BLUE RIDGE GROTTO of the National Speleological Society

BRG Minutes for 8/15/2025

Dave & MarySue Socky’s house, 6572 Woodbrook Dr. SW Cave Spring, VA  24018

 

Attendance:

Susan Burr                                           Marian McConnell                              Mary Sue Socky                 

Dave Socky                                          Doug Feller                                           Trish Geiger

*Bob Balch            *Guest

 

Chair David Socky called the meeting to order at 6:30p.

Everyone was welcomed.  No need for introductions. 

 

TRIP REPORTS

5/19:  Trish Geiger visited Ryugado Cave, Japan during her recent vacation.  One of Japan’s three largest limestone  show caves, Ryugado (means “dragon river cave”). The entirety of the cave is approximately 4 km long, with about 1 km that is open to the general public. Parts of the passages were rather narrow and some had low ceilings; making it almost felt like real caving. LOL. It had pretty decorated sections, but unfortunately about ½ had tacky colored lights. There was also a museum there with a cool bat skeleton.  Definitely worth a visit.  

 

7/19: BRG trip to Patton Cave, WV.  Susan Burr, Brian Williams, 5 others.  Rigorous trip, across the scary deep place on the way to the Football Room.  They found the Football Room, forgot to look for the bear claw marks, and headed out via the 14” bellycrawl passage.  4 ½ hour trip. No rain.

 

7/23: Various Caves Warm Springs Project (WSP), VA. Participants included David Socky, Rick Lambert, Chas Lambert (Rick's grandson?), Joe Zokaites, Keith Sweeney, and Amos Mincin. We went to change data loggers at these caves: Wave Function, Pasco Pit, Robinson Cave, Glass Menagerie, Hoover Cave, and Wares Cave. Joe, Amos, and I did not go to Hoover or Wares because Joe and Amos bounced the entrance drop for Glass Menagerie. We were done by 1 pm and then went to the Country Cafe in Healing Springs for lunch. Catfish - yum.

               

7/26: Triplet Cave, VA. Participants included David Socky, Rick Lambert, Keith Sweeney, Amos Mincin, Jim Schurman, Marissa Loftus, and Jason Sargent. We had just enough people to dig at Triplet, although we could have used a few more for rotation. Of course, I was outside doing bucket counting and Keith's back is so bad we didn't let him do anything. But we provided morale support. Cleaned a lot of the rocks, dirt, and gravel out, set up ramps, filled in holes, and confirmed that the dig as we had left it from way before is still there and waiting. Not much air blowing out even though it was pretty warm, so there could be a blockage further in. We got 76 buckets hauled out and worked until about 3:30pm when the rain clouds started to roll in. We packed it up before it rained and made it to Keith's house for wonderful dinner cooked by Kathy.

 

7/30: Triplet Cave, VA. Participants included David Socky, Joe Zokaites, Bill Koerschner, Amos Mincin, Keith Sweeney, and Jim Schurman. Another dig on Triplet Cave. 60 buckets. Put in sled slides to make it easier to get spoils out of the cave. Dave was rope tender and fuckit counter again.

 

8/4:  Dave and Mary Sue Socky visited Dixie Caverns, VA.  They took disto readings of the Wedding Party Pool and area to know how much garden hose (100’) would be needed for the pool cleaning and draining.   Cleanup will be in September 2025. 

 

8/8:  Dave & Mary Sue Socky met Brian and Patti Williams at the Natural History Museum, Martinsville, VA for the display of Petra – an ice age big  cat skeleton found in Burga Cave, VA.  Dave Socky was one of the cavers who collected and brought the skeleton to the museum. Conservators at the museum have spent the past 3 years removing mud and calcite from the articulated skeleton.  Petra was likely a puma, but the skeleton is too old and mineralized (not enough DNA) to get a radiocarbon date.  

 

8/13: Triplet Cave, VA. Participants included David Socky, Joe Zokaites, Bill Koerschner, Andrew Allard, Keith Sweeney, Amos Mincin, Rick Lambert, and Jim Schurman. Yet another dig. We improved the sled slides and put a large fence up to keep debris out of the cave during storms. We actually moved the dig face further in and have gotten to the point that technical digging will be required. But you can see black beyond a narrow slot. Still looks good!            

 

UPCOMING TRIPS

·         No trip this month.  Trip leaders are needed!   

·         September grotto trip – To Be Decided. 

·         In September, Robert Balch will be vacationing in Greece for a month.  He hopes to visit various cave sites. 

 

MEMBERSHIP PROPOSALS - No membership proposals at this time. 

 

BUSINESS MEETING

 

Treasury Report

August 15, 2025 – BRG Treasury Report

Respectfully submitted by Marian McConnell. 

