The attendance at last month's meeting was 36!!!
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Check out Chouteau's webpage:
http://web.missouri.edu/~ccmikew/chouteau.html
Webmaster: Michael Wardin @ wardinr@missouri.edu
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Contents:
1. Looking ahead... (upcoming grotto events)
2. Regional / National: (upcoming events)
3. Recent events (what we did last month)
4. Story: by Joseph Hobbs
5. In the Media (current cave related news)
6. Notes / Internet
7. Book review by Jim Yancey
8. Committees / Officers
Stream Team:
03/12: Hunter's Cave Stream. 6-8pm. We will be working on cleaning up trash and
basic restoration. Hunter's has been badly abused over the years and needs your
help. Bring buckets, elbow grease, and your imagination. No water crawls required.
Recreation:
03/13: Rollins #2, Pulaski County. Long and strenuous, limited space. Sign up at
meeting. We will meet at AC exit, time TBA.
Survey: The trip to Spaghetti will be rescheduled. Call for details.
2. Regional / National:
03/06: MCKC Board of Directors Meeting at the Waynesville County Courthouse, 10
AM.
03/13-14: NCRC Weekend Orientation Course in Bloomington, Indiana. Contact: Amanda
Clark, Central Region Coordinator, at 812-323-0103 or email amandacaves@msn.com
03/26: NSS BOG Spring Meeting at the Greenwood, Indiana Community Center. For more
information contact: Keith Dunlap 317-882-5420 or email kdunlap@juno.com
03/27-28: NCRC Weekend Orientation Course at Illinois Caverns, IL. Contact: Amanda
Clark, Central Region Coordinator, at 812-323-0103 or email amandacaves@msn.com
3. Recent events:
02/06: Research and Education: Devil's Icebox Trip. Mike Morgan and Vince Tinajero
joined Rick Walk and Roxie Campbell along with a couple of MDC (?) staff members
on an expedition into the Icebox. Look for a full report in the Foresight.
02/07: Stream Team: Clean-up at Gans Creek. Daryl Greaser and Tracy Barnett spent
a couple of hours picking up trash amounting to three very full bags. The refuse
mostly consisted of alcoholic beverage containers along Rock Quarry Road. Why
would someone purposely waste a perfectly good pint of Jim Beam? The "highlight"
of the trip was finding a previously undiscovered can of Pepsi, dating to
pre-aluminum use.
02/13: Recreation: Grace and Rita Worden, Bob and Andy Lerch, and Daryl Greaser
explored Spaghetti Cave in Callaway County. The group hiked in from Pine Ridge
Campground, and enjoyed the presence of Saturn, Jupiter, and Venus in their
star-lit return to civilization. Look for a future report.
02/24: Education and Research: Joe Hobbs' "Seminar in the Geography of Caves"
Class accompanied Bob Lerch, JoAnne Whitaker, and Daryl Greaser into Hunter's Cave
for bio and hydrological research, in conjunction with MOKEG research. The group
sampled 16 sites for bioinventory, and many class members braved the water crawl
to collect water samples in the process. JoAnne is studying the biodiversity while
Bob is concentrating on water quality. The class was eager to participate and
collected several different species, including planaria, crayfish, and what was
believed to be a stonefly larve.
02/26-28: Exploration: Shannon County. Roger Brown, Mike Morgan, Rita and Orin
Worden, "Breakdown" Bob Lerch, Vincent Tinajero and Daryl "Spankenstein" Greaser
spent the weekend exploring caves in the Blair Creek area near the Current River.
The group enjoyed a windy but beautiful weekend and explored three different
caves. Watch for a future report!
02/27: Survey: Spaghetti Cave, Callaway County. Louise Hose, Alison Williams,
Michael Greaser and Jeff Williams went to the cave but were turned away by
threatening weather. Spaghetti's entrance is prone to sump during rainy
conditions. It will be rescheduled in the near future.
4. Story
"Just another evening in the Seminar in the Geography of Caves,"
by Joseph Hobbs.
M.U.'s Geography of Caves course is off to an exciting start. It's hard to keep
these people in a classroom. One of our first sessions was a field trip to the
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, where students Amy Shields and Alison Williams
toured us around the major karst features. As night fell, Allan Johnson, Jennifer
Wolff and Danielle Meinhardt took us into Conner's Cave with the Grotto's tape,
clinometer and compass for a hands-on demonstration of how they had surveyed the
cave a few days earlier. The next Wednesday all of us were off to the Chouteau
Grotto meeting, contributing to what was said to have been one of all time
attendance records.
A week later (February 10) we assembled at the Rock Bridge Park headquarters for a
scheduled trip into the Icebox but alas, the water level was too high for us to
even think of getting through the low spot. So 'Plan B' took effect. Daryl Greaser
had invited us up to his place at Holton Cave, and with the liability waivers
signed and posted we started in around 5:30 for a good four hour trip. One of the
highlights was the hatching out of about 20 slimy salamanders on that lovely
canopy in the cave. Read all about it in Jennifer Wolff's upcoming report in the
Foresight. For most of us, it was on to G and D for the rest of the evening. With
this seminar, it's difficult to tell when and where class is dismissed.
On February 17, Bill Elliott spent three hours in class and yet more time with us
at the G and D post-event. Bill did a terrific slide-illustrated presentation that
covered karst biodiversity "hot spots," some basic cave geology and hydrology,
characteristic cavernicoles of the various life zones in Missouri caves, and
aspects of cave conservation, especially cave gating. Bill took the time to
provide advice and feedback about each student's research paper (some of that may
point to your direction as a Grotto member, so look out..). Bill's perspective on
cavers and their passion is that "Caving is not really a sport. It's more like a
religion." He also reminded us that KARST HAPPENS!
