 | 2009 Cartographic Salon |
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| 2009 Cartographic Salon |
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Dear NSS Survey and Cartography Section supporter:
This is Jim "Crash" Kennedy writing to you. Many of you know me, and some of you may also know that I am the Coordinator for the Cartographic Salon held each year at the NSS Convention. This year the Convention is being held in conjunction with the 15th International Congress of Speleology (http://ics2009.us), and we are expecting roughly twice as many people as at a regular Convention. Consequently, the Cartographic Salon will be bigger. There are several things of which I want to remind you, and also a plea for assistance. First off, did you know that you can submit maps to the ICS Cart Salon even if they have been entered in previous NSS Cart Salons and even won awards? That’s right, ICS rules state that “only maps receiving awards at a previous ICS” are ineligible for entry. NSS Conventions, except the 1981 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, are not the ICS, so you can “re-enter” your best maps! Of course, the smart cartographer is going to take all the comments on their judging sheets and the Salon Crit ique from the year they entered those maps and fix the problems identified. Take care of those spelling errors! Get those cross sections to scale! Make sure those leader lines don’t touch the passage! Add the additional floor detail where you forgot or just ran out of time! In other words, take your already excellent maps and make them perfect! Each cartographer can enter up to 5 maps, so this salon can really be the best cartography from the past 2 decades, as well as new stuff we haven’t seen yet. First-time entrants are always encouraged to submit maps, and it is a great way to get feedback and improve your technique. Come on, guys, lets really show the rest of the world some kick-ass U.S. cartography!
Next, the requests for help! I need judges --- potentially 21 of them, 3 for each category. There is a chance the same team of judges may get assigned more than one category if there are not many entries, but honestly, I have a feeling that is not going to be the case. One of the requirements is that we also have international judges at each salon, so start thinking of at least 7 international caver/cartographers who will be at ICS that we can rope into, er, request to assist with judging. The good news is that we have another day or so to judge at ICS than we do at Convention, since the maps will go up Sunday and the overall event is several days longer. If interested, drop me a line or see me at Kerrville on Sunday. I’ll also need help hanging maps and labels and so on, so look for me in the Library on Sunday if interested.
Finally, in 2007 and again at our meeting last year in Florida, SACS agreed to provide prizes in addition to the awards (certificates) given by ICS. We talked about survey gear (Suuntos, Distos, survey pouches/books) and so on, but things like Pelican cases, digitizing tablets, and even non-cartographic stuff like cave packs, cameras, laptop bags, and so on would be good. I am getting the word out now, 4 months before the ICS, so that you all can start hitting up local businesses for donations. What we can’t get donated, we’ll have to purchase out of our treasury, and I don’t think we are a wealthy enough group to try to subsidize twenty-something prizes. That’s right, there are a first, second, and third place for all seven categories. In addition, there is a Best of Show (equivalent to our Medal) and People’s Choice, something we are initiating this year and hope to continue in successive Conventions. Let me repeat: We Need Prizes Donated. Nice ones, not just a wad of “Rite-in-the-Rain” paper. The ICS has pretty high standards!
So please, please, please heed this message! Pass it along to your fellow cavers, post it on listserves, and print it in your grotto newsletters if appropriate. Get your maps in (submission info on the ICS website as well as the NSS website), volunteer to help, and solicit some really good booty for the prize-winning maps. Who knows, some of them might be yours!
Contact me directly to let me know what prizes you have ready, if you will judge, and, of course, if you have any questions about the salon itself.
Jim "Crash" Kennedy, NSS 26791 FL
Cartographic Salon Coordinator