BLUE RIDGE GROTTO of the National Speleological Society
BRG
Minutes for 4/18/2025
Logan’s
Roadhouse, Roanoke, VA
Attendance:
Susan Burr Marian
McConnell Mary Sue
Socky
Dave Socky Doug
Feller Bob
Balch
Bob Barnes Barry
Ferguson Helene
Ferguson
Tom Beaman *Mary
Lou Holland Jeff
Huffman
*Alex Thompson *Guest
Chair David Socky called
the meeting to order at 6:36p.
Everyone was welcomed;
Introductions were made.
TRIP REPORTS
2/1: Boarhole Cave, WV.
Participants included David Socky, Greg Spinger, Lucy Ogle, and Abby Doench.
Surveyed in the old K survey section. We got around 25 stations and surveyed
394 feet in 8 hours.
2/8: McClung Cave, WV.
Participants included David Socky, Daniel Wilson, Alex Corrigan, and Spencer
Adams. The goal was to go to Venti Muddy and survey the stream passage under
the main trunk. It had rained a bunch and everything was flooding. As a matter
of fact, Maxwelton, Lightner, and Friars Hole trips were all aborted because of
high water. It was a good 12-hour trip with 649 feet surveyed.
3/12: Warm Springs Project, VA.
Participants included David Socky, Bill Koerschner, Rick Lambert, Keith
Sweeney, and Jim Schurman. This was a day to recover and replace temperature
loggers in numerous caves and then to dig on Jenga Cave. The caves we visited
were Wave Function, Triplet Cave, Wares Cave, Hoover Cave, Hoover Pit, Good
Reception Cave, Glass Menagerie, Rushing Waters Cave, and finally Jenga Cave.
This was the first time we worked on this dig. Lots of air.
3/15: Butler Cave, VA.
Participants included David Socky, Mark Minton, Yvonne Droms, Mátyás Gyimesi,
Gabriella Wong (Gaby), and Victor Bennett. Dug on Snake Box dig in Sand Canyon.
4/2: Rushing Waters Cave, VA.
Participants included David Socky, Terry McClanahan, Jason Sargent, and Keith
Sweeney. Terry and I were the only ones to go in. We were to try and get to and
replace the air and water temperature loggers at the start of the first near
sump. I successfully changed out both loggers and replaced the wire for the
water logger. We were in the cave for about 20 minutes.
4/12: McClung Cave, WV.
Participants included David Socky, Ethan Bowers, and Andrew Bloom. We went to
work on leads off Minilithia (MOM Survey) and surveyed known passage in Crystal
Canyon. We killed three leads and surveyed 123 feet and connected the passage
into a known passage after squeezing through a tight hole. We (Ethan) hauled a
drill in for the MOM10A lead, but both Ethan and Andrew were able to squeeze
through the tight spot and report that the lead didn't go. We also killed a
high lead an MOM24. The DAD Crawls were just as awful as usual, but the drop
was no problem. Good 10-hour trip with 123 feet of survey done.
Jenga Cave, VA. (D. Socky) The usual band of
"ne'er-do-wells". We are about 40 feet into the cave and down about
15 feet. We’ve moved hundreds of buckets of dirt and rocks. There is a LOT of
air movement in this cave. It’s right over the top of Warm River. Since the
last report we’ve dug on the following dates: 3/26, 3/29, 4/2, 4/9, and 4/16.
3-22-25: BRG trip to
Rapps Cave, WV. (See report in
DUMP.) They saw it all. There were a ton of salamanders in the cave
entrance.
This Month’s trip –
tomorrow,
4/19/2025, New River Cave, WV Meet
at 8:30a. Susan Burr has gotten the Preserve trip permit, and she will have
parking permits that must be displayed on vehicles. BRG is Legal!
May grotto trip – to be
decided.
BUSINESS MEETING
April 18, 2025 – BRG Treasury Report
Respectfully submitted by Marian
McConnell.
Fund Amounts
$ 112.96 Cave Bucks
$ 2.00 Conservation Fund
$ 144.12 Equipment Fund
$ 5,878.35 General
Fund
$ 6,137.43 Total Funds
Committees:
Newsletter –Nice April 2025 CARBIDE DUMP! Thank you for the
articles and photos and artwork!
