BLUE RIDGE GROTTO
MEETING MINUTES
October
17, 2008
Pat Sims Al Stewart Mary
Sue Socky Dave
Socky
Susan Burr Marian McConnell Dan McConnell Trish
Geiger
CAVE TRIPS
9/12: Trish Geiger
toured the pretty commercial sections of Wind Cave, SD
and Jewel Cave, SD during her vacation.
FALL VAR
9/20 Pat Sims led a VAR trip to Pocahontas Poor Farm Cave, Pocahontas Co. WV. Half of the group didn’t want to do the
interesting parts of the cave, and the pretty stuff is BEYOND
the crawl! Then went to Boarhole…(below)
9/20: Dave
Cowan led Pat Sims and remaining
cavers from Poca Poor Farm trip into the Boarhole, Greenbrier Co.
WV. Everything in this cave has to
do with pigs! Giant, booming
passage!! The group went in through a
small chimney entrance, exited the cave 2 hours later via a culvert. This would be a neat BRG
trip!
9/20: Island Ford
Kiddie Trip. The families, kids did
GREAT with the exception of one child, who was a pain in the ass! Despite the incessant crying, whining and
temper tantrums, we made it back to the spring, then back out via the
“slide”.
9/20: Dave
Socky took a group into Culverson
Creek/the Echo Tubes. He began the
trip with 9, ended with 7 participants (one couple bailed early, health
reasons) They went over the Scary Spot, the Mudderhorn, and got to the back of
the Echo Tubes. Found a little virgin
passage, but the Tubes ended in breakdown.
Ken Walsh had fun! Good trip.
9/20: Doug Feller took a group into Paxton’s Cave, VA. After one hour, Doug had to escort two cavers
out to the entrance, then raced back to his group. He couldn’t find them – they were hiding from
him! The remaining group made it back to
the Christmas Room, etc. and had a great trip, because Doug knows this
cave. (Report from Susan Burr and Dave
Socky)
CMH 9/20: Dan & Marian McConnell met with their group
Saturday, and went to the very bottom of Catawba
Murder Hole. Excellent trip! When Marian rappelled to the lowest level,
everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to
her!
9/21: Cavers finally showed up around 11:30a for
the open air vertical session. A total
of six rappellers enjoyed rappelling and climbing out of the Daylight Cave, including two very new
vertical cavers, who appreciated Dan’s
instruction on SRT.
NOTE: Marian and Dan
want a cleanup in the very bottom of CMH next summer 2009. There is lots of trash in the very bottom, in
the mud.
10/4: Susan Burr, Pat
Sims, Bob
Thren worked in Grand
Caverns, VA. They helped Carol
Tiderman work on a couple of digs behind Dante’s
Inferno. They were VERY muddy! The three of them also went to check out some
other tight leads Carol mentioned back in the same area. Susan went as far as possible, but couldn’t
go further due to overhead rocks in the way. (Susan says the “cracks” are miserable!)
UPCOMING:
Oct.
18 - Rickey Shortt is leading a BRG trip to Higginbotham’s
# 4 Cave –the pit entrance/short drop.
It depends on water levels and finding the entrance.
Nov.
23 (Sunday) – It’s a GO! Dave Socky and Phil Lucas set up a BRG trip to the “Water
Sinks” Cave, on Phil & Charlotte’s
property. We will meet at 8:30a HROM on
Sunday, 11/23/2008.
PROGRAM: 2nd half of Carlsbad Caverns, NM. Awesome footage of Lechuguilla Cave
and the “Spirit World” section of Carlsbad Caverns.
BUSINESS
MEETING
TREASURER 10/17/08
General Fund
$ 5,451.11
Conservation
$
156.09
Equipment Fund $
341.00
Cave Bucks
$ 95.30
Total: $
6,043.50
Committee
Reports:
Newsletter: Thank You for the nice long break. The Oct. DUMP
is full of info, photos, and excellent articles. Keep them coming in!
Membership:
nothing new.
ROCKS:
nothing new
S&T: vertical training
session (Rockwood?) sometime in January 2009.
Conservation:
vacant
Ways
& Means: vacant
Membership Proposals –
Nothing
tabled, nothing new. NSS Membership
brochures are at the front desk.
OLD BUSINESS
BRG Website: nothing. Please
drop.
Hosting Fall VAR 2008 - Was OUTSTANDING! THANK YOU, SUSAN BURR
& PAT SIMS!!!
