Summer 2000 - Virginia Region of the NSS

Transcription

R
·
Vol. XIII No.3 Summer 2000
THE SINKHOLE FROM HELL CLEANUP
by R. Thren
A little background infonnation
on the project for the readers who
may not be familiar with it. This
sinkhole in northern Rockbridge
County was brought to the
attention of the Blue Ridge Grotto
several years ago by the owner,
who was wondering if it could
ever be cleaned up. After a quick
it
investigation,
definitely
appeared to be more than a grotto
.
project. Hundreds of tires, many
large appliances, and at least a
half dozen vehicles had been
Heavy
deposited
there.
equipment, dumpsters, and many
The
bodies would be needed.
project sat for a few years until
Thren
thought
it
might
be
possible to get it cleaned up
during the Rockbridge County's
spring cleanup day in March.
Unfortunately, arrangements fell
through, and Terri Brown and
Thren got blessed with the job.
With Terri wheeling and dealing
for the equipment, and Thren
trying to convince many wann
bodies that they would have a
good time, It finally happened on
the 15th of April.
The story
follows.
Sat., 15 Apr., 7:00AM. Cloudy,
foggy, raining. A good start for
what could prove to be a long,
miserable day. Thren and Tony
running back and forth between
computer and TV trying to find a
weather report that looked better
than what we saw from the
window. There were none. Well,
it hadn't rained in about three
years so I guess it may as well
start now. Unfortunately, hordes
of happy cavers were supposed to
be shortly homing in on the
dreaded SFH for the cleanup we
had scheduled for today.
Was
anyone going to show up?
8:30 AM. That was a patch of
sky lightening up a little, wasn't
it? Or was I hallucinating again,
as usual? Time to go and start
setting things up.
Over to the
hole.
Hardly drizzling by now.
Good sign.
No
cavers,
no
9:00AM.
dumpsters, no sign of trackhoe,
no sign of Terri B. Am I all alone
in the world? A noise. Vehicles
coming
down
the
driveway.
Tony and crew, followed shortly
by BRG and others. Now all we
needed
was
Trackhoe
and
dumpsters. Trackhoe arrives and
unloads.
Still no dumpsters.
Trackhoe operator finally devises
a plan.
So we start.
Several
cavers into the hole loading tires
onto cables and chains to drag
them out.
The surface crew
neatly piling tires everywhere.
Pile keeps growing, still no
dumpsters.
Phone calls to be
made, in search of the elusive
containers, without which, the
project could have turned into a
major fiasco.
Finally, someone
was located who admitted that
they were supposed to be sent to
us, and would see to getting them
there.
By noon, the first one
arrived. Trucks were loaded and
the tires ferried over to it.
A midday break provided us with
an excellent meal, courtesy of
Lin, the owner of the sinkhole.
Back to work. Tires without end,
along with other goodies too
numerous to mention. By about
3:00PM, we started to slow down.
The manhandling of tires filled
with either dirt or water, or both,
was taking its toll. Unfortunately,
there is no power on earth, short
of atomics, capable of removing
either dirt or water from a tire.
We finished loading the material
that was out of the hole, and
ended up stuffing two large, roll
off dumpsters. The grand total
was 500 tires, one refrigerator,
several kitchen stoves, parts of
two vehicles, and a collection of
assorted
metal junk.
There is
still more material to be removed.
Not bad for a first attempt.
It definitely turned into a Virginia
Region project, since we had
about twenty people from Blue
Ridge Grotto, Front Royal Grotto,
RASS, Tidewater Grotto and the
Rockbridge Cave Survey present
for most of the day, along with
the Trackhoe and operator.
I
would like to thank everyone that
participated,
especially
the
surface crew. They had a much
worse job than we in the hole did.
A good time was had by all.
Summer 2000
The Region Record
Volume XIII Number 3
The Region Record
VAROfficers
Re�on Record Staff
Craig Hindman
7600 Pindell School Rd.
Fulton, MD 20759
(410)792-0742H
ctider@us.ibm.com
Chairman:
Vice Chairman:
Judy Fisher
(304)258-4974H
Secretary
Carol Tidennan
(410)792-0742H
ctider@US.ibm.com
Treasurer
John Fox
(540)831-6468W
jfox@runet.edu
Editors:
Bob Hoke
Pauline Apling
Barry Chute
Distribution:
Evelyn Bradshaw
( 540)898-9288H
The Region Record is the quarterly publication of the Virginia
Region of the National Speleological Society. Any articles,
announcements, or other materials of general interest to
cavers in the Region are welcome. Send all material to Bob
Hoke (6304 Kaybro St., Laurel, MD 20707 (301)725-5877,
E-mail bobhoke@erols.com). Electronic submissions (email
or disk) are encouraged, but any form of input is welcome.
