 22709(R)(FE)
Tytoona Cave Preserve Manager and Chairman.