THE JULY MEETING WILL OCCUR ON JUNE 30TH, AND THE PROGRAM WILL CONSIST OF A
PLANNING MEETING FOR OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER.
READ ON FOR DETAILS.
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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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6/11-12: VERTICAL TRAINING : Beginner's through Advanced, come and join us for our
first vertical training session of the year at Capen Park in Columbia. No
experience required. Friday: 6 pm to ??, Saturday: 9 am till ?? (break for lunch)
Call Daryl @ 445-8222 if you have questions.
06/27: FREE STREAM TEAM FLOAT TRIP : Upper Meramec River. Buck's Lodge has offered
to provide FREE canoes for this event. We will camp at Buck's and put in at the
Woodson Woods River Access (MDC) and float 8 miles to Fagan's. We will depart at
11am (camping not required - you could come in the morning), and get off the river
between 7-8pm. We are required to collect at least one small bag of trash each.
This is a rare opportunity to get to float for free - and for an excellent cause!
This section of the river is in serious need of a clean-up, so there will be
enough trash to go around. Please RSVP Daryl asap, 445-8222 or Mocaver@aol.com,
with the number of canoes you'll need. Remember, this trip is absolutely FREE!!
Looking ahead:
8/21: Cleanup Columbia: All city Adopt-a-spot partners, state Adopt-A-Highways and
DNR Stream Teams are encouraged to use this day to clean their designated sites.
We need to have a big showing by Chouteau members, so mark your calendars now!
9/24-26: Chouteau Grotto's 40th Anniversary Reunion. Come Celebrate 40 years as an
official grotto. We are seeking anyone who is a former Chouteauite. If you know of
the whereabouts of a former member, please get in touch with them or give the
information to Daryl. Read more about this later in this newsletter.
6/11-13: 1999 SERA Summer Cave Carnival hosted by the Huntsville Grotto at Camp
Jackson, Scottsboro, AL "The Heart of TAG." Contact: Tim White @
kd4goc@hotmail.com or call 256-721-9115. Visit the website at:
http://www.caves.org/grotto/huntsville
6/12: MCKC Annual member's meeting at Indian Cave, Pulaski County near
Waynesville. 10 AM - 4 PM.
6/18-20: The 46th Annual Indiana Cave Capers : Dr. William Halliday will be the
banquet speaker. Contact: CIG, P.O. Box 153, Indianapolis, IN 46206 or Val
McNamara @ 317-745-2334 or email: DEHCAVE@INDY.NET (Dave Haun)
7/3-5: 8th Annual Black Hills Caver Classic, Hot Springs, South Dakota. Contact
Steven Smith, 303-972-9495 or e-mail: steve.smith@ihs.com
7/12-16: NSS Annual Convention, Twin Falls County Fairgrounds, Filer, Idaho.
Contact: David W. Kesner, PO Box 1334, Boise, ID 83701; 208-939-0979; or email:
drdave@micron.net Visit the website at:
http://www.caves.org/nss99/default.htm
7/30-8/1: Cincinnati Grotto will be having Karst-O-Rama at Great Saltpetre
Preserve in Mt. Vernon, KY. Info: Dennis Wortman, 513-851-2493, or e-mail:
Denny1@prodigy.net
7/30-8/1: Iowa Grotto 50th Anniversary Celebration, Dubuque, IA. Info: Iowa
Grotto, Box 228, Iowa City, IA 52244 or e-mail: mlace@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
8/11-14: Mammoth Cave Restoration Field Camp, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky.
Contact Norm Rogers, 309-682-1570, nrogers1@juno.com Recently, the NSS and the
National Park Service at Mammoth Cave, entered into a
cooperative agreement to complete restoration work in relation to the parkís
Historic Entrance/Echo River Ecotone Project. Restoration activities include
removing bridges, walkways, and the lighting
system in the Echo River and Cascade Hall areas of the cave. This is a great
opportunity to visit many areas of the cave that are no longer shown to tourists,
while doing a great service for the ecosystem of the cave. Grotto membership, or
membership in the NSS is not a requirement to participate in this project. Also,
because of federal funding, food and lodging is free and participants can expect a
partial reimbursement for their travel expenses.
