BLUE RIDGE GROTTO of the National Speleological Society

BRG Minutes for 3/21/2025

Logan’s Roadhouse, Roanoke, VA

Attendance:

Susan Burr Marian McConnell Mary Sue Socky

Kevin Johnson Carrie Doupnik *Jenna Fidler

*Logan Van Hon *Erin Van Hon *Bambi Marshall

*Wes Drake *Bryce Drake *Marlena Wright

*Alex Thompson *Ben Hester *Guest

Vice Chair Susan Burr called the meeting to order at 6:31p.

Chair Dave Socky was absent –NYC- Explorer’s Club “Tales From Dark Places.”

Thank You Marian to make sure we have the room reserved for 2025 BRG meetings.

TRIP REPORTS

2-22: Dixie Caverns Cleanup -Bambi Marshall had a really good time in Dixie Caverns! (see her upcoming article in the April DUMP). In addition, Nikki Fox will be publishing Susan Burr’s Dixie Caverns report in the Region Record.

2-24: Mary Sue Socky returned to Dixie Caverns to return push brooms & apply a dusting of baking soda on the cleaned horizontal cave surfaces in the hope that a pH change will hinder plant growth from returning.

3-1: Paxton Cave, for Jeff Huffman’s Birthday (by Susan Burr)

· Mr. Potato Head has been added to the Barbie Room.

· Cavers have created a clay statue area before the Double D Crawl.

· Anthodite Alley is a PITA to get to.

After the usual mazy fun at the back of the cave, they visited the formation area in the Historic Section and saw two frogs in a pool near the entrance.

3-15: Nick Schmalenberger - Did some ridgewalking above Greyledge Road with Martin DiLeggi, plus Zach, Eve, and the dog Alpine from the James River Grotto. We also visited Shadow Cave.

(March 2025) Wes & Bryce Drake, and Layla Wright (Marlena’s daughter) – Wes lost a drone near Meadow Creek Falls, off Rt. 42 near Newcastle, VA. Wes reported he discovered a 150 yd crack in the rock behind the falls. This crack goes back in to a “Small room behind the curtain.” Water has made potholes in the bedrock, active stream, water, and multiple drops (to lower levels?).

This Month’s trip – tomorrow, 3/22/2025, Rapp’s Cave, WV Meet at 8:30a. Susan Burr has arranged for a WVACS Caver to lead the trip. Contact Susan Burr if you want to go on the trip. Maybe 10- 13 cavers are going.

April /May grotto trip – to be decided.

BUSINESS MEETING

March 21, 2025 – BRG Treasury Report

Respectfully submitted by Marian McConnell.

Fund Amounts

$ 112.96 Cave Bucks

$ 2.00 Conservation Fund

$ 144.12 Equipment Fund

$ 5,935.84 General Fund

$ 6,194.92 Total Funds

Committees:  

Newsletter –Nice March 2025 CARBIDE DUMP!

Membership –we have 51 members & 3 subscribers. Membership Packets are here. Unclaimed packets will be mailed.

ROCKS – No report

Safety & Techniques –  No Report

Membership Proposals:  None. Attendees have a discussion on what the NSS is, benefits to joining the NSS and how grottos and regions are part of the NSS.

Old Business 

· BRG Payment (PayPal) (Zelle) Accounts (FINAL REPORT) BRG now supports payment via Zelle, using the email blueridgegrottoofficers@gmail.com

o BRG will charge a $1.00 fee for PayPal transactions.

· BRG Meeting Space in 2025. We are on the Logan’s Roadhouse calendar thru Nov. 21, 2025. Thank you, Marian McConnell, for making the arrangements.

· I.O. report – has been completed! Delays were from the NSS.

· Chance to win helmets for BRG – Attend 2025 Spring VAR! (flyer). The more BRG cavers who register & ATTEND 2025 Spring VAR will influence how many of the 100 Petzl Boreo helmets we will receive from Karst Sports and OBG. Each grotto will have one designated representative who will receive the helmets. (see flyer)

· Update on widening of I-81 and how it will impact Dixie Caverns, New Dixie Cave, VA. (MSSocky, from conversation with Wil Orndorff). New Dixie and Dixie Caverns support hibernating bats (Tricolors and Big Browns). I-81 widening will take place in center of roadway; however, side work’ will come VERY close to part of New Dixie Cave. New Dixie needs a resurvey ASAP! The concrete culvert (along trail to New Dixie) will be modified, since estimated runoff from I-81 will increase 150%. For MORE Dixie Caverns news, see New Business!