Fund Amounts

$    117.96           Cave Bucks

$        2.00            Conservation Fund

$    144.12           Equipment Fund

$ 5,779.63          General Fund

     $ 6,043.71    Total Funds

 

Old Business

·         VAR Updates – NEW DATE!  Moved to October 17-19, 2025, at the RASS property.  Hosted by VAR Officers.  Contact Meredith Weberg to volunteer or for more info. 

·          Looking for someone to host the 2026 Spring VAR!  Contact Meredith Weberg.

·         CaveSim is Up In The Air – Dave Jackson is working with GO Fest, so plan to help CaveSim!  Oct. 18-19, 2025.  CaveSim will be in its usual spot in Downtown Roanoke,  on Jefferson St.  Please volunteer to help with CaveSim and GO Fest.  If anything changes, we will let you know! 

·         Santamander Update – Marian is doing the artwork on the 2025 BRG Landowner Card.  It will feature a “Dixie (Slimy) Salamander” – black with white sparkles.

o     Is there a Salamander group, etc. that people can contact for donation information?    (Not CBD, please.  MSS)

·         Dixie Caverns Wedding Party Pool Update – Dave & Mary Sue Socky have measured, calculated how much hose and supplies will be needed for the project.  Brian Williams has offered to help, too.  A filter/drain bucket has been designed to help with draining the pool.  Dave thinks a “water-filled-hose siphon” will be sufficient to drain the pool.  No one wants to suck start the draining.  Mary Sue estimated 3 days for the project.  It would be a Mon-Tues-Wed project.  James Fidler asks that we wait until weather cools off to climb the hill and check the in-cave water connections. 

o    Possible dates are Sept. 8-10, or Sept. 15-7, or Sept. 22-24.   More info soon. 

   

New Business

·         Dixie Caverns Cave Salamander protection status (CBD) – The Center For Biological Diversity (CBD) is petitioning the US Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the salamander under the Endangered Species Act.  (See attachment).

o    Could be a plus for protecting the salamander and its habitat from pro-development Roanoke County.

o    Could take FOREVER.  Government moves slowly.

o    CBD release (attachment) contains several inaccuracies (highway built over the cave system?! NO)(highway pollution enters the cave?? NO but highway runoff contaminates stream habitat.)  

o    CBD has a negative reputation amongst biologists.  They are lawyers, not scientists.  They have been  sue-happy in the past.

o    Region cavers and landowners will watch for more developments.

o    See press release: attachment

 

·         Renewal notice for West Virginia Cave Conservancy annual dues ($?)  YES, please renew for 2026. 

o    Do we also want to send them a donation? (see next item)

·         Table donation question until next meeting. Print current BRG Donation list in the  Sept. DUMP; will address during Sept. BRG meeting.

·         Susan Burr wanted to know why Ed and Marianne Saugstad are moving.  Ed and Marianne have decided to move to England – Marianne misses her homeland and family very much.  Hopefully, they are on their way.  Ed said he will keep his email address, suunto1942@protonmail.com   So write Ed!

·         Doug Feller inherited a lot of caving stuff from Gary Drewry.  Speleodigests, slightly used vertical gear, old rope (can the old rope be recycled?)  The boxes are currently in the Socky’s garage.

o    Do we want to do an auction?   

Dave Socky decided NO.  Stuff will be priced, sold at OTR yard sale.   In the meantime, help yourself to Gary’s stuff.    

 

Announcements:

·         T-Shirts –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. 

·         Carl Cornett is doing well and says “Hi.”

·         Dave Socky and Nikki Fox are helping Brad Blase post verified cave access info updates to the “Closed Cave List.”  Send updates:   https://var.caves.org/index.php/conservation/closed-caves/closed-cave-list      

·         Summer Bat Closure for some caves.  These closures protect maternity colonies of bat moms and pups. 

o    WV: closed May 15 - Sept 1.

o    VA: closed  Apr. 15 – Oct. 15.

 

CAVER CALENDAR:

Aug 15 – BRG  meeting @ Dave and Mary Socky’s house.

Aug 28-Sept 1 – OTR, Dailey, WV. 

Sept 19 – BRG meeting, @ Dave and Mary Socky’s house.

Oct 17 -   – BRG  meeting, @ Dave and Mary Socky’s house. Nominations. 

Oct 18-19 – Roanoke GO FEST (save the date for Cave Sim)

Oct. 17-19 – Fall VAR at RASS!  Hosted by the VAR Officers.  (NEW DATE!)

Nov 21 – BRG meeting, @ Dave and Mary Socky’s house..  Elections. 

 

Cold Beer!   7:32p

Program:  instead of the selected video, everyone went downstairs and poked through Gary Drewry’s donated cave gear, courtesy of Doug Feller.  Susan Burr selected several cave packs, AND she took the 3 NEW grotto helmets to add to the grotto gear cache.    “The One That Got Away” (22 min.) will be shown next month.

 

Minutes submitted by Mary Sue Socky, Secretary