Committees
Conservation:
Andy Reeder
1235 State Park Rd.
Huddleston, VA 24104
(540)297-3711H
(804)847-1640W
Landowner Awards:
Don Anderson
P.O. Box 966
Dublin, VA 24084
Non-copyrighted material contained in the Region Record
may be reprinted by organizations that are affiliated with the
VAR or the NSS, provided that proper credit is given to the
Record and the author. The opinions expressed herein are
those of the individual author, and do not necessarily reflect
those of the editors, the VAR, the NSS, or their internal
organizations.
The Region Record is printed by members of the DC Grotto
and the Potomac Speleological Club.
© 2000 Virginia Region of the NSS
Regional Calendar
Aug. 15
Deadline for submitting material for the
Fall issue of the Region Record.
Aug. 31-Sep. 4
Old Timers Reunion near Elkins,
a TRA member or guest.
WV . You must be
Contact Bill Bussey at 919-403-7275 for
TRA info.
Sept. 2
WVASS Annual Meeting at 7 PM at the
OTR site. Contact is George Dasher at 304965-1361 or wvcaver@juno.com.
Sept. 9
Trout Rock Conser-Vacation. Help clean
the Trout Rock caves owned by the NSS.
See article in this issue.
Sept. 22-24 Fall VAR meeting. To be hosted by
WVACS at their field station in Greenbrier
County, WV. See article and flyer in this
issue for additional information.
May 4-6, 2001 Spring VAR meeting.at Cumberland
Gap National Historical Park (in the far
SW comer of VA). More info later.
July 23-27, 2001 2001 NSS Convention in Mt.
Vernon, KY (50 miles south of Lexington)
Fall,2001 Fall VAR meeting to be hosted by RASS
at their field station in Virginia.
Spring,2002 Spring VAR meeting to be hosted by
theWVCC.
June 24-28, 2002 2002 NSS convention in Camden,
Maine
Aug. 4-8, 2003 2003 NSS Convention in Porterville,
CA
LIST YOUR CLUB EVENTS HERE!
If your club is hosting events of regional
interest, send a notice to the Region Record
editors and have the event added to the next
Record's calendar. There is no charge for this
valuable service.
Volume XIII Nmnber 3
The Region Record
Chairman's Column
Marvin, and may a cold drink find you
at the end of each day.
A
in
to
of

Amid the cacophony of hundreds
of speleothems sliding together like
cascading grains of sand, a small
voice shouted o t.
Does you group need funds for a
project, event or just to bolster
your coffers? You might consider
hosting a VAR regional meet. You
won't get rich, unless you gouge
the attendees (not recommended),
but with good budgeting, you will
see something for your efforts.
Besides hundreds of happy camp
ers.
"Hey look," yelPe4 the thin frail
voice squeaking with delight, "I
found one!"
Spring VAR has come and gone.
fme time was had by the 280
attendance, once you got used
the trains. VPI did a fine job
hosting the event.
It's prime caving time and projects
are in full swing around the area.
Attending Spring or Fall VAR's is
an easy way to get involved in
some of these projects, or to meet
cavers from different areas and to
broaden your caving area.
The next big event
is the NSS
and it is close by.
Convention
Camping will beat the OTR site the
week of June 26-30, come meet
cavers from around the world and
find out what has been going on
with your fellow cavers.
Come check out the NSS Conven
tion. You might find this an
interesting place to spend a week
every year.
See you at Convention in West
Virginia.
Craig
Ten Years
Celebrating the Earth
Underground: Grand
Caverns Restoration
Camp 2000
By Andrew H. Reeder
The Grand Caverns Restoration Camp
honors the memory of Marvin "Wheel
barrow" Anderson. Breathe Easy,
With a smile that be med brighter
than her headlamp, she danced
amid the ruinous pile of broken
clay.
earthy
and
formations
Somehow, the cave itself seemed
to grow a little less somber as the
adults in the group gathered to
Taking
examine her handiwork.
the delicate formation from her
small hands, they carefully dried
the speleothem with the torch,'
applied a quick-s tting epoxy, and
.
set it in place.
And, so the healing process
continues as it has for the last ten
years. Discoveries of aged forma
tions. are shared wit new friends,
and veterans from long forgotten
gravel-hauling sorties greet each
other warmly with secret smiles.
