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SERA Winter Business Meeting 2008
Detailed Minutes - Treasurer's Report
SERA Winter Business Meeting 2008- Detailed Minutes
Hosted by Dogwood City GrottoThe 2008 SERA Winter Business Meeting (SWBM) was held in Lafayette GA at the bank of Lafayette at 105 N. Main Street. The event was hosted by the Dogwood City Grotto. Sixty three cavers were in attendance.
Chairman Martha Mills called the meeting to order at 9:15 AM. Also in attendance were vice-chairman John Attaway and Secretary/Treasurer Jim Wilbanks. Mills introduced the map salon run by Brent Aulenbach, and Glenn Mills who was running the photo/art salon. She spoke about the SERA awards mentioning that no landowners had been nominated. She introduced Brian Roebuck who had produced the SERA newsletter.
Don Feathers of the Mountain Empire Grotto spoke about the upcoming 2008 SERA Cave Carnival. He showed a presentation on the site and spoke of the caves and other recreational possibilities in the area.
Mark Joop with East Tennessee Grotto reported on the 2007 SERA Cave Carnival. He spoke about the record attendance and the beer consumption.
Matthew Garrett from East Tennessee also spoke about the upcoming SWBM they are hosting. He also spoke about a conservation project which will be featured at the meeting. Grassy Cove Saltpeter Cave is being acquired by the state of Tennessee. In order to keep the state from gating the property, several grottos are going to attempt to clean it up. There ensued a general discussion about gates and spraypainters.
Mark Joop then reported about the Cave Carnival Enhancement Committee. Mark distributed a survey to be distributed to SERA grottos. He spoke about the purpose of a region and financial reward.
Jim Wilbanks began a discussion about White Nose Syndrome. Several attendees spoke about the problem and discussed the SCCI’s warning and about means to minimize risk of transmission. The main method is washing caving gear between caves.
Next were the grotto activity reports.
Lynn Roebuck reported the Southport Chronic Cavers were busy with exploration, and mapping. John Attaway said that Birmingham Grotto was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary soon and had taken up management of Anderson Cave for the SCCI. Gerald Moni reported the Tennessee Cave Survey has passed 9100 documented caves. He reported there were 205 over one mile in length. Avis Moni spoke for Huntsville. She said the grotto was busy with the Fern Cave Survey, The Bankhead National Forest and had two grotto trips every month. Mark Joop reported for the SCCI on the purchase of Frenchman’s Knob and Tumbling Rock. Alan Padgett reported for Pigeon Mountain Grotto and their continuing efforts to clean up Pettyjohn’s cave. He stated 10,000 people accessed the cave every year. He spoke of their role in opening up the caves in Cloudland Canyon State park. Nathan Gatlin reported for Central Alabama Grotto that they were mapping a small cave and working with Birmingham Grotto gating Graves Cave. They continue to work at Talladega Speedway and have a new website. John Hoffelt talked about Tennessee Central Basin Grotto. They have moved their meetings to Middle Tennessee State University and are working on mapping and managing Snail Shell Cave for the SCCI. Chrys Hulbert said the Nashville Grotto was hosting SERA 2009 and had a site selection committee. They have also been cleaning up Indian Grave Point Cave, managing Swirl Canyon, Hardin’s Cave and Logston’s for the SCCI. Anne Elmore reported Spencer Mountain Grotto was managing Rocky River and working on the trails in Blue Springs Cave. Jane Morgan reported about Dogwood City Grotto. They finished the Frick’s Gazebo for the SCCI and a new pavilion for the TAG site. Chuck Canfield is the chair of the upcoming TAG. They still have the “adopt a mile” in Dade county, and participated in the Case and Sittons caves cleanups. They have a weekly ropes course and a new webmaster. Carol Jackson reported for the Augusta Cave Masters that they were doing karst education. Don Feathers spoke for Mountain Empire that SERA/VAR was coming along and they are surveying Perkins Cave, Omega Cave and Corkskrew Cave. Brad Barker reported the Clock Tower Grotto cleaned up Talley Cave and are training members to survey. Matthew Garrett spoke for East Tennessee Grotto about the Grassy Cove project. They have also adopted the highway nearby, worked the Cherokee Caverns Haunted House, worked on Cumberland Gap Cave and are hosting the Board of Governors Meeting in March as well as next year’s SWBM. Matthew also spoke for Smoky Mountain Grottos work on secret mapping. Jonny Prouty reported for Chattanooga Grotto. They have lots of new members and are meeting at the Chattanooga Nature Center. Maureen Handler spoke for Sewanee Mountain Grotto. She said they had 25 members. Two members became fellows of the NSS last year. They are working on the Orme Mountain Road project, Horseshoe Bend Cave cleanup. Their recycling efforts at TAG and SERA recently totaled to 800 pounds of Aluminum cans. They are teaching surveying and hosted Pupfest Labor Day weekend for 80 people. Nancy Aulenbach reported for the Georgia Speleological Survey on the book Caves of Bartow County, a compilation bulletin from the eighties, and the Fricks Cave survey. Brian Williamson reported the Middle Georgia Grotto was surveying south Georgia Caves.
