BLUE RIDGE GROTTO
MEETING MINUTES
November
16, 2007
Pat Sims Al Stewart Carl
Cornett Mary Sue Socky
Doug
Feller Trish Geiger Susan
Burr Dave Socky
Jen
Perdue Cole Frantz Carl Alls Marian
McConnell
*Sam Aguilera *Ben
Johnson *Clay Johnson *Leonard Rowe
*=Guest
CAVE TRIPS
9/1-2/2007:
Clay and Ben Johnson and friends
visited Sinks of Gandy, WVa, and Stillhouse
Cave, WV during OTR.
10/20/2007:
Straley’s Cave, VA. (Oct. BRG trip) Doug Feller, Trish Geiger, Dave Socky, Susan Burr,
Pat Sims, Carl
Cornett, Matt & Holly Poole,
David & Zan Rose. Three of them found the wrong entrance (Straley’s
#2). Eventually they found all three
entrances, and did them all (does this count as one or three cave trips?). Nice formation area. Carl Cornett
did the inside pit drop. To amuse herself, Susan Burr and others practiced
anatomically correct clay SpeleoArt.
Good 2 – 3 hour trip to a pretty little cave.
10/19-21,
26-28, & 31: Dixie Caverns Haunted
Cave! 28 cavers volunteered, raised
$2000.00 for cave conservation. It’s fun
to scare the tourists.
10/21:
Aaron Moses offered a vertical
practice session at the Hanging Rock cliffs.
Aaron’s Dad, Carl Cornett, Rickey Shortt, Leanne Barley,
Doug Feller, Dave and Nick Socky also hung around.
10/27-28: Gap Cave Survey, Cumberland
Gap National Forest, VA. Dave Socky joined the CRF, and went on a 16 ½
hour survey trip in Gap
Cave. That
part of the survey was in walking passage, with booming breakdown. Dave had fun!
11/3: Grand Caverns, VA. Susan, Pat,
Mary Sue and Nick cleared brush from a swale.
Bob
Thren helped
replace an old pavilion roof. Nick Socky
was the only one from BRG to get
underground – he went into Fountain
Cave and helped the Biggers Clan with their dig.
11/3:
Dave Socky and other Virginia Cave Board
members took a tour of Luray Caverns, VA.
Yes, they are still playing the Stalacpipe Organ that taps on the
formations with tiny mallets during the commercial cave trip.
11/10:
Not a cave trip, but LOTS of Cavers
– Dave & Mary Sue Socky and Al
Stewart carpooled up to the WVCC Christmas Banquet
in Lewisburg Theater. Let’s see, other BRG
members present were Bob
Thren, Meredith
Johnson, Ed & Marianne Saugstad, Alex Sproul, and John Michener.
11/10: Carl Cornett,
Dan & Marian
McConnell, and Sandy Ramsey took two groups of NC Boy Scouts into Tawney’s
Cave and Link’s Cave, VA. The scouts did great! They
met the other keyholder group, Jim Tennant
and JRG, while in Tawney’s.
11/11: Carl Cornett,
Cole Frantz, Dan
& Marian McConnell, Brian Williams, Brian’s
friends Heather NLN and Becky NLN, Bob Boeren,
John Willoughby rappelled into Catawba Murder Hole, VA. This
was Bob & John’s first trip
underground, and they were a bit overwhelmed.
Everyone went to the Middle Level; Carl, Heather and Becky did the in-cave rappel to the very bottom, and
all the way back. Carl described the
bottom as “Peanut Butter Mud”.
????TAG – Doug Feller, Carl Cornett, Rickey
Shortt, Leanne Barley,
John Layman and Cameron Hall did a classic TAG
trip. First, they did a -180 foot warm-up
pit, THEN: -586 foot Fantastic Pit in Ellison’s Cave, GA. They
used some interesting rigging at the lip bolts.
Not much rope was on the bottom – just enough, plus a knot.
UpComing Trips
Nov.
17 (tomorrow) BRG trip to Starnes Cave, VA. Doug Feller is leader. Free climbable entrance leads to the second
largest room under VA. Multi level cave,
group will do the horizontal trip, then leave cave. Hardcore vertical cavers will rappel the
lower levels in search of the lowest, muddiest, wettest, and nastiest cave they
can find.
Dec
1-2: Grand Caverns resurvey.
Dec.
22 – Bone
Norman Cave,
WVa. Dave Socky is leader.