Bloodroot blooms in the valley.
Annual
Caverns
Grand
The
Restoration Camp had begun.
I am not sure how all this began. It
seems a long time ago-now. Many
cavers have moved on, some pulled
by other passions, some gone
altogether. But, the promise is still
there. The thing that united us all
in the beginning. It whispers cool
enchantments from deep within the
darkness. It tells us to heal the
cave.
On a '. crisp overcast morning on
April 22, 2000, a motley assort
ment of cast-off cavers assembled
in front of the entrance to' Grand
Caverns in Weyer's Cave, Virginia
Brisk
for this year's event.
temperatures hung low in the
carbonate valley and initiative was
still several scalding cups of coffee
away. Many of those gathered had
braced themselves for the early
morning sojourn, and driven the
distance to the cave that morning,
page 3
Summer 2000
rather than spending the previous
evening at nearby Natural Chim-c
ney's Campground.
The . restoration camp is not a
complicated venture. There are no
Machiavellian' reams of govern
ment permits or endless retentive
checklists to overcome. The task is
shining in its .simplicity. Cavers
work together to restore one of
. Virginia's most historic caves,
while striving to cement good
resource
local
with
relations
managers.
After a short orientation by the
Park Manager, the group was split
The first
into three work units.
group of cavers entered Fountain
Cave and began the daunting task
of locating matching speleothems.
Successful candidates were then
dried with a propane torch, and a
thin layer of epoxy applied to bond
the wounded formations together.
Different strength epoxies' were
used for various sized formations.
Larger speleothems were mated
together and set aside, to be drilled
and pinned at a later date. The
Grand
entered
group
second
Caverns with spray bottles of
diluted bleach and water (one part
bleach to ten parts water). Once in
the cave, they sprayed around light
shields and other areas in an effort
Tourist
to retard algae growth.
debris and other refuse were also
removed from the cave. The third
work group began to remove the
remnants of an aggregate pile
outside of the cave, and wheelbar
row it down to a wash out on the
side of the hill. Once underway,
work continued until midday.
Grand
at
work
Conservation
history.
long
a
has
Caverns
Various gating, mapping, and
been
have
studies
hydrologic
carried out in the many caves on
the property. The Virginia Region
Speleological
National
the
of
Society has played a pivotal role in
preserving this unique carbonate
jewel. The present-day restoration
predecessor,
its
(and
camps
CONCA VE) have focused on
repairing formations in Fountain
Cave and assisting in the annual
maintenance of Grand Caverns.
Many of the shattered fonnations
in Fountain Cave were broken as
the result of geologic stress, but
others were removed or destroyed
by vandals. It is not difficult to
uncover bullet-riddled fonnations
that date back to the Civil War. In
the timeless darkness of the cave,
the visitor can almost detect the
acrid aroma of black powder and
hear the deafening roar of percus
sion fire.
During the meal, excited voices
told of the day's exploits. Since
the Fountain Cave and Grand
Caverns groups were trading tasks
after lunch, a kind of competition
had evolved regarding the number
and size of formations repaired.
No coaxing was needed as lunch
ended and everyone headed back to
his or her various chores.
Grand Caverns is one of the oldest
commercial cave operations in the
country, having offered tours since
1806. The Bridal Veil, Cathedral
Hall, and Dante's Inferno are
familiar icons to most Virginia
cavers. In the weaving glow of a
headlamp the cave glistens and
seems to warmly embrace all
visitors.
While strolling amidst
this cryptic grandeur, it is easy to
forget the spray bottle held tightly
in hand and lose oneself in the
majesty of the cave.
Meanwhile, with the afternoon
came clear skies and the rise in
temperature coaxed smiles from
everyone. Wheelbarrow duties had
been replaced by a seeding project.
Various cavers busied themselves
aerating the hard-packed soil the
old fashioned way- with sweat
and determination. Rakes clawed
doggedly at the stem brown earth,
leaving behind shallow furrows
that ran like dry creek beds. Shiny
green metal fence posts bent in
futile
surrender
as
hammers
smashed them into the smooth
river stones which lay barely
cloaked beneath the thin soil cover.
But, soon the small fence was up
and the seeded area surrounded by
billowing orange flagging that
danced in the soft breeze.
The Region Record
All too soon the day was casting
shadows about and coming to a
close. Cavers slowly made their
way back to their cars in small
groups. Voices echoed off of the
mountain that lay above the
parking area like a slumbering
giant. Stoically, the sun continued
to shine, as if rewarding the cavers
for their arduous efforts.
