Blue Ridge
Grotto of the NSS
MEETING
MINUTES
January 18,
2013 - 7:30p – Vinton Firehouse
Attendance:
Dave Socky –Vice Susan Burr Carl
Cornett
Joseph Caldwell Trish Geiger Mary Sue Socky –
Secretary
Stephanie Petri -
Treasurer Cyndi Hutchison
Chair Marian McConnell
stayed home with the flu, so Dave Socky presided over the meeting.
Trip Reports:
·
11/12/2012: Cold
Sink Cave, VA. Stephanie Petri,
Brian Williams, Dave Socky, Ken Walsh, etc.
(A total of 14 cavers, 4 survey teams).
Frikkin’ miserable stream crawl, they got to the END.
·
11/24/2012: Dave Socky and Stephanie Petri went with a
bunch of other cavers to survey virgin leads in Gap Cave, VA. They surveyed
298’ of passage on a 15-hour trip.
·
11/30/2012 Alan Staton,
Glen Hugus, and Mary Sue Socky did an awesome multi-media Caving Presentation for several science classes at Covington
H.S.
·
Mock Rescue recap
(from 12/1/2012). Was very well attended
by VPI Cave Club (hosts); Pat Sims, Trish Geiger, Alan Staton, Susan Burr,
Stephanie Petri, Nick Socky, Dave Socky, and Mary Sue Socky attended. Good Experience – the patient (Wil
Orndorff/”Ernie”) was successfully hauled from the back of Tawney’s Cave, VA, out through the roadside gate.
·
12/8/2012: WVACS Christmas Party. There was also caving – Dave Socky, Stephanie
Petri, Brian Williams surveyed 454’ in a very wet part of Maxwelton Cave, WV.
·
12/16/2012: Carl Cornett, Ivy Lidstone, Dave Socky, Carol
& Joe Zokaites dropped the Daylight Cave of Catawba Murder Hole before the BRG Christmas Party. Thanks to Dan McConnell for rigging the pit!
·
1/1/2013:
Stephanie Petri, Alan Staton, Glen Hugus took a bunch of friends and their kids
into an unnamed VA cave for the New Year tradition.
·
1/5/2013: Pat Sims, Doug Feller, Brian Williams, Alan
Staton, Trish Geiger, Susan Burr, visited James
Cave, VA. They went in through the
“Field Entrance” and managed to go to the back of the cave where the formations
are. Some of the group had forgotten how
much crawling – both hands and knees, and belly crawling,
there was in James! They exited through
the “Garbage Pit” Entrance on the other side of the road. Good trip, several folks took nice photos.
Upcoming Trips:
·
Jan 19 – Grotto
trip to Crossroads Cave, Bath Co. VA.
Doug Feller is leader
·
Feb 16 – Grotto trip
to Steele’s Cave, Monroe Co. WV. (Note:
this cave floods!) Dave Socky is leader.
Program: Ended up watching “Playing Smart Against
Invasive Species” (US Forest Service DVD, which cavers helped
make.) NOTE: Firehouse player/projector remote control
does not work.
BUSINESS MEETING
TREASURER’S REPORT (Stephanie
Petri):
1/18/2013 Balance Sheet
Petty Cash 110.00
General Fund
3,801.26
Conservation 266.59
Equipment 225.36
Cave Bucks 164.30
TOTAL BALANCE:
$4,567.51
(BUSINESS MEETING cont.)
1. NEWSLETTER –
printer charged more for Jan. 2013 newsletter.
Postage will go up $.01/stamp in 2013.
2. MEMBERSHIP –
Pay your dues! Thanks to all who have
already paid.
3. ROCKS – nothing
new.
4. SAFETY &
TECHNIQUES – nothing new.
5. MEMBERSHIP
PROPOSALS – none.
6.
OLD
BUSINESS:
·
Christmas
Cards. 72 mailed out; three came
back. Files have been updated.
·
Mock Rescue 12/1/2012 recap -was a
Good Experience. BRG worked well with
VPI. Patient survived.
·
BRG Christmas
Party was very well attended.
·
11/24/2012 – Alan
Staton welded, repaired Goodwin Cave Gate.
Thanks!
7.
NEW BUSINESS:
·
BSA Troop 221
(Cave Spring UMC) has requested the BRG do an “above ground caving orientation”
for the troop. 2/11/2013, 6:30p, Mary Sue Socky will attend, welcomes other
caver’s help and input. T-221 will be
taking their scouts to the Lost Sea (TN commercial cave), but may schedule a
later wild cave trip with BRG.
·
Dixie Caverns
owner and manager have requested that BRG come to their commercial cave and
help “Clean the Green” from the cave formations with hydrogen peroxide. BRG agreed to help; we still need to know
what date(s) they would like us there, if we would be doing cleaning during
open hours, or after hours, and if the water system in the cave will be “on”
for our use, or do we have to haul water?
·
Spring VAR dates
have been changed to May 17-19, 2013. These new dates conflict with the May BRG
meeting. Do we move the May meeting,
or forget it? Membership
present voted to cancel the 5/17/2013 meeting, and go caving, camping at
Camp Buckskin in WV that weekend.
8.
ANNOUNCEMENTS,
MAIL BAG, ETC.
·
New NSS website
is great! Take a look at it!
·
NEW WNS Decon
protocols – HOT water (122 F) for 20 min.
will kill WNS spores. (Yes, the time
keeps increasing. Go figure.)
·
Spring VAR is now
May 17-19, 2013.
·
Spring MAR has
moved its date to May 4-5, 2013 so it will not conflict with Spring VAR.
·
River Rock Climbing Gym – should be opening sometime in Feb. 2013.
·
NSS Members Manual needs photos for the cover Deadline in Jan. 31, 2013.
·
NSS Convention 2013 will be in Shippensburg, PA, Aug
5-9, 2013. Forms on desk. Mail in your registration with a check today to save the NSS money. Pre-registration special discount ends
1/31/2013.
·
MURDER HOLE book by Marian McConnell is available and is selling
like hotcakes! Marian’s next book
signing is April 15, 2013, at the Salem Historical Society. NSS members can get discount if they order MURDER
HOLE through the NSS Office.
Meeting adjourned at 8:45p.
Minutes Submitted by
Mary
Sue Socky
BRG Secretary