Good
News – everything went well. Only complaints were train noise and FRG ran out
of syrup on Sunday.
Bad News – Moose Lodge
hit us with $600.00 more “last minute expenses”; gratuity and banquet hall
clean up. Susan Burr
and Mike Frazier decided to go on
and pay, because the campground was so cheap.
Totals: BRG
made $ 841.49, JRG made $840.00 (profit).
VAR gets $765 for dues collected. Good
deal!
Haunted Cave 2008 – we are halfway
through! It has been an interesting
bumpy year. JRG, VPI
and BRG are the participating
grottoes. IF anyone is interested, there
are a few volunteer slots left.
White
Nose Syndrome (WNS)
Check VAR Limited Access Cave List for new updates and “gear cleaning”
recommendations. Several closed caves
have been Closed for the winter to cavers.
BRG Christmas Dinner – Friday,
Dec. 19, 2008 @ Mamma Maria’s. $16.00
per person. You have to pay extra for your own drinks. We need 25 to get our $75.00 deposit
returned. Please
sign up, pay treasurer. Thanks!
Proposal: Susan Burr
proposed that the 14 people from BRG
who helped with Fall VAR should get their “dinner and ice tea” paid by BRG as a way of saying “THANKS”. Trish Geiger
seconded motion. 7 yes, 1 no. MOTION PASSES. The
14 lucky cavers are:
1. Susan Burr
2. Pat Sims
3. Doug Feller
4. Randy Michael
5 . Dave Socky
6. Mary Sue Socky
7. John Layman
8. Cameron Hall
9. Aaron Moses
10. Rick Shortt
11. Leanne Barley
12. Marian McConnell
13. Dan McConnell
14. Carl Cornett
2008
Christmas Card design – “Caver Snowman with Bat” submitted by Marian McConnell. Everyone likes it! Design is unanimously accepted, Marian will
get a batch printed, sent to landowners in Dec.
Socky’s will print labels.
NEW BUSINESS
Pig Hole Fencing. Project
will be coordinated by Don Anderson and Joe Zokaites. Grottos are donating money and manpower:
VPI
- $500.00
NRVG - $200.00
BRG
- $250.00 ** (see below)
JRG - $250.00
(Pig
Hole – cont.) Fence poles need to be
dug, placed, set. Area needs to be
cleaned of brush, etc. A woven wire
fence would be installed around the Hole, with barbwire on the back for
additional support. There will be a
gate; it will be large enough for vehicle access in case or another cave
accident.
** Motion:
Susan Burr
motions that BRG pledges $250.00
plus manpower for the Pig Hole fencing. We will also pledge up to another $50.00 for
unexpected expenses as needed. Dave Socky seconds, everyone votes in favor of. MOTION PASSES
UNANIMOUSLY. Please
sign up to donate your time, manpower, tools.
Susan Burr
will coordinate for BRG.
NOMINATIONS
All current elected BRG
officers are at the end of their second term of office and must step down. The following cavers meet the requirements
for becoming officers, and were proposed.
Chair:
Susan Burr NSS # 53888,
proposed by Dan McConnell.
Vice Chair:
David
Socky, NSS # 16334, proposed by himself and Marian McConnell.
Secretary:
Aaron
Moses, NSS # 54801, proposed by Susan Burr
and Pat Sims.
Treasurer:
Carl
Cornett, NSS # 56641, proposed by Susan Burr.
The nominations will remain open until the
November 21, 2008 BRG meeting.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Available from NSS Bookstore: “Vertical Bill:
The Story of Bill Cuddington
and the Development of Vertical Caving in America”. On sale $28.00 - $32.00
- VWCC
Banquet, Lewisburg, WV
Brier Inn, 11/15/2008. See flyer or website.
- NEW VAR CLOSED CAVE LIST is
available. We have a few hardcopies
for folks. There are updates,
winter closures, and new info on WNS.
.
- VSS meeting will be held
10/25/2008 at Dave &
MSSocky’s house.
- Mary
Sue Socky is giving several presentations: Caving – to a Roanoke College Outdoor
Class on Oct. 28, and Bats to Cave Spring Elementary
School 2nd grade on Oct. 31.
- BRG Cavers Mary Sue Socky, Susan
Burr, Marian McConnell,
and Carl Cornett are planning
on taking BSA-T221 scouts on a
beginner cave trip into Tawney’s Cave, VA
on Nov. 9.
Meeting ended 9:05p.
Minutes submitted by
Mary Sue
Socky
Secretary, Blue Ridge Grotto.