Twenty-two cavers participated in
this year's event.
During the
course of the day, twenty-one
formations were repaired and five
more were reconstructed (and left
waiting to be set in place).
Considering the Byzantine laby
rinth of speleothem shards that
abound in Fountain Cave, this is a
phenomenal number of successful
repairs. In addition to this work,
buckets of gravel were shifted into
Grand Caverns to refurbish the
commercial trail. The growth of
moss was held in check with
diluted bleach and repairs were
made to a rutted road shoulder.
However, numbers do not tell the
whole story, by the end of the day,
the voice of the cave almost
sounded like a joyful song.
The subterranean beauty of caves is
fragile and fleeting. As cavers, we
move through a world not our own.
We speak a different language: one
of hurry and waste. In our wake,
we frequently lay barren the things
we cherish most. But this day was
different.
This Earth Day we
slowed down just long enough to
make a difference and leave the
cave in better spirits than we found
it.
Back at the benevolent confines of
Natural Chimney's Campground,
fire and a friendly banter soothed
sore muscles.
Dinner sizzled on
the smoking grill as charcoals
winked into the night.
Talked
seesawed rhythmically back and
forth as the occasional wayward
cinder launched itself unceremoni
ously
from the roaring
fire.
Sipping a cold drink, and staring
into the faces of those gathered, I
realized how all the caves we visit
are brightened by the friends we
hold
dear.
Sometimes cave
page 4
Summer 2000
conservation isn't just about saving
caves, but saving ourselves.
The Conservation Chairman for the
Virginia Region of the National
Speleological Society would like to
thank all the cavers of the region
for their commitment to cave
conservation. Special thanks goes
out to all of those volunteers who
have helped make the Grand
Caverns
Restoration
Camp
a
success over the last ten years.
Appreciation is also extended to
the staff of Grand Caverns and
Natural Chimney's for making
cavers feel welcome over the
course of those years.
Conservation volunteers at this
years event,
included:
Rachel
Shivley (DCG), Nissa Edman,
(DCG), Roxanne Shivley (DCG),
Anne & Andy Reeder (NRVG),
Jacqueline & Todd Miley (BATS),
Chris Robson (pSC), Sandy Myers
(DCG), Ramona Herlong (BATS),
Kelsea Johnson (RASS), Erin
Droms, Pat Bingham (BATS),
Kevin
Franke
(BATS),
Ron
Cutsail, Eileen Patrick, Meredith
Hall Johnson (RASS, BRG), Laura
Pantazis (BATS), Jim McConkey
(SLIGO,
BALTIMORE,
FUN),
(SLIGO,
Jennifer
Neemann
BALTIMORE, FUN, PSC), Mike
"Tiny" Manke (BATS), Kimberly
Smith
(RASS),
and
several
unnamed cavers.
A special thanks goes to BATS for
the largest (and most spirited)
turnout, Craig Johnson of Grand
Caverns for his hospitality, Tiny
for tending the fire, and Captain
Ron for leading the Fountain Cave
expedition.
Fall 2000 VAR to be
Hosted by WVACS
September 22-24, 2000
by Dave Cowan
The West Virginia Association for
Cave Studies will host the Fall
VAR meeting at the Ray Ratliff
Farm just past the WVACS Field
Station on Butler Mountain Road,
The Region Record
Renick. Greenbrier County, WY
The site is in the heart of the
premier cave country. Greenbrier
County has more caves on the
Long Cave List than any other
county. We believe there are at
least 10 caves within one mile of
the VAR site, 100 caves within 10
miles and 1000 caves within 20
miles. In addition, we have several
State Parks and Cranberry Glade
National Botanical Area all within
an easy drive.
.
We will have all the usual activities
starting at noon on Friday, with
special dinner on Saturday night
with beer and soft drinks A slide
projector and screen will be
available so bring all your slides.
I've been told we will have music!!
So bring your own ear plugs. Front
Royal Grotto will again provide a
super breakfast Sunday morning
guaranteed to sooth those cave
thrashed
bodies
and
alcohol
swollen heads.
There's caves
galore both guided and self-guided.
And a Venders Row full of all
those goodies.
We will have Porta-Potties avail
able for registrants but due to the
likelihood of low water conditions,
showers will only be available at
the field station for WYACS
members and those successful
bidders on the limited number of
shower coupons to be auctioned
off. Hey, the Greenbrier River is
only a couple of miles away.
