BLUE RIDGE GROTTO
MEETING MINUTES
February
15, 2008
Pat Sims Al
Stewart Mary Sue Socky Doug Feller
Susan
Burr Dave Socky Carl
Alls *Nicholas Socky
*=Guest *Leoanrd Rowe
Pat Sims (VC) was acting Chair in Marian McConnell’s absence.
CAVE TRIPS
1/19/2008: BRG
trip to Lipps Entrance section of Organ
Cave, WVa.
1/19: Pat
Sims and Susan Burr did a quick trip
into Island Ford Cave, VA
after checking out more things at the Fall VAR site and doing some exterior
decorating in WVA near Organ
Cave.
1/29: Mary Sue Socky accompanied a group of Korean
Exchange students into Dixie Caverns, VA.
They found one baby slimy
salamander. Moss is starting to regrow
in the lower levels of Dixie. The
Great Wall of Travis is holding up,
for the most part.
2/1: Susan Burr and Pat
Sims went to Grand Caverns, VA. Susan
tried (again) to access the very tight new area beyond Dante’s
Inferno, almost got stuck, but made it out.
2/8: Maxwelton Survey
UPCOMING
Cave Trips
2/16/2008 –
Tomorrow
– Cave Socky leads the annual McClung’s trip into the vertical Lightner
Entrance. Meet at 9a, HROM.
2/16/2008 –
Tomorrow
– Doug Feller leads horizontal trip to Clarks’
Cave, VA. Meet 9a, HROM
3/1-2/2008
– Trip to Grand Caverns. Contact Carol Tiderman
ctider@us.ibm.com for a slot on the project.
NEXT
MONTH”S BRG
TRIP – Crossroads Cave, VA. Trip
leader is Susan Burr.
PROGRAM: NSS DVD
“Voices of the Cave”.
BUSINESS MEETING
TREASURER 1/18/08
General Fund $
6051.00
Conservation $
533.92
Equipment Fund $
321.00
Cave Bucks
$ 41.30
Total: $
6947.22
TREASURER
2/15/08
General Fund $
4,838.10
Conservation $ 1,976.09
*Note 1
Equipment Fund$
321.00
Cave Bucks $
57.30
Total: $ 7192.49
*Note 1: $1,420.00 was transfered from the general
account to the conservation fund. This money was paid to BRG for the Dixie
Caverns Haunted Cave.
Committee Reports:
Newsletter:
Send in your artwork, photos, and articles. Postage
will be rising by 1 cent soon.
Membership: Pay
your dues! Cards, membership list and By-Laws will be mailed out in March
ROCKS: nothing
to report
S&T: No report
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
Fall VAR 2008 (Susan Burr) Site is
Covington Moose Lodge. Date: Sept. 19-21.
BRG and JRG are co-hosting
the 2008 Fall VAR.
·
Haunted
Cave Wrap-Up: let’s distribute some
$$. See attachment.
·
BRG Website: Dave
Socky and Marian McConnell are doing
the home page. This
will be most useful for Fall VAR, too. The
VAR Website is Almost Ready!
·
MAKC
Renewal – Susan took the form, will pay (see attachment # 1)
NEW BUSINESS
- White
Nose Syndrome – Several caves in NY, VT
are hard hit. Thousands of bats are dying. Scientists are trying to find out what’s
causing it. Closure list will be on
an attachment. USFish&Wildlife
Service (federal) and WVa Dept. of Natural Resources have requested the
closure of all Bat
Caves in the state
of WVa. Why? As a precaution (No WNS in WVa yet) but
if it is communicable, lots of N.E. cavers come to WVa on long weekends to
cave, may indivertibly bring fungus, microbe, evil spirits with them. From WVa, it could go to TAG, Indiana,
etc.
- Cave
Closures due to WNS (Mary Sue Socky)
Some caves in WVA have been closed. Trout
Rocks, Thorn/Sinnett, Elkhorn Mountain, The
Portal/Boarhole,
Arbogast, Patton’s, Piercy’s, etc.
See BRG website for a more
complete list.
Mary Sue Socky
had piles of the older (2005) VAR Limited Access Cave List printed, and encouraged
people to use it when planning for cave trips, and to ALWAYS get landowner
permission before caving! Three copies of the 2008 VAR Limited
Access Cave
list were also printed, and will be at every BRG
meeting. Mary Sue also had two
“homemade lists” – Bats Sleep Here
(VAR bat caves that should be avoided in winter) and Bats
DON’T Use These
Caves – a list of caves that bats DO NOT
use as hibernacula.
