Blue Ridge Grotto of the NSS

Monthly Meeting Minutes – Jersey Lily’s, Salem VA

 

August 18, 2023

Attendance:

Lauren Appel – Chair                       Nick Schmalenberger - Vice          Mary Sue Socky – Treasurer/Secretary   

Doug Feller                                          Jeff Huffman                                      Pud Zwolinski  (John Pearson)  

Susan Burr                                          Lynn Ott                                               Carl Cornett

Joe Banks                                            Barry Ferguson                                  Helene Ferguson

Kelly Perkins                                       Dano McConnell                               Marian McConnell                          

Larry Manning                                   *Whes Spangler                                *Dylan Kelly                       

*Abby  Arbeiter                                                          (* denotes guest)

 

Meeting was called to order 6:30p by Chair Lauren Appel.  Introduction, everyone was welcome.

 

Trip Reports:

6/25:  Nick Schmalenberger attended the NSS Geology Fieldtrip during NSS Convention.  The group visited Seneca Caverns, WV and one other cave near Nelson Rocks. 

 

7/22:  Grotto trip to Norman Cave, WV.  Susan Burr, Jeff and Hillary Huffman, Nick Schmalenberger visited the waterfall, explored around for 3 hours.  They never found the West Virginia Room.  Then they exited the cave  and headed for the nearby blueberry farm. 

 

7/31:  Lauren Appel, Mystik Miller, Reilly Stalnaker and Emily Cabral from Greenbrier Grotto visited Higginbotham Caves 1-4, WV.  It was a good trip! They bellycrawled through water and saw a bazillion raccoon tracks in one area. 

 

8/14/2023:  Mexico – Bob Alderson – “Caving in a small cave in Mexico, did a sketchy 15 climb down a canyon. A slot in the floor went down another 10. I fell climbing down this. With a belay I was able to climb up and rest on a ledge while waiting for a small group of Mexican cave rescuers. They set a few bolts and pulled me up with a direct haul from outside the entrance. I had to climb out the narrow entrance. When I got out, I could barely stand, and walking was out of the question. The Mexican crew put a survival [cervical] collar on me and a short back board. They packed me in an abs skegh [SKED] and carried me off. I have many thanks for the Mexican cavers. At the hospital they diagnosed a couple of broken ribs.”   (NOTE: Bob’s injuries to his back and lungs were a bit more serious than first thought… Bob had a successful operation on 8.18.23 to repair a fractured vertebra.  He IS doing better. Get well and fly home soon, Bob!)   

 

UPCOMING TRIPS

Tomorrow Sat. 8/19/2023:  BRG trip to Rimstone Falls Cave, WV. Intermediate cave, trip is closed.

 

·         Next Month’s Trips – BRG trip – TBA

·         9/16: Old Cavers Easy Cave Trip to Crozet/Blue Ridge Tunnel, Nelson Co. VA.  We will enter via the EAST entrance, which is handicap accessible, do a through trip and back to the cars.  Bring your helmet, light, and boots!  Contact MSSocky sockymss@cox.net if you want to be on the trip. 

 

BUSINESS MEETING

8/18/2023 BRG Treasury Report – Mary Sue Socky, Treasurer

Fund Amounts

$       40.96          Cave Bucks*

$         2.00          Conservation Fund

$     104.12         Equipment Fund

$   3670.91         General Fund

     $3617.99       Total Funds

*Cave Bucks:  All Cave Bucks donations are voluntary; funds go to cave conservation programs.

During the meeting,  John Pearson donated $5 to cave bucks, and Joe Banks donated $40 to the grotto gear fund. 

 

Committees: 

Newsletter – August vacation was nice.  Please keep sending your articles and photos for the September DUMP.    Please take some of the hardcopy NSS News & exchange newsletters we have collected – thanks! 

 

Membership – BRG has 56 members and 5 subscribers.  Extra 2023 Membership lists are available.  

 

ROCKS –  Nothing.

 

S&T -  Be careful out there! (See Bob Alderson’s trip report.)  There have been five caving accidents/incidents in this region since June.       

 

Membership Proposals:   None. 

However, congratulations to Helene Ferguson NSS # NSS 60182, on renewing her NSS membership!

 

Old Business 

·         Cave Owner award for Carroll Bassett – Will be given to him at OTR.

·         Vertical training areas in Roanoke, VA (Nick Schmalenberger); Nick Schmalenberger, Kelly Perkins and Kat Watson have been visiting the River Rock Climbing Wall, getting to know the owners, and BRG will eventually have a vertical practice there.

·         Request for cave maps per Larry Manning/NCRC. No new updates. We will make maps available as needed.

·         Goodwins Cave:  no new updates.

·         Marian’s Murder Hole Cave rainbow photo shoot idea – looking at dates.