In order to help support various
cave related causes, we will, no
doubt, have several other money
making fun-raiser schemes to dupe
you out of whatever cash the
venders don't get.
•
Registration Fee is $20 if received
by mail before Aug 25, $25 at the
gate.
See Registration Form on
next page.
Vitas has promised to provide us
with a page or two on the VAR
web site WMY.idsonline.comlhouseneVvar so
be sure and check it out for the
latest information.
Directions:
From the East or
West take Exit 169 (Lewisburg) off
1-64. Tum North on US 219 and go
approximately 12 miles. Tum left
just past Renick Farm Supply on to
Butler Mtn. Rd. Follow signs -2
miles to site.
Locals can follow US 219. From
the North, about 2 miles past
Renick cross over Spring Cr.
bridge. Butler Mtn. Rd. is on the
right at the top of the grade out of
the Spring Cr. basin.
Island Ford Cave Summer Clean-up
by Bill Murray
The
Charlottesville
Grotto
completed a cave clean-up at
Island Ford Cave on Saturday June
10. We were on the VAR list to do
this during the summer.
Summer 2000
from Pulaski County--39 caves
(Bob Lewis and Don Anderson),
Wythe County--29 caves (paul
Montgomery), Rockbridge County
-38 caves (Bob Thren) , Bath
County--17 caves (Nevin Davis),
Highland County--14 caves (Rick
Lambert and Phil Lucas) and Giles
County-- 7 caves (Bill Balfour).
A special half day (Monday
afternoon) is being devoted to
Virginia at the US Exploration
Session at this years NSS Conven
tion! To my knowledge this is the
first time this will have happened.
We have four exciting programs
that will deal with new Virginia
discoveries and will possibly have
one or two more. If you have any
ideas about other programs please
let me know ASAP. If you have a
chance to see only one session this
year I highly recommend this one.
We have pushed through the 3800
mark!!!
Major construction projects In
Virginia require a review by the
Natural Heritage Program of the
Virginia Department of Conserva
tion and Natural Resources (DCR).
The Natural Heritage Program staff
determines if there might be
potential impacts to the habitats of
rare, threatened, or endangered
plant and animal species, unique or
exemplary natural communities, or
significant geologic formations.
While I served on the Virginia
Cave Board, I worked with the
DCR and the Natura] Heritage
Program staff in reviewing selected
construction projects for possible
conflicts with caves.
Recent
discussions
with
the
Natural
Heritage
Program
staff
have
resulted in a procedure where they
are sending me (VSS) a copy of
these proposed projects for review.
Thus far over 80 projects have
been reviewed and there are several
situations where conflicts with
caves (small caves so far) may
occur. This program appears to be
working well and demonstrates one
of the many uses of the data we are
all collecting.
At the end of last year there were
3654 caves reported in Virginia.
As of today, April 18, there are
3812 caves recorded. Most of the
caves added come from reports
The Virginia Speleological Survey
(VSS) has a new county survey!
Janet Tinkham (project coordina:
tor) and the Front Royal Grotto are
taking on a survey of the caves of
Conditions
weren't
too
bad;
however, it has suffered from the
typical littering and vandalism.
We picked up a trash bag of beer
bottles and other junk around the
entrance. Some bottles were found
throughout the cave.
A little
additional spray paint had accu
mulated around the entrance area
since the last clean-up and we
worked on removing that.
Also
cleaned up the ashes from a couple
of camp fires and got rid of the
extra stash of firewood.
VSS Report to the
Virginia Region - April
30,2000
by Phil Lucas
page 5
Warren County.
Though some
what neglected in recent years,
Warren County has a long and rich
history of organized caving. In the
1940's, this county was one of the
first areas that members of the
newly formed NSS visited to
explore and map caves. Explora
tion and study continued in the
1950's, with Marquerite Klein
submitting many reports to the then
Virginia Cave Survey.
Finally we would like to acknowl
edge the Cave Conservancy of the
Virginias
for
providing
grant
monies used for the purchase of a
copier that we use on a daily basis
with VSS business.
Thank you
CCV!
Grand Caverns May
Become a State Park
by Bob Hoke
The Virginia General Assembly
has received a report from the
Department of Conservation and
Recreation discussing the feasibil
ity of absorbing Grand Caverns
and Natural Chimneys Regional
Parks into the Virginia State Park
system.
The report acknowledges the value
of both Parks and says they would
be significant additions to the park
system. However, it notes that the
cost of acquiring and upgrading the
parks to established state standards
would exceed $7.5 million and that
there
is currently
no money
available. Annual operating costs
would exceed $850,000.