Membership –we have 53 members & 3 subscribers. Keith and Lisa Goggin sent in their 2025 dues.
Membership Packets were mailed. Updated membership lists are available.
ROCKS – the Warm Springs Valley project meets every
Wednesday, and some Saturday. Contact
Dave Socky if you want to participate.
Safety & Techniques – No Report
Membership Proposals: None.
Old Business
·
Update on widening of I-81 and how it will impact Dixie
Caverns, New Dixie Cave, VA. New Dixie
Cave will be resurveyed soon, before VDOT work begins.
·
Rezoning and Hotel next to Dixie Caverns is a done deal. The best thing concerned citizens should do
is send a short email to the Board of Supervisors voicing your opinion or
concerns. BOS meeting is 4/22/2025, 7p.
·
Virginia Cave Week!
June 1-7, 2025. BRG has not hosted a
Virginia Cave Week event for several years. 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,
etc. A cave conservation display in the
entrance foyer would be good.
Volunteers: Mary Sue Socky, Marian McConnell, Susan Burr, Alex Thompson,
Jenna Fidler.
·
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.
So far, 3 BRG members have preregistered for VAR.
New Business
·
Cave Access Updates.
o
Boar Hole, WV: Radio
Entrance and Cowan Entrance – manager Carroll Bassett must be contacted 24-72
hours before trip to get OK and parking information. Illegally parked vehicles will be towed.
o
Friars Hole Cave Preserve, WV – all entrances are closed.
o Catawba Murder Hole Cave, VA is CLOSED
o
Culverson Creek/Wildcat, WV –OPEN no need to
contact Bill Balfour; park by barn; do not block road.
o
New River Cave Preserve, VA (NSS) is using a permit system. One group per day is allowed in the
cave. https://permits.saveyourcaves.org/ to submit a permit request
for visitation. Contact newriverpreserve@caves.org for more info.
·
Should BRG invest some of its extra funds into CD’s? (Susan Burr).
BRG is either a Business account
or a Special Business Account. If
we are “Special Business Account” the interest rates would be 3% - 4%, and
would be worth a 4-month, 7-month, or 11- month investment. This would be ‘dynamic.” Is a minimum balance required? Someone with an account Signature needs to
check into it. After short discussion,
it was decided that Treasurer Marian McConnell and Chair David Socky (signature
holders) will investigate it.
Announcements:
·
Charlotte Lucas’ memorial will be May 3, 2025, at
Owl Cave, 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.
·
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
·
Winter Bat Closure for some caves.
o
WV: closed Sep 1-May 15. Closed for one more month.
o
VA: Winter closure ended Apr. 15.
·
Black Diamond
Vision Harness Recall
·
2025 NSS Director
Election Ballot - find ballot online, vote for max. 4. Ends 4/25/2025.
· We are thrilled to announce that — after years of member-informed discussion, planning, and preparation — the National Speleological Society has officially hired its first Executive Director: Dr. Annette Engel (NSS #31319). This marks a transformative moment in the evolution of the NSS. Annette is a lifelong caver, a renowned scientist, and a deeply respected member of the Society who brings both a compelling vision and decades of experience to this pivotal role. (NEW)
CAVER CALENDAR:
Apr 22 @ 6p -Roanoke Co. BOS meeting: development near
Dixie Caverns. (NEW)
May 2-4 – SERA Cave Carnival, near Jamestown TN.
May 9-11 - Spring
VAR,
Hosted by Out of Bounds Grotto, at Spruce Knob, WV.
May 16 – BRG meeting 6:30p Logan’s Roadhouse, Roanoke VA
Jun 23-27, 2025 – NSS Convention,
Cobleskill, NY.
Jul-11-19: NCRC Weeklong
classes, Mountain Gateway Community College, Clifton Forge, VA. For more info, including prerequisites,
visit: https://caves.org/ncrc/courses/ncrc-course-descriptions/ (Classes are filled. There is a standby list. Some new classes may
open.)
Cold
Beer!
PROGRAM: Dave Socky’s trip to Tanzania, Africa PLUS Final Vote for Your Favorite Five!
Minutes submitted by Mary Sue Socky,
Secretary