PROGRAM
– 2007
NCRC Weeklong @ Salem, VA.
Photos by Carl Cornett, dialogue by Carl
Cornett and Marian McConnell. Special thanks to Trish Geiger for getting her work
computer for the slide show.
BUSINESS MEETING
TREASURER 11/16/07
General Fund
$ 4787.82
Conservation
$ 533.92
Equipment Fund $ 321.00
Cave Bucks
$ 38.30
Total: $ 5681.04
Committee
Reports:
Newsletter: Send in your artwork, photos, and articles.
Membership: Pay
your dues! Cards will be mailed
out.
ROCKS:
No report
S&T: No Report”. Marian says Dan
is working on another vertical session at RocWood.
Conservation:
vacant
Ways
& Means: vacant
Membership Proposals –
Nothing
tabled, nothing new. NSS Membership
brochures are at the front desk.
Pay your 2008 dues to
the treasurer. $10.00 per person, $5.00
each additional family member.
OLD BUSINESS
·
Hosting a future Fall VAR (Susan Burr) no site yet.
Susan is getting discouraged. If
we find a site, JRG is willing to help with the VAR
·
Haunted Cave Meltdown (Wrap-Up) – 28 cavers raised $2000.00 for
cave conservation. See attachment.
·
BRG Christmas
Cards. Marian displayed two designs, and
asked folks to vote. The “Bat”
version of the Christmas card will be sent to landowners.
·
BRG Christmas Dinner –
12/21/2007, @ Mamma Maria’s in Salem,
VA. SIGN UP
& PAY SUSAN! 4 entrees were selected from the menu: Lasagna,
Fettuccini Alfredo, Meatballs, Stuffed Shells
·
BRG Website: Dave Socky
and Shawn Hinchy. Nothing to report.
NEW BUSINESS
·
BRG Nominations. No additional nominations were cast. Nominations were closed.
·
BRG Elections. Doug Feller motions that the current slate of
officers be elected to another year in office.
Dave Socky seconds. The vote passed by acclimation.
·
Proposed quarry in Botetourt Co. VA.
Marian McConnell attended the
planning commission meeting, joined app. 100 residents in speaking against the
proposed Rockydale Quarry, which would destroy several Timber
Ridge caves, and pollute creek habitats for endangered mussels. Botetourt
Co. Supervisors will make final decision 11/27/2007. Marian will keep us
posted.
·
VAR Site Check Reimbursement. Pat
Sims proposes that BRG reimburses
gas money fro those who are driving to check out campgrounds. Dave Socky seconds motion. Motion passes unanimously.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Desperately seeking a campground, preferably with
electricity near the 220N corridor or Lexington area of I-81. Reply to Susan
Burr, pondlady97@cox.net or 540-989-5809.
- 2008 SERA/VAR brochures, describing the upcoming weekend in June
2008.
- Rock & Mineral Show @ Salem Civic Center Nov 23-25.
Meeting ended
8:50p.
Minutes submitted by
Mary Sue
Socky
Secretary, Blue Ridge Grotto.
(see
attachments on p. 4 & p.5)
(Attachment: Mamma Maria’s)
Mamma
Maria’s Menu
The $ 75.00 deposit will be refunded if 25+ adults attend.
Hours: 7p to 11p
We have
reserved the back banquet room
BRG meeting: 7p to 10p (or so)
ABC on – beer, wine, mixed drinks
Buffet style. We need
to choose 4 items from the menu below to be put on our buffet:
Salad, antipasto, bread, dessert,
etc. will also be offered on the buffet.
Need to
call Dominick 1 week before (by Dec. 14) to give him a head count and tell him
what 4 entrée’s we want.
Price: Kids, 9 yrs.
old and under will be half price.
Adults: $12.50 + tax + 18% gratuity. (OK: per person price of $16.00
We need to have paid for orders by
Dec. 10, 2007
Your drinks
are extra.