Both
parks need significant maintenance
and both are partially located in
flood plains, which limits devel
opment and expansion.
The incorporation of the two parks
into the state park system cannot
happen until funding is available.
The report did not address the
likelihood of getting the required
funds.
The Region Record
Virginia Cave Week
By Barbara Moss
Virginia Cave Board, Education
Committee
October 16-22 wi11 be Virginia's
first "Cave Week" and various
events are being coordinated for
weekend activities sponsored by
local grottos. Many of the com
mercial caves along and near Route
81 will be participating in 'Cave
Week' by offering discount rates to
groups taking field trips to their
caves. The Virginia Cave Board is
sponsoring this effort.
Grottos near commercial caves,
those grottos who have connections·
with these caverns, or grottos that
wish to become involved with
Cave Week (or Weekend) should
at
contact
Moss
Barbara
KE4BVQ@amsat.org or 703-573
1068, or write to her at: 7713
Shreve Rd
Falls Church VA
22043. She will be coordinating
grotto efforts to have tables or
displays, and arranging for getting
brochures,
posters,
and
hand
outs/activities
to
participating
grottos for that Saturday. Let her
know which Commercial Caves
your grotto would like to sponsor
give a first and second choice.
Table displays, or speakers needed
during
Cave
Week or
Cave
Weekend would focus on the
following: preservation of caves,
groundwater, conservation, and
directing those people with "I want
to go caving" questions to contact
local grottos. Karen Kastning will
be putting together a sample
program
packet,
containing
brochures, activities, and posters,
to be sent to participating grottos.
PLEASE have your grotto contact
us for more information. Thank
you in advance for your volunteer
efforts. [These efforts wiIl get you
in the swing for when the !MAX
movie "Amazing Caves" comes
out in March 2001. Local caverns
and museums will be looking for
people/ grottos to help with talks or
Interested?
Contact
displays.
703-573
at
Moss
Barbara
page 6
Summer 2000 .
h
1068KE4BVQ@amsat.org . or, or
write to her at: 7713 Shreve Rd.,
Fans Church VA 22043 for more
information. ]
Trout Rock Conser
Vacation Scheduled
for Sept. 9
by Bob Hoke
The last 6 years have seen very
successful and popular Conser
Vacations at the NSS's Trout Rock
caves near Franklin, West Virginia.
This year the next event in the
series, Conser-Vacation VII, will
be even better. Everybody who i�'�
anybody in the caving communitY;
is sure to make an appearance at
this major caving event.
Trout, New Trout, and Hamilton
Caves are In surprisingly good
shape considering that they are
some of the most heavily used wild
caves in the State. However, an
visitors leave marks of their
passing, and the Cave Preserve
Committee has scheduled a work
day to tidy things up a bit. There
will be both in-cave and surface
work (with the weather determin
ing the amount of surface work that
actually gets done).
Major
activities
will
include
reverse imaging (graffiti removal);
homo-detritus
gathering
(trash
pickup) in the caves, along the
trail, and along the road; neo
archeological investigations (more
trash pickup); directional guidance
support (fence and SIgn repairs
along the trail); and assorted other
and
stimulating
challenging
activities.
No special skills are
required and no backbreaking tasks
The organIzers
are planned.
promise perfect weather.
Conser-Vacation
IS suitable for
cavers of all experience levels,
including novices. There will be at
least one graffiti removal trip to the
rear reaches of Trout cave and
novices are welcome to experience
the subtle beauty of Trout Cave on
this trip. There may also be a trip
Summer 2000
in Hamilton if there are enough
people (and graffiti) to justify it.
New Trout Cave, believed by some
skeptics to be the world's ugliest
cave, may see cleanup activities for
the first time in several years.
Activities will commence at 10
AM. Novices who need equipment
(helmets and lamps) must contact
Bob Hoke at (301}-725-5877 or
bobhoke@erols.com to make sure
adequate equipment is available.
For additional information contact
Dave West at (410}366-5038 or e
mail d270@bellatlantic.net
But What Do They
Do? An Insider's
View of the Virginia
Cave Board
by Terri Brown
,
Several months ago, Bob Hoke and
Evelyn Bradshaw forwarded a
series of questions about the status
of the Virginia Cave Board that
became the basis for this article.
