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SERA Winter Business Meeting '97

Minutes for the 1997 SERA Winter Business Meeting

The 1997 Southeastern Regional Association Winter Business Meeting was held on April 5, 1997 at the Windshape Center at Berry College, in Rome, Georgia. Around forty cavers attended the meeting which was hosted by the Georgia Speleological Survey.

Chairman John Hoffelt called the meeting to order at 1:10 PM.

Michael Gilbert of the Central Alabama Grotto reported on preparations for the 1997 Summer Cave Carnival. He noted that the Raccoon Mtn. Campground was chosen because it was a working campground in the heart of the region. It was not the first choice. There will be a 52 page guidebook, and a live band. Also they will have 31 full hookup sites at$16, and 46 water and electric sites available for $10 for the weekend. The web site for the 1997 SERA Cave Carnival is www.eng.auburn.edu/~freyada/cag_index.html.

The roll was called with twenty four member organizations represented. There are no placards this year. The 1996 Meeting Minutes were approved with a correction noted in the listing of the winners of the Cartographic Salon.

Chairman Hoffelt asked for further discussion about last year's item of recognizing other non-NSS affiliated groups. Don Hunter spoke up and asked his group the Champaign Area Caving Association (CACA) might chose to be recognized, but they had not really thought about it.

The other item of business left over from last year, was the Colonial Pipeline fuel spill on Lookout Mtn. Allen Padgett had given a report on this in the earlier "Reports Session" He added here that cleanup had cost Colonial over one million dollars and 250,000 gallons of oil was still missing. The caves immediately affected by the spill are all back to their original access status. John also reported on another Colonial Pipeline spill in Central Tennessee which occurred close to the Snailshell Cave drainage basin. Most of the fuel was not recovered from this spill either. However, thus far, no fuel has been detected in Snailshell Cave.

Secretary/Treasurer Bill Bussey reported a Beginning Balance of $1380.65. Total Income was $646.82 with $761.52 in Expenses. The Ending Balance was $1265.95.

John Hoffelt stated that we had not published a newsletter this year. He asked if we wanted to still publish a newsletter. Bill Bussey noted that it only costs only around $70 to publish a newsletter. It is sent to the individual grottos so many members might not get to see it. He admitted that she probably didn't publish because she didn't get the minutes on a timely basis. He will strive to get them to her quickly.

Brent Aulenbach said that the newsletter is needed primarily for archiving. Carl Anderson, "Mr. Sotona," said that Shirley viewed the publication as a means of disseminating the minutes from the SERA Winter Business Meetings. He also mentioned that Shirley would probably like to turn over the editing responsibility over to someone else. Don Hunter said he would take over the editorship of the SERA Newsletter after Shirley got out the next newsletter, with the 1997 minutes. It was asked to get more information out earlier on SERA Award criteria and requests for nominations.

In opening up grant proposals, John Hoffelt reminded everyone that SERA had a negative cash flow of $115. He felt negative cash flows were bad business. He thought we could expect to earn approximately $600 from SERA Cave Carnivals. With $300 spent on Awards and the newsletter, we have around $300 to spend on grants.

In an overview of grant requests, April Oberding, after coaching, asked for $200 for the Scotts Gulf Conservation Committee. The Vertical Section wants $100 for gear for Vertical training gear. Also, Bill Bussey requested $100 for a new NSS 20 page booklet titled: Guide to Responsible Caving. Brent Aulenbach noted that we need to keep funds around to help smaller grottos host SERA functions as we have in the past.

Upper Cumberland moved and Chattanooga seconded:

SERA grants up to $100 to the Scotts Gulf Committee for an organizational membership.

Pigeon Mtn. moved and South Carolina Interstate Grotto that:

SERA buy a 100 foot Section of Kennamer Cave for $100 from the Southeastern Cave Conservancy.

Triangle Troglodytes moved and Athens seconded that:

SERA loan the NSS Vertical Section $200 to purchase equipment for their Vertical Techniques Workshop. This loan will be payable within one year. In discussion, Bill Bussey explained the Vertical Section was looking for funds to help cover capital equipment for this years, workshop due to a strained cash flow situation.

John Hoffelt opened discussion on a grant for the book: A Guide to Responsible Caving, written by Ed Sira, and published by the NSS. The book would be sold for four or five dollars (Secretary note: the booklet will be given away to grottos for use as a giveaway) and serve to fill the spot between a safe caving brochure and Caving Basics. With other publishing projects, NSS does not have enough cash flow to publish this book this year. They are looking for approximately $4000 to publish this book which will cover landowner relations, caving ethics, conservation, safe techniques and similar such topics. The book is already written and is being laid out. The book would be offered by the bookstore and not to the general public.

Triangle Troglodytes moved and Dogwood City seconded that:

SERA grant $100 to the publishing of A Guide to Responsible Caving.

In elections, Don Hunter was elected SERA Vice Chair to serve through the 1998 SERA Winter Business meeting He will become SERA Chair in 1998. Bill Bussey was re-elected SERA Secretary/Treasurer.

The meeting adjourned at 3:05 PM.

At the banquet that evening, Marion Ziemons reported the following winners of the SERA Photo and Map Salons

Winners of the 1997 SERA Print Salon

Best of Show	Dan Barnick
1st Place Print	Carol Jackson
2nd Place Print	Larry Blair
Quick Action Snapshot	Leslie Weldon
Quick Action Snapshot 2nd	Joe Abbott

Winners of the 1997 SERA Slide Salon

Slides	1st	2nd	3rd
Single Slide	Leslie Weldon	Alan Cressler	Alan Cressler
Multi Slide	Dan Barnick	Dan Barnick	Marion Ziemons
Single Flash	Alan Cressler	Alan Cressler	Marion Ziemons
Macro	Alan Cressler
Humor	Alan Cressler

Winners of the 1997 SERA Map Salon

Short Cave	Jerry Wallace	Twisted Oak Cave
Medium Cave	Jerry Wallace	Piddling Pit
Large Cave	Patricia Kambesis	Hickey Pot
Best of Show

And at the banquet that evening, Bill Walter was announced as the recipient of the Francis McKinney award. Paul Aughey was declared the winner of the Richard Schreiber award. The SERA Conservation Award was awarded to April Oberding for being the driving force in disseminating information to cavers on the Scotts Gulf situation. And Charlie Smith, owner of Solution Rift, Sawmill Well, Hermit Cave several other caves in Fiery Cove was honored with the SERA Larry S. Adams Landowner Appreciation Award. All awards committees are requesting nominations for future awards.

The banquet speaker was Kirk Buhlmann of the Savannah River Ecology Lab. He spoke on the results of the biological inventory of caves on Pigeon Mtn.

Respectively Submitted,

Bill Bussey, Secretary/Treasurer

1997 Southeastern Regional Association Treasurer's Report

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