The final
word on WNS – WE Don’t Know. SO:
- WASH
your cave gear after every trip (pack boots gloves helmet too!)
- 100 Bats Rule: Stay out of Bat Caves, where more than 100 bats
hibernate.
- Stay
out of caves that have any number of endangered bat species (federal).
- Report
any suspected cases of WNS you may see (take a photo, if possible!)
- Respect
all DNR, USFW, and private Landowner cave closures.
- We
will keep you posted on any new developments with WNS.
IKC - Texas Grotto encourages other grottos to donate to
the 2009 IKS. Dave
Socky proposed that BRG donate
$100.00. Seconded, voted: 5 yes, 1 abstain. Motion Passes.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- 2008 SERA/VAR brochures, describing the
upcoming weekend in June 2008.
- NCRC Registration May 3-10, 2008,
Mentone, AL. requirements and papers
- PSC 50th Anniversary Banquet info
3/22/2008 Silver Spring MD
- Email from Carolyn
Seay, Va Museum
of Natural History in Martinsville,
VA wants to know if BRG wishes to set up table, participate in
their Outdoor Family Fun Festival on 7/26/2008.
- Grand Caverns Easter Restoration Camp, March 22-23, 2008
- NSS Convention
2008 (Lake City FL)
Aug. 11-15, 2008 registration info.
- Nice personal Xmas cards (2) from
Shelia & Joe Rogers (Norman Cave, WV)
Meeting ended 8:48p.
Minutes submitted by
Mary Sue
Socky
Secretary, Blue
Ridge Grotto.
Attachment 1:
BRG Conservation Fund
Donations
The numbers below were posted in the Feb. DUMP and voted on at the 2/16/08 meeting. The
numbers below should add up to $1400.00, with most of that coming from Haunted
Cave 2008.
· Virginia
Speleological Society (VSS) $ 75.00
· Virginia
Area Region (VAR) $ 75.00
· West Va
Cave Conservancy (WVCC) $150.00
· Vinton
Firehouse $100.00
· SE Cave
Conservancy (SECCI) $150.00
· National
Caves Association (NCA) $ 50.00
· Bat
Conservation International (BCI) $100.00
· American
Cave Conservancy (ACCA) $150.00
· NSS:
Save the Caves $ 75.00
· NSS:
Cave Vandalism Deterrent Award $ 50.00
· Virginia
Cave Board (VCB) $ 75.00
· Mid
Atlantic Karst Conservancy (MAKC) $150.00
· WV
Association for Cave Studies (WVACS) $ 50.00 $75.00
· National
Cave Rescue Commission (NCRC) $ 50.00
· Butler
Cave Conservancy Society (BCCS) $
50.00 $25.00
·
The
Nature Conservancy (TNC) $ 50.00
Attachment 2: White Nose Syndrome
suggested list generated
by Mary Socky.
“Bats
Sleep Here” List 2008 (updated 2/15/2008)
These caves may be kept open by a friendly owner, or
closed by a managing agency or U.S./Federal Service. Many of them are listed as “closed for bats
in the winter” on the VAR Limited Access Cave List.
- Don’t do caves with lots of bats in winter.
- The caves can contain colonies or clusters of
common bats, or endangered species. (see “100 bats” rule)
- Honor ”informal” as well “official” closings.
- Some of these caves are not officially “bat caves”,
but if you see lots of bats throughout the cave, as well as many in low
passages, etc. that will be disturbed by human passage, then turn around
and leave.
- Feb. 2008 – cavers seem to be using the “100 bats rule”. If over 100 bats use a cave, then it should
be considered a “bat cave” and be avoided.
Any cave used by an
endangered species of bat, in any numbers, is considered “critical
habitat” for the species and should be avoided.
There are many caves out there! Bat
colonies don’t hibernate in all of the caves.
Don’t cause added stress to sleeping bats. Give the bats a secure quiet place to
hibernate from Sept. thru April. Go to a
non-bat cave, choose a winter hobby, or hibernate yourself.
PLEASE AVOID
THESE BAT
CAVES! 2008
Developed due to worries about the
spread of White Nose Syndrome in bats.
VIRGINIA
Buddy Penley
Cave, Bland Co. VA
Cassel Farm Cave, Tazewell Co. VA
Catawba Murder Hole, Botetourt Co. VA
Clicks Cave, Shenandoah Co.