5/8: Survey Training, by Bill Elliott. Anna Davis, Matt Chasen, Tara Barnett, et
al. went to Tumbling Cave in Three Creeks and learned basic surveying techniques
from Bill. The group took turns at the various tasks: lead tape, sketching,
instruments (compass and clinometer.) Unfortunately the editor dosen't have a full
report on this event. (Sorry If I missed you!)
5/13-15: Spring MVOR, Shannon County. "30 years of Mud, Sweat, and Beers,"
Presented by MVG. Bob Lerch, Rita, Grace, Will and Orin Worden, Jennifer Wolff,
Roger Brown, Mike Morgan, Mike Greaser, Jeff Williams, Greg Leonard, Patti
Williams, Kevin Feltz, and Jim Huckins attended. The convention was held at the
Cedar Grove Campground, only 1 mile from the Current River crossing of the same
name. The campground was set up with the usual hot tub and sauna, and afforded
plenty of space for the crowd-unfriendly. Featured was an excellent band, "Bennie
Smith and the Urban Blues Express" from St. Louis. Chouteau members visited Cox,
Branson, Bunker Hill, Meeting House, Hospital, and Bounds Branch caves. (Those are
only the ones that the editor knows about) A good time was had by all. See a full
report in an upcoming Foresight.
5/22: Spring MSS Meeting. A presentation given by cave divers was the hot topic of
the morning hours. The divers have penetrated Meramec Spring to a distance of
3300'. They are soliciting scientific support for their activities, as they are
going to places that few humans will ever venture. The business meeting was short
and sweet, summarizing recent activity and discussing future plans. No earth
shattering news to report, but needless to say, it was a very good meeting.
5/28-30: Kentucky SPELEOFEST, attended by members Orin Worden and Jennifer Wolff.
The duo saw many different caves, not surprising since they were reportedly rather
small. Jen thinks we have prettier caves. Go MO!
-40th Anniversary Celebration and Reunion.
Chouteau is one of the oldest grottos in the state, and this past April marked our
40th anniversary as an official grotto of the NSS. As a result, we are planning to
have a reunion on the weekend of September 24-26th, at the Worden ranch in rural
Moniteau county. We would like to invite all past members to come for a weekend
(or day!) of fellowship. Plans include a barbeque, (this will also be our annual
chicken roast, thanks to the excellent cooking skills of Mike Morgan) bonfire,
band, a "banquet" with guest speaker, a slide show, camping, caving, and of course
the usual consumption of adult beverages and general fellowship. We are inviting
all former Chouteau members and their families. This project is just underway, and
we'll need everyone's help to put it together. We will have a planning session at
the next meeting, which will be held on June 30th at the normal time and place.
Anyone interested in helping put this event together should come to the meeting.
-Dues will increase effective July 1st by $2.50/year. If you are expired, now is
an excellent time to re-up. On January 1st, 2000, dues will increase another
$2.50.
-Chouteau Member Mike Walk became an Eagle Scout in a ceremony on June 2nd,
culminating a long, intense effort. Congratulations Mike!!
-Donations Needed: For emergency cache to be placed inside Hunter's Cave.
Suggestions include anti-hypothermia supplies. Contact Bob Lerch for what is
needed. 449-7225 or lerchr@missouri.edu
-Joe Hobb's class, "Seminar in the Geography of Caves" has concluded, and his
students will be submitting their finished research papers for possible inclusion
in the Missouri Speleological Survey's journal, "Missouri Speleology." These
papers will also be on the Chouteau website. The authors, and their research:
Scott Campbell, "The Cave and Metaphor: Perception of Place and the
Human Imagination."
Allan Johnson, "Inventory and Mapping of Caves in Three Creeks
Conservation Area."
Jim Dunajcik, "The Caves of St. Louis."
Timothy Butchart, "A Study in the Geography of Religions: The Maya Uses of Caves."
Jennifer Wolff, "The Human Impact on Missouri Speleothems."
Amy Shields, "Cave Vandalism: Its Characteristics and Consequences."
Danielle Meinhardt, "Caver Characteristics: A Sample from the Chouteau Grotto."
-(from Philip Newell) Jefferson County's Melber Cave is for sale. I hope that it
will be bought by someone who will appreciate and preserve its beauty. I have put
a copy of the flyer and real-estate agent's card on a web site. I am restricting
access to cavers via a password. To see them, go to the following URL.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=35445&a=223688
The site will prompt you for a User Name and a Password. For User Name enter your
e-mail address. The Password is caver.