Mamma
Maria’s Entrées from Choice 1 column (choose 4)
Lasagna
Fettuccini Alfredo
Penne ala Pomodoro
Cheese
Ravioli
Meat
Ravioli
Sausage Peppers & Onions
Mussels
Marinara
Spaghetti
with Garlic & Oil
Meatballs
Buffalo Wings
Manicotti
Stuffed Shells
Pasta Primavera
Penne Sunrise
Penne Napoletana
Stuffed
Rigatoni
Sausage
Napoletana
Penne ala Pomodoro
(Attachment:
2007 Haunted Cave Wrap-Up)
HC 2007 Actual
Participants
James River Grotto
Mike
Frazier 111 20% = $400.00
Hannah Frazier 11
Neil
Gunter 1
Matt
Lair 11
Harry Sowers 111
5
(11)
New River Valley Grotto
John
Fox 111 17% = $340.00
JoAnna Fox 111
Leanne Barley 1
Bill Pond 1
4
(8)
VPI Cave Club
Caitlin Cooke 1 17%
= $340.00
Zulema Galvan 11
Lisa Gunderman 1
Kaitlyn Hart 1
Alice Jaworski 1
Aaron
Thomas 11
Brian Wolford 1
7
(9)
Blue Ridge Grotto
Leanne Barley 1 46%
= $920.00
Susan
Burr 111
Carl
Cornett 11
Martin
DiLeggi 1
Trish Geiger 1
Cameron Hall 1
Cyndi
Hutchison 1
John
Layman 1
Marian
McConnell 11
Jen
Perdue 11
Kristen
Perdue 11
Mary
Sue Socky 1111
David
Socky 11
Nick Socky 111
14
(26)
TOTALS: 29 cavers donated 54 night’s worth of scaring
Earned
$2000.00, to be split between the four grottos.
(this is a letter to JRG.
Similar letters were sent to the other grottos).
November
XX, 2007
James River Grotto of the
NSS
c/o Chuck Waller
1116 7th
Street
Altavista, Va. 24517
Dear
JRG Cavers,
Thank you so
much for helping with the 2007 Dixie Caverns
Haunted Cave!
The owner, the
manager, and the HC Director were very pleased with our “scaring and haunting
talents”. This
year’s Haunted Cave
was a success. Mrs. Browning donated a total of $2,000.00 for the caver
volunteers, and she thanks the cavers for their dedication and hard work.
Enclosed you will find a check for your grotto efforts.
Mrs. Browning
does request that the grottos make a donation to the National Caves
Association, as part of our cave conservation efforts.
I
calculated that 5 JRG Cavers volunteered 11 “worknights”or
20% of the “haunting” effort. That gives JRG a total of $400.00 for cave conservation.
Congratulations!
Once
again, THANKS!
Cave
Softly,
Mary Sue Socky
NSS
# 24206FE
Blue Ridge Grotto of the
NSS
SPECIAL THANKS
TO:
James River Grotto Participants
Hannah Frazier (T) Mike
Frazier Neil Gunter Matt Lair Harry Sowers
Dixie
Caverns Haunted Cave 2007
Names, addresses of various cave conservation & safety organizations. There are more cave conservancies out there,
too! (see http://www.caves.org/committee/conservation/ for more info)
American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA)
119 East Main Street,
P.O.Box 409, Horse Cave, KY 42749
Appalachian
Cave Conservancy, Inc.
704 Holston
Hills Lane, Marion, VA 24354-1670
Bat Conservation International (BCI)
P.O. Box
162603, Austin, TX 78716
Cave Conservancy
of the Virginias (CCV)
13131 Overhill Lake Lane, Glen Allen,
VA 23059
Local rescue squads
Mid Atlantic Karst
Conservancy (MAKC)
PO Box
196,
Murrysville, PA
15668
Indiana Karst Conservancy
PO Box 2401, Indianapolis,
IN 46206-2401
National Caves Association (NCA)
PO Box
280, Park City, KY 42160
National Speleological
Society (NSS) Save the Caves Fund
2813 Cave Avenue, Huntsville,
AL 35810-4413 USA
Southeastern Cave
Conservancy (SECCI)
PO Box 71857, Chattanooga
TN 37407-0857
The Nature Conservancy
Worldwide Office Virginia
Chapter
4245
North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100 490 Westfield Road
Arlington, VA 22203-1606 Charlottesville, VA
22901-1633
Virginia Area
Region (VAR)
Treasurer Landowner
Recognition fund
John Fox C/o Janet Tinkham,
204 Fifth
Street, 360 Kings Drive,
Radford, VA 24141 Fort Valley, VA 22652
Virginia Cave Board
Virginia Division of Natural Heritage
Department
of Conservation and Recreation
217 Governor Street, 3rd Floor, Richmond, VA 23219
Virginia Speleological Survey (VSS)
572 Spruce Street, Monterey VA
24465-0151
WVa
Cave Conservancy (WVCC)
P.O. Box
243, Frankford, WV 24938