Less than 168 hours later we made yet another rare appearance in the classroom in
Stewart Hall. This time our hosts were M.U.'s Bob Lerch and JoAnne Whitaker. Bob
talked us through the significance and methodology of MOKEG's tasks and especially
his own research on water quality, with emphasis on the evening's special venue:
Hunter's Cave. JoAnne introduced us to the sampling methods and equipment she uses
in her ongoing research on biota at Hunter's and the Icebox, and soon was passing
out forceps and vials to our four collection teams. By 7:30 we were inside
Hunter's Cave and soon got to work in the stream collecting isopods, amphipods,
mayflies, crayfish and various other critters unlucky enough to be within JoAnne's
collapsible 1/4 square meter quadrats. Left untouched was a crayfish carrying a
huge booty of eggs.
Some of the more rational students turned back below the water crawl, correctly
perceiving that they would be more coherent and alert while teaching and attending
classes early next morning. As for the rest of us, all reason was abandoned as
Daryl Greaser and Bob led the charge through the water crawl and onto more
leisurely exploration in each fork of the cave. Around 2 AM, back in the Big Room,
we thought we should call it a day and head out. Just another evening in the
Seminar in the Geography of Caves.
5. In the Media / Caving News:
The March edition of National Geographic contains spectacular pictures of cave
diving in Florida's many springs. One picture shows a huge room completely devoid
of life at 250 feet depth. The grim fact that over 300 divers have died cave
diving in Florida alone is clearly stated.
6. Notes / Internet:
- Almost $5000 has been collected for reimbursement to the NSS from the MSS. This
is very close to the original goal. Donations can still be made to the MSS, c/o
Dave Webster, 1705 Overlook Dr, Jefferson City, 65109. Your check should state
"NSS Reimbursement" or something to that effect.
- An information sheet for members is being designed and will be passed around at
the meeting for comment. This information will be entered into a newly formed
database.
- Several '97 NSS Convention Guidebooks are still available. Entitled "Exploring
Missouri's Caves," this guidebook is loaded with maps, cave descriptions, and
little known facts. A bargain at $15. Contact Daryl FMI.
- Please welcome NEW MEMBERS: Julie Blubaugh, Vincent Tinajero, Jeff Williams,
and Patty Williamson. Also, welcome back: David Carter, Dana Jackson, and Mark
McGimsey.
- MVG MVOR Web Site for the Spring 1999 MVOR:
http://home.earthlink.net/~bob4mvg/MVGMVOR.html
7. Book review by Jim Yancey
I just read a murder mystery novel with the setting in, of all places,
Lechuguilla Cave! It features an NPS Ranger named Anna Pigeon who
becomes involved in the rescue of her friend Frieda, a fellow NPS employee, from
Lech. Naturally, there are suspicions, love triangles and murders, but there is a
good bit on caving and the peculiar species known as "cavers." The book is very
accurate as to the Carlsbad NP setting and Lechuguilla Cave itself. The politics
and intrigue are perhaps a bit of a stretch, but it's a pretty good read, and the
author obviously has walked and crawled in Lech, at least into the Rift. The book
is "Blind Descent" by Nevada Barr (G.P Putnam's Sons, New York, copyright 1998).
I found it in the Missouri River Regional Library, but it should be available from
just about any library or most bookstores. By the way, Lechuguilla just passed the
100 mile mark! That's a whole bunch of cave, no matter how you look at it!
9. Committees / Officers:
1999 Committees
Editor Foresight
Rickard Walk
Associate Editors, Foresight
Daryl Greaser, Bob Lerch
Editor Chouteau News
Daryl Greaser
Conservation
Bob Lerch, Joe Engeln
Education
Bill Elliott, Bob Lerch, Rick Walk
Safety / Rescue
Rick Walk, Jim Yancey, Scott Schulte
Research Review
Joe Engeln, Carol Wicks, Jim Huckins, Bob Lerch, Louise Hose
Library / Exchange Publications
Kevin Feltz, Rick Walk
Membership dues
Kevin Feltz
MCKC
Rick Walk
NSS
Rick Walk
Public Relations
Mike Morgan, Bill Elliott
Trip Coordinators
Daryl Greaser, Michael Greaser
Webpage
Michael Wardin
Stream Teams
Devils Icebox, Jim Yancey
Hunter's Cave Stream,Daryl & Michael Greaser, Bob Lerch
Spring Cave Stream, Daryl & Michael Greaser, Bob Lerch
Gans Creek, Ken Midkiff
1999 Officers
Chairman
Mike Morgan NSS# 11700
20757 N. Ponderosa Rd.
Clark, MO 65243
(573)-687-3254
CaveCriter@aol.com
Vice Chairman
Bob Lerch NSS# 45004
407 Maplewood Dr.
Columbia, MO 65201
(573)-449-7225
lerchr@missouri.edu
Secretary
Tom Heffelfinger NSS# 41453
607 N. Oak St.
California, MO 65018
(573)-796-2570
THeffelfinger@watlow.com
Treasurer
Kevin Feltz NSS# 23141
2310 Nelwood Dr.
Columbia, MO 65203
(573)-474-1173
kfeltz@coin.missouri.edu
MSS Representative
Daryl Greaser NSS# 45614
5994 W. Hatton Chapel Rd.
Columbia, MO 65202
(573)-445-8222
Mocaver@aol.com
Foresight Editor
Rickard Walk NSS# 28189
4580 Todd St.
Columbia, MO 65201
(573)-442-2660
aneswalk@tranquility.net