VA
Hupman's Saltpeter Cave,
Highland Co. VA
Newberry-Banes Cave, Bland
Co. VA
Paxton
Cave, Alleghany Co. VA
Perry Saltpeter Cave, Botetourt
Co. VA
Porter Cave, Bath
Co. VA
Repass Saltpeter Cave, Bland Co. VA
Rufe Caldwell Cave, Craig
Co. VA
Rocky Hollow Cave, Wise Co.
VA
Shires Saltpeter Cave, Craig
Co. VA
Slusser’s Chapel Cave,
Montgomery Co. VA
Starr Chapel Cave, Bath Co. VA
Withero’s Cave, Bath Co. VA
Attachment 2, p. 2:
Suggested list generated
by Mary Socky:
PLEASE AVOID
THESE BAT
CAVES! 2008
Developed due to worries about the
spread of White Nose Syndrome in bats.
WEST VIRGINIA
Arbogast Cave, Tucker Co. WVa
Big Spring Cave, Tucker
Co. WVa
Boar Hole (Greenbrier Co. WVa) passage leading to The Portal
closed 2/12/2008.
Cave Hollow (Arbogast
System) Tucker Co. WVa
Cave Mountain Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Cornwall Cave, Preston Co. WVa
Elkhorn Mountain (Mongold) Cave, Grant Co. WVa
Fortlick Cave, Randolph Co.
WVa
Gale Warner (Little Seneca),
Pendleton Co. WVa
General Davis Cave,
Greenbrier Co. WVa
Greenville Saltpetere Cave, Monroe
Co. WVa
Hamilton Cave, Pendleton Co. WVA
Hellhole, Pendleton Co. WVa
Hoffman Pit, Pendleton
Co. WVa
Hoffman Schoolhouse, Pendleton Co. WVa.
Izaak Walton Cave, Randolph
Co. WVa
Lambert # 1 Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Martha’s Cave, Pocahontas Co. WVa
Mennonite Youth Camp Cave,
Randolph Co. WVa
Mill Run Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Minor Rexrode Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Mystic Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Patton Cave, Monroe Co. WVa
Peacock Cave, Grant Co. WVa
Piercy’s Cave, Greenbrier Co. WVa
The Portal,
Greenbrier Co. WVa.
New Trout
Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Saltpetre Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Schoolhouse Cave, Pendleton Co. WVa
Sinnett-Thorn Mountain Cave, Pendleton
Co. WVa
Trout Cave, Pendleton
Co. WVa
Two Lick Run Cave, Randolph Co. WVa.
Attachment # 3
Suggested list generated
by Mary Socky:
Bats Don’t Use These Caves 2/21/2008
Bat colonies have specific requirements for
hibernating caves/maternity caves.
Bats will choose almost any cave to roost in. Some bats make poor choices.
Here is a list of caves that
I do not consider to be good “bat caves”, due to temperature, flooding,
entrance access, whatever. I’ve seen
bats in these caves, but not to the point that I would turn around and exit the
cave so as not to disturb them.
As of February, 2008, many
cavers are adopting the “100 Bats
Rule”. If a cave has less than 100 bats,
consider it a Non-Bat cave. However, caves containing any number of
endangered bat species are considered “BAT
CAVES” and should be
avoided.
Remember to always get
landowner permission before visiting any cave.
When planning your cave
trip, Please check the VAR Limited
Access Caves List to see if there are any restrictions on these caves.
Virginia
Cave Spring Cave, Rockbridge
Co. VA
Clark’s Cave, Bath
Co. VA
Crossroads Cave, Bath Co. VA
Fountain Cave, Augusta Co.
VA
Glade Cave, Rockingham Co.
VA
Goodwin’s Cave, Roanoke Co.
VA
Island Ford Cave, Alleghany
Co. VA
James Cave, Montgomery Co.
VA
Links Cave, Giles Co. VA
Smokehole, Giles Co. VA
Tawney’s Cave, Giles Co. VA
West Virginia
Bowden Cave, Randolph Co. WVa
Buckeye Creek Cave, Greenbrier Co. WVa
Culverson Creek Cave,
Greenbrier Co. WVa
Grapevine Pit/ Lost World Caverns, Greenbrier Co. WVa.
Lipps Cave entrance to Organ Cave, Greenbrier Co. WVa
Maxwelton Cave, Greenbrier
Co. WVa.
Rufe Caldwell Cave, Monroe
Co. WVa.
Scott Hollow Cave, Monroe Co. WVa.
Parts of Friars Hole System, Greenbrier/Pocahontas Co. WVa