The meeting was suspended for lunch at 11:50 AM
The afternoon business meeting convened at 1:20. The grottos and their representatives were:
Augusta Cave Masters, Bill Jackson
Birmingham Grotto, Myrna Attaway
Central Alabama Grotto, Nathan Gatlin
Chattanooga Grotto, Jonny Prouty
Clock Tower Grotto, Brad Barker
Dogwood City Grotto, Jane Morgan
East Tennessee Grotto, Matthew Garrett
Georgia Speleological Survey Nancy Aulenbach
Huntsville Grotto, Avis Moni
Middle Georgia Grotto, Bryan Williamson
Mountain Empire Grotto, Robby Spiegel
Nashville Grotto, Chrys Hulbert
Pigeon Mountain Grotto, Alan Padgett
Sewanee Mountain Grotto, Maureen Handler
Smoky Mountain Grotto, Cheryl Pratt
South Carolina Interstate Grotto, Carol Jackson
Southport Chronic Cavers, Lynn Roebuck
Spencer Mountain Grotto, Anne Elmore
Tennessee Cave Survey, Gerald Moni
Tennessee Central Basin Grotto, John Hoffelt
Next elections were held Tennessee Cave Survey nominated Anne Elmore for Vice Chairman and she was elected unanimously. Birmingham nominated John Hoffelt for Secretary/Treasurer and he was elected unanimously.
The SKTF report was tendered by Maureen Handler and is attached.
Myrna Attaway reported on the Sunday cleanup at Pettyjohn’s from 10-3.
Mark Joop reported that the Cave Carnival Enhancement Committee would remain in force and would tabulate the surveys.
SERA Meritorious Service Awards were next. Two were unanimously awarded.
Jim Wilbanks for nine years of service as the Secretary/Treasurer.
Maureen Handler for the Orme Mountain road cleanup.
Jim Wilbanks moved and Maureen Handler seconded to award the SCCI a $500 grant which was approved unanimously.
The SERA awards committees then met.
Francis McKinney Award- judges were Gerald Moni, Myrna Attaway, and Brad Barker. The winner was Peter “Mudpuppy” Michaud.
Richard Schreiber Award- judges were: Lynn Roebuck, Mark Joop, and Nathan Gatlin. The winner was Paul “Bull” Snook.
Alexis Harris Conservation Award- judges were: Cheryl Pratt, John Attaway, Anne Elmore. The winner was Kristen Bobo.
The Larry Adams Landowner Appreciation Award- was not awarded.
The business meeting was adjourned at 2:25 PM.
At six a banquet of barbeque was consumed along with 70th birthday banana pudding in honor of John Attaway.
The SERA awards were presented.
The 14th annual SERA Map Salon was held The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves and to improve cartographic skills. There were 7 maps entered for competition by four different cartographers representing caves from all three TAG states. Maps were separated into beginner and veteran cartographer categories. All the maps entered were of very good quality and most caves entered were about a mile long or longer in length.
Four of the 7 maps received awards. Merit awards went to maps that reached a certain standard of high quality. Merit awards went to Julie Schenck Brown for Varnedoe Cave, Madison Co., AL (AMD 660) and to Ken Oeser for Bellamy Cave, Montgomery Co., TN (TMY 1). First place in the veteran's category went to Jack Thomison for Welch-Blowing Cave, Putnam Co., TN (TPU 301). First place in the beginner's category and Best of Show went to Johnny Prouty for Pen Fifteen Cave, Dade Co., GA (GDD 622).
Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps!
Judges were Brian Williamson, GA, Brian Roebuck, TN, and Brent Aulenbach, G
A Photo and Art Salon was also held. This year it was hosted by Glenn Mills. There were 3 entries in the Art Salon, 9 entries in the Cave Category, and 21 entries in the Cave Life Category.
Art Salon:
First Place: Myrna Attaway for "Batty Bat"
Second Place: Glenn Mills for "Sinking Cove"
Honorable Mention: Scout Aulenbach for "Growing Columns"
Photo Salon:
Cave Category:
First Place: Anne Elmore for "Spiral"
Second Place: Brian Conners for "Tranquility"
Third Place: Cheryl Pratt for "Sunburst Pit"
Honorable Mention: Brian Conners for "Reflections" and "Rimstone Oasis"
Cave Life Category:
First Place: Brian Conners for "Molting Cricket"
Second Place: Larry Brown for "Reaching for the Stars"
Lynn Roebuck for "A Glimpse Underground"
Third Place: Cheryl Pratt for "Reflections"
Honorable Mention: Larry Brown for "Love Bats"
Cheryl Pratt for "The Sketcher" and "Bolt Climb"
Brian Conners for "Diva Too"
Anne Elmore for "Yum" and "Cute as a Bug"
Lynn Roebuck for "Admist the Underground Forrest"
Tie for the Best of Show:
Anne Elmore for "Sprial" and Brian Conners for "Molting Cricket"
Following the banquet the audience was privileged to see a digital 3D program by Al Hess. Following that was a presentation by Dave Hughes on his book “The Cave Art of Tom Culverwell.
SERA Treasurer’s Report
Southeastern Region
National Speleological Society
2006 Treasurers Report
Beginning Balance $710.26 Income 2006 SERA Cave Carnival 1,125.00 Interest 8.55 Total Income 1,133.55 1,133.55 $1,843.81 Expenses Trophy Update 20.98 Award Frames 6.42 Award Money 150.00 Disbursement to SKTF 375.00 Web Space 12.00 Total Expenses 564.40 564.40 Ending Balance $1,279.41