The founders of the Board, origi
nally known as the Commission on
Conservation of Caves (1978),
included Evelyn, John Wilson (first
Chairman), John Holsinger, Phil
Lucas, Bob Anderson, Ted Graves
(Luray Caverns), Jenny Tipton (US
Fish & Wildlife Service), Roy
Powers, and Charlie Rice. Evelyn
has followed the Board's activities
and fluctuations closely in the
years since she left her seat, and
was instrumental in encouraging
the Governor to fill several key
vacancies earlier this year. It is at
her urging that the Cave Board's
purpose and status are summarized
here, both as a service to landown
ers and the caving community, and
a call for interested cavers to get
involved with the educational and
conservation activities of the only
, known state-affiliated Cave Board
in the US.
Virginia cavers failed in their first
attempt to establish a Cave Com
mission in 1977, but legislation
passed
through
the
General
Assembly in 1978 with the support
of the commercial cave operators.
The Commission on the Conserva
tion of Caves authored the Virginia
Cave Protection Act (Code of
Virginia, Section 10.1 - 1000
through Section 10.1 - 1008),
which established the Virginia
Cave Commission in 1979. The
Commission became the Cave
Board in 1984 when the General
Assembly reorganized the Virginia
Code.
Under the new code, Virginia
government
recognizes
three
general types of state governmental
boards: Policy, Supervisory, and
Advisory, with the Cave Board
falling into the latter category. The
Cave Board's by-laws state that its
role is to: serve as an advisory
board to any requesting state
agency on matters related to caves
and karst; conduct and maintain an
inventory of publicly owned caves
in Virginia; and maintain data on
the
conservation,
advocacy,
protection and use of Virginia
caves and karsts. The duties of the
Board are listed in the Act, such as
the duty to protect rare mineral and
archaeological resources, cave life
and natural ecological communi
ties, groundwater quality/flow, and
other
unique
or
outstanding
characteristics of caves and karst.
Other Cave Board responsibilities
mandated in the Act are to:
1. provide
cave
management
expertise and service to re
questing public agencies and
cave owners.
2. maintain a current list of all
significant caves in Virginia,
and reporting any real and pres
ent danger to such caves.
3. publish brochures, articles, and
other informational materials,
facilitate data gathering and
research, and
4. advise civil defense agencies on
the role of caves as emergency
shelters, etc.
The latter task
page 7
opens the door for advising
Local
Emergency
Response
Committees
about
pollution
migration and spill risks in the
karst counties.
Obviously,
the
scope
of
the
Board's activities was an enormous
burden for its volunteer members,
so in 1994, the Cave Board and the
Natural Heritage Program wrote a
successful grant for the karst
protection demonstration project.
The "Karst Project", as it is known,
has kept the author very busy for
the past five years and has effec
tively
reduced
the
technical
assistance workload on individual
Cave Board members. The Karst
Project has generated so much
interest from the public and other
agencies, that Wil Orndorff was
recently hired to take up the
overflow of conservation projects.
Now, if OCR can just hire that
educator and adopt Project Under
ground, we will have a full com
plement of staff. Thanks to the
assistance of the Cave Board and
many VAR cavers, the Karst
Project has been upgraded to a
Karst Protection Program, with
dedicated set-aside funding from
the USEPA & VA OCR.
Leon App, who is now the Deputy
Director of Virginia OCR, played a
lead
role in
engineering
the
passage of the Cave Protection Act
and in financing the development
of the Significant Cave and Karst
List. A forester by training and a
caver in his college days, Leon
knew that public-private agree
ments to protect sensitive karst
resources could be compromised
by the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA, or Sunshine Law). FOIA
makes public records available to
any member of the public upon
"reasonably
specific
request",
unless that information is covered
under a specific exemption in the
law. The FOIA underwent major
revisions in the early 1990s, and
Leon acted on the opportunity to
obtain a specific FOIA exemption
from the release
of
detailed
information about " .. . plant and
animal species,
caves,
natural
communities,
and
significant
historical
and
archaeological
sites ... ".
This exemption has
allowed
the
Natural
Heritage
Program to establish a secure
biological conservation database
and assist the Cave Board in
managing significant cave infor
mation without adverse impacts to
landowner relations.