·         Donation of $100 has been made to Blacksburg Cave Rescue Group for Doug’s Feller’s rescue.

·         Donation of $100 has been made to NSS Save the Caves fund in memory of Karen Kastning. 

·         Book review by Marian of “All 13” – Several people have read and enjoyed the book!

·         Brick engraving in memory of Al Stewart – vote on top choice!  A list of possible designs was passed around.  This design had the most (11) votes:

Al Stewart NSS 8695

Fossil # 1

Blue Ridge Grotto

The brick order will be sent in. 

 

·         Virginia State caving license plates update – per Nick Schmalenberger: “the state deposited my check for the cave license plate on August 8, I wrote the check March 18. It’s stamped “for deposit only” to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Hopefully this means enough people signed up and will get the license plates soon.”

·         Fall VAR is happening! It will be hosted by Tri-State Grotto October 20-21 near Sharpsburg, MD. *** https://var.caves.org/index.php/events/fall-var

·         Since Fall VAR will once again conflict with the BRG meeting, should we change the meeting date? 

o    After discussion it was decided to continue to hold the BRG meeting on Oct. 20.  VAR will be 3 ˝ hours away, not many BRG people will be attending.

·         Carl Cornett Gear  Dave Socky created an Auction link for Carl Cornett’s caving gear being auctioned.

https://blueridgegrotto.org/documents/brg_gear_auction_2023/BRG_Gear_Auction_2023.htm

 “The caving gear is for a BRG Auction. Gear is to be sold as is. Original price for some of the gear is included with a suggested starting bid. Any bids will be accepted, but BRG reserves the right to say a bid is not enough ($1.00 for a $100 piece if gear is just not enough!). The Auction will be for BRG members only at first. The auction begins August 15. Whatever is not sold after September 15 will be opened to the caving community in general. Make your bids via email to sockydr@cox.net. When bidding, please indicate the description plus the “Item Number” so there are no issues on what is being bid on. There are 3 vertical rigs which are presented as a set. But if someone wishes to bid on separate pieces, that is ok. However, those who bid on the set will override bids for individual parts. Most gear is lightly used, but the condition will be noted below with the photos.”

 

 

New Business:

·         Nominations for 2024 Arts and Letters award – Marian McConnell is new Sub-Chair. Hoping to get Dave Bunnell who was NSS News editor for 26 years. You can nominate anyone else who qualifies. Nominations must be sent to Marian by November 15th! Two other people are in the running: Angelo George & Matt Pelsor; if you know them and want to submit documentation, do so. Let Marian know if you have questions.  

 

·         SCCI wants to purchase Sinkhole Cave, Marion CO TN. Property.  The Kelly Cove-Sinkhole Preserve will be 27.5 acres of caving, vertical caving ,limited camping, and surface permits. They need to raise $165,000.00 in the next 30 days.   Does BRG wish to donate?  (Question was sidetracked, morphed into):

Pud Zwolinski issued a SINKHOLE CHALLENGE, where he and Lyn Pearson donated $100 to the KCSP, and challenged other BRG cavers to do the same  ($50 per person, $100 per couple).  Lynn Ott, Gene Harrison, and Dan & Marian McConnell have matched Pud’s offer.  So far, $300 has been raised from BRG members for the SCCi Preserve.   Send donations for The Kelly Cove-Sinkhole Preserve directly to SCCi at    Visit https://saveyourcaves.org/sinkhole  to learn more and donate.

Announcements:

·         Please sign Bob Alderson’s Get-Well Card 

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

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

·         Winter closure dates for bat caves in West Virginia is September 1 – May 15.  

·         Winter cave closure dates for bat caves in Virginia is October 15 – April15.

·         Registration for NCRC Fall 2023 Level 1 and Level 2 are open!  This class meets on 3 Sept. weekends.  Space is limited – sign up soon!   https://ncrc-er.caves.org/events    

 

2023 CAVER CALENDAR:

Sep 15 – BRG Meeting at Jersey Lily’s

Oct 5-8 TAG Fall Cave-in; Menlo, GA

Oct 20 – BRG Meeting at Jersey Lily’s

Oct 21 – Bridge Day; Fayetteville, WV

Oct 20-23 – Fall VAR near Sharpsburg, MD

Oct. 28-29 – NCRC OCR beginner cave rescue weekend class, Morgantown, WV. 

Nov 11 – WVCC Cave Banquet in Lewisburg, WV

 

meeting ended 7:08p.

Cold Beer! 

       

Program:  2 short videos: “Climbing Techniques & Safe Caving” by László Turi,  and

“Why This Animal Doesn’t Move for 7 Years” by Joseph Pisenti   (Second one was cute and funny!)

 

 

Minutes Submitted by

Mary Sue Socky,

Substitute Secretary