11/17/2007: Dave Socky, Rick Shortt, Aaron Moses Leanne Barley, Carl Cornett, Doug Feller, Trish Geiger, Clay and Ben Johnosn, Leonard Rowe, Carl Alls, Sam Aguliera - BRG trip to Starnes Cave, VA. After the regular horizontal trip, Dave, Carl Cornett, Rick, Leanne & Aaron re-entered and did some of the vertical drops in the cave.

11/23/07: Dave Socky, Bob Alderson, other cavers went surveying in Gap Cave, VA/KY. CRF project. Exited the cave @4a – an 18 hour trip.

December 2007 Actually 12/2/2007) : Cole’s uncle, Spencer Frantz, is friends with landowners/cave owners Mr. & Mrs. Crumley (who own Trebark Outfitters). Cole Frantz, Spencer Frantz, Carl Cornett Brian Williams and Marian McConnell visited 3 caves on the Crumley property: Trebark Cave, the Root Cellar, and the Whine Cellar (this one had a nuisance drop in it). BRG needs to come back in the spring and survey these three Botetourt Co. VA caves. They did not see bears, but they DID see bear claw marks in one of the caves.

12/8/07: Trish Geiger and company were the second group through the newly dug horizontal entrance of Maxwelton Cave, WVA. (This entrance has slumped shut since then – it needs a culvert or something)

12/8/07: Marian McConnell, Carl Cornett, parents and Girl Scouts toured Island Ford Cave, VA and did some conservation cleanup.

12/22/07: Dave Socky, Doug Feller, Carl Cornett, Pat Sims, Susan Burr - BRG trip to Bone-Norman cave was scuttled due to high water levels. Instead, they went to Friar’s Hole System, WVA. They did the North Entrance to Snedegars’s Saltpeter entrance. They left Carl’s, webbing at the drop, did look at the sump, but did not enter They also checked out an unknown hole on the side of the road (it was NOT Lobelia Saltpeter Cave).

1/12/2008: Dave Socky, Ed Saugstad, Larry Fisher, and Gordon Cole surveyed fromt eh Box Car Room to the Right Hand Waterfall in Maxwelton Cave WVa.

1/13/08: Pat Sims and Susan Burr, Harry & Larry Sowers, Paul Pocovich (PA) Jim Pugh, Mark Morton, Clark and Paul Poindexter, Paul Stern, and Mike Frazier of JRG visited the Lipps Entrance area of Organ Cave, WVa. Harry Sowers was leader. They did two “grids” of the cave, made it back to an area with lots of pretty formations, a wall of helectites that Susan named “Cave Gone Wild”. They saw Bob Handley’s name and date 1958 on the wall (smoked in carbide) and got as far as the DUG Passage. Good 5 ½ hour cave trip.

1/18/2008: Carl Cornett, Chris Coates, and Nikki Fox did Pig Hole, VA. Nice drop, interesting in-cave climbs. They ascended out the entrance pit.

UpComing Trips

Jan 19 (tomorrow) BRG trip to Lipps Entrance of Organ Cave, WVa. Ed Stwpston is leader, Dave Socky is BRG coordinator. It should be a good trip!

Jan 25-27, 2008 Carter Cave Crawlathon, KY. Perfect for the beginner caver!

Feb 2-3, 2008: Grand Caverns resurvey. Contact Carol Tiderman to join the group.

Feb. 16: Annual bust ass trip to Lightner Entrance McClung’s Cave, WVa. This is a vertical trip!!

Feb. 16: Doug Feller is offering to lead a kinder, gentler cave trip to Clark’s Cave, VA. (Susan started complaining about the nuisance drop to the entrance of Clarks, so Doug also mentioned the possibility of a Paxton’s Trip.)

Program:

“Wild Women Do” and” Lechuguilla”, two multimedia presentations shown at the 2007 NSS Converntion.

BUSINESS MEETING

TREASURER 1/18/08

General Fund $ 6051.00

Conservation $ 533.92

Equipment Fund $ 321.00

Cave Bucks $ 41.30

Total: $ 6947.22

Committee Reports:

Newsletter: Send in your artwork, photos, and articles.

Membership: Pay your dues! Cards, membership list and By-Laws will be mailed out in March

ROCKS: Three caves in Botetourt Co VA need surveying (See Crumley property)

S&T: Dan mentioned working on getting RocWood for BRG sometime in February. RocWood IS open to the public again, as of 1/2008.

Conservation: vacant

Ways & Means: vacant

Membership Proposals –

Nothing tabled, nothing new. NSS Membership brochures are at the front desk.

Pay your 2008 dues to the treasurer. $10.00 per person, $5.00 each additional family member.

OLD BUSINESS

· Hosting a future Fall VAR (Susan Burr) We have a site! Covington Moose Lodge. Date: Sept. 19-21. JRG is willing to help with the VAR

· Haunted Cave Meltdown (Wrap-Up) – 28 cavers raised $2000.00 for cave conservation. We need to decide how to distribute the funds. Susan Burr and Dave Socky will work up a potential disbursement, to be printed in the Feb. DUMP and will come up as business in Feb..

· BRG Xmas Cards. Only 4 came back. Marian will hand deliver one, get the correct address for our records.

· BRG Xmas Dinner – 12/21/2007, @ Mamma Maria’s in Salem, VA. Dinner was great! Do it again next year!

· BRG Website: Dave Socky and Marian McCOnnell afe doing the home page. This will be most useful for Fall VAR, too.

NEW BUSINESS

MAKC renewal
BSA trip in March. Mary Sue will lead.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

2008 SERA/VAR brochures, describing the upcoming weekend in June 2008.

Meeting ended 8:50p.

Minutes submitted by

Mary Sue Socky

Secretary, Blue Ridge Grotto.