New Business

· Marian McConnell is working with Roanoke Outdoors to update BRG and show cave info. Thanks, Marian!

· Another Threat to Dixie Caverns! Adjacent owner, Caverns, LLC has petitioned Roanoke County to rezone his property so he can build a 4 story hotel overlooking the Dixie property. Applicant does not seem interested in working with his neighbors on their concerns. He wants\ to buy them out. They are not interested in selling, want their property protected from overdevelopment, light pollution and excessive storm water discharge.

o 4/1/2025, 7p - Roanoke County Planning Commission open meeting on this rezoning and development. Attny for Jenna Fidler, and Mary Sue Socky have signed up to speak against the proposed rezoning and hotel project in its current form. Several people sent in letters against the proposed project.

· Virginia Cave Week! June 1-7, 2025

My name is Steve Ahn and I am on the VA Cave Board. I am trying to see if Virginia Grottos would be willing to host a VA Cave week event for the public. I got your name from the NSS site, so if that is not up to date (as my own grotto is not) please forward me to the appropriate person. Cave Week this year is June 1-7. 

Would Blue Ridge Grotto (or anyone in your grotto) be willing to host an event that we could send to the public this year? 

Thanks so much for your consideration - if you need to reach me quickly, my text number is below

Steve Ahn

Virginia Cave Board

NSS 65662

BRG has not hosted a Virginia Cave Week event for several years. The last VA Cave Week event was at Center In the Square, Roanoke VA. Some people expressed interest with helping. Dates would be Sunday June 1, or Saturday, June 7. Jenna Fidler suggested something being held at Dixie Caverns. BRG has time to think of sites, volunteers, etc. To Be Continued…

Announcements:

· Charlotte Lucas’ memorial will be May 3, 2025, 2p at Owl Cave, Bath Co. VA.

· Healthy Caving – let’s be healthy going underground.  Rules were posted in the DUMP.

· T-Shirts –If you ordered one, Pay Up! There are 17 remaining T-shirts! $12.00 each. Med. to XL, various colors: red, gold, grey, green, light blue, etc. Contact Susan Burr pondlady97@gmail.com for more information.

· Gary & Kim Drewry are moving to Panama! They are selling old topo maps…. SOLD MAPS TO NICK SCHMALENBERGER!

· Please send verified cave info updates for https://var.caves.org/index.php/conservation/closed-caves/closed-cave-list to Brad Blase.

· Catawba Murder Hole Cave is CLOSED

· It is STILL Winter Bat Closure for some caves.

o WV: closed Sep 1-May 15. VA: closed Oct 15–Apr 15.

· Black Diamond Vision Harness Recall -

· 2025 NSS Director Election Ballot - if you are NSS, find your ballot online, vote! Ends 4/25/2025.

CAVER CALENDAR:

Mar 22 – Meeting of The Explorer’s Club, NYC.

Apr 1 @ 6p -Roanoke Co. meetings: development near Dixie Caverns. Please write/speak! (NEW)

Apr 12 - VAR Spring Project at Madison Saltpeter Cave, VA (NEW) (see flyer)

Apr 18 - BRG meeting 6:30p TBA

May 2-4 – SERA Cave Carnival, near Jamestown TN.

May 9-11 - Spring VAR, Hosted by Out of Bounds Grotto, at Spruce Knob, WV.

Jun 23-27, 2025 – NSS Convention, Cobleskill, NY.

Jul-11-19: NCRC Weeklong classes, Mountain Gateway Community College, Clifton Forge, VA. See https://caves.org/ncrc/courses/ncrc-course-descriptions/ (Classes are filled. There is a standby list.)

Cold Beer!   Meeting ended 7:43p

Program - Vote For Your Favorite Five!

Minutes submitted by Mary Sue Socky, Secretary