Accomplishments:
A general description of past Cave
Board activities can be found in
Karen
Kastning's
article,
An
Introduction to the Virginia Cave
Board, published in the 1995 NSS
Convention
guidebook,
Under
ground in the Appalachians (Carol
Zokaites, ed.). Since that article
was written, the Cave Board has
undergone some metamorphosis
after a rash of personnel changes
left the Board without a strong
historical perspective on its role. In
recognition of this, the Board
treated themselves to a weekend of
professionally facilitated mediation
and planning sessions in January
1999. The outcome of this retreat
was a stronger, re-focused Board,
with Education, Data, and Com
munication as its stated priorities. I
regard this retreat as one of the
Cave Board's major achievements
of recent years because they
addressed the internal obstacles to
efficient
decision-making
and
public
involvement,
and
con
sciously acted to break those
barriers down. The pared-down
priorities and committees enabled
the Board to avoid spreading its
members too thin, and the resulting
committees are now quite produc
tive:
Educational/Management
Committees:
Thirteen issues of the Cave Owners
Newsletter have been distributed to
over 1000 interested parties over
the years, with the latest being
dedicated entirely to cave man
agement concerns (No. 13, March
2000). Tim Kilby deserves special
recognition for his contributions to
this issue and the Cave Board web
site during his tenure on the Board.
Educational activities have in
cluded numerous
presentations,
publications, support for Project
The Region Record
Underground, and the upcoming·
Cave Week (October 16-22,2000),
in cooperation with the show caves
and surrounding grottoes.
Site Plan Review:
The Board has submitted a number
of position statements and letters to
agency heads on important con
struction and development projects
in karst areas. This includes letters
to the State Corporation Commis
sion concerning the AEP power
line route through the Skydusky
Hollow Significant Karst Area, to
the Department of Environmental
Quality on proposed amendments
to the solid waste management
regulations, to a regional tourism
authority considering cave ecot
ourism standards, and on regioqal
river basin management plans.
Data Committee:
One
of
the
most
promising
achievements for karst conserva
tion is the proposed development
of a data sharing agreement with
the VSS, Karst Waters Institute,
and
the
Cave
BoardlNatural
Heritage Program. This agreement
is being facilitated by Phil Lucas
and Dave Culver, and is expected
to be the subject of intense scrutiny
and negotiations in the coming
months.
The Cave Board is administered
within the OCR Natural Heritage
Program, which ensures that its
members are free from liability for
their actions while doing the
Board's work. The make-up of the
Board is specified in the Cave
Protection Act, as follows; the
Director of the Dept. of Historic
Resources
(or
designee),
and
eleven citizens of Virginia ap
pointed by the Governor for four
year terms. The Board has always
tried to maintain adequate repre
sentation from cave owners, both
commercial and private, as well as
from the educational and technical
field. As the Act states, appoInt
ments to the Board are to be
made based on " activity and
knowledge in the conservation,
exploration, study, and manage
ment of caves ...".
..•
page 8
Summer 2000
The composition of the 2000 Cave
Board is; Bill Keith, current
Chairman;
Bob
Barns,
Vice
Chairman; Rhoda Perozzi, Secre
tary; Karen Kastning, Treasurer;
Wade Berdeaux, Jay Paul, Marie
Blue Skye Keshick, Carol Zo
kaites, Barbara Moss, Roy Powers,
and Dave Culver, with Ethel Eaton
representing the Dept. of Historic
Resources. Throughout the past
five years, the Cave Board and the
Karst
Protection
Project
have
enjoyed the continuing support of
Charlie Maus and the CCV, Roy
Powers, Phil Lucas and the VSS
directors, John Holsinger, Ernst
Kastning, Karst Waters Institute,
and grottoes like Blue Ridge, Front
Royal, Mountain Empire, VPI
Student, Powell Mountain, Tri
State, and others.
How does one get nominated for
the Cave Board? All that is needed
IS a brief resume and a letter
expressing one's interest in cave
and karst resource conservation.
The Board and Natural Heritage
submit all requests for considera
tion to the Governor equally, and
are occasionally asked to provide
recommendations
on
based
experience. You may also simply
write the Governor or your local
state delegate to request a political
appointment to the Board. There
are a number of qualified individu
als out there who can make
valuable
contributions
to
the
Board. Those of you who are
serious, and you know who you
are, need to get your information in
to a Cave Board member, or
myself, as soon as possible to be
considered for future openings.
There are also many opportunities
for interested cavers to get in
volved on advisory committees or
in special activities of the Board,
so please try to attend a meeting
ands catch up on what's going on.
The next scheduled meeting of the
Virginia Cave Board is on Sep
tember 16,2000 at OCR's Shenan
doah Watershed Office in Staun
ton. Call or e-mail me at (540)3329239 or tlbrown@dcr.state.va.us
for directions, more information, or
to add an item to the agenda.
""ee 2000 1/All,
Hosted by
""T&
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September 22-24, 2000
Next to wvACS Field Station Renick, West Virginia 24966
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