-10% off all merchandise at Baltoro Mountain Outfitters, on Paris Road (where
Missouri Wilderness used to be) to all Chouteau members, thanks to Ken Flood,
owner. Ken has no doubt you will not find a better deal on quality outdoor
equipment anywhere. You will need to present your membership card at the counter.
(Unless you look as honest as Jim Huckins!)
-Highline Rope for sale: It is 40 cents a foot SHIPPING INCLUDED.
Contact Howie at: Phone 304-227-3675 or e-mail howieharness@iname.com
It is common when talking about sensitive or closed caves to say "don't go
there". Although the reasons may be valid, such as
sensitive/endangered biological life, extremely fragile formations, or simply the
land owner doesn't want you there for some reason. I believe comments and
information of this sort promote mystery and encourage cavers and others to be
curious, and where further information is not provided, they go looking for the
cave to find out for themselves why this is the status. My answer to this is to
provide more information with such comments. This information should not only
provide a reason, but also education to support the reason. For example to the
status of "Closed due to endangered bats", an explanation of what the implied
repercussions are, and what damage
could be done. By repercussion and damage, I don't mean threats of the law, I mean
enlightenment as to what happens to bats when you disturb them in the middle of
winter, or a maternity period. And why this is bad. This information should also
include the periods of the year when it IS safe to enter the cave without causing
any damage, and who to contact for more information. I.e. who decided this should
be, and is it still appropriate status (much of the studies that influence
management are decades old and may not be valid any longer). This concept also
applies to the statement, "Don't touch that", or "Don't walk there", "Don't go
into that area". Why Not(?) is the first thing that comes to my mind. But a good
explanation
usually satisfies me. It may seem common sense that touching a beautiful formation
or wall with a muddy glove destroys the beauty, but is it as clear that the
invisible oils on your hand stop, or change the growth of a "living" formation? In
the case of vandalism and souvenir collecting. "Well I only broke one formation".
Does this person realize how long it took to create that formation, and that
effectively in human terms it is gone forever. "It was already broken. I picked it
up off the floor". Does this person realize that the beauty that was seen in the
cave often deteriorates when removed from the cave environment, and that when
others see this "trophy" in someone's home it implies that it is ok collect such
things. How about the case of a closed cave because the land owner doesn't want
you in the cave. There is usually a story, or should I say a parable, associated
with this status. Maybe he is worried about liability. Maybe he just wants his
privacy. But all to often he has been wronged, by the actions of those who go into
his cave. Maybe they trespassed, or damaged a fence, muddy his barn, violated his
or his neighbors morals with muddy caver clothe changing practices. What ever the
case, the result or explanation of an action or status may not be simple cause and
effect. The cause may result in a domino
effect that even the best Chess player couldn't have not foreseen without the
education of the reason behind the rule.
In my discussions with cavers and others who are caving curious, I hear a
lot of questions of why is it this way. Many times I can't give a good answer,
because I don't know why. I just know the status. The classic scenario is when I
hear a Land Manager say we have closed bat caves, but we won't tell you which ones
they are because you will may want to go there. Am I missing something here? Maybe
I don't understand this attitude because I understand why I shouldn't disrupt the
bats during certain times of the year and wouldn't go there because of that
understanding. Since I'm going caving anyway, wouldn't it make sense that I could
possibly to one of these caves and accidentally cause a problem that I would not
have if I knew where not to go and why? The case of a cave closed because of its
beauty is a much harder situation for me to decide what the best management policy
is. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies, and this might be the case. One of the
reasons we are into caving is to see the beauty of the cave. So naturally when we
hear of a beautiful cave we want to see it. But our cumulative presence, no matter
how careful we are, frequently causes a negative impact on what we love most. And
given enough time the traffic no matter how low, becomes enough to destroy the
beauty that once was. Short of gating every pretty cave, which isn't practical,
and doesn't always work for
long, education is again one of the best practices. Especially for those that DO
know where a pretty cave is, and go to it.
I've only touched upon a few of the common comments I hear that bother us
as cavers. But I seldom hear working solutions. I'd like to see here on MoCaves
more of these situations (and your solutions if you have them) expressed. Maybe we
will come up with some answers, or at least reasons. Since these situations
effect, are caused, and/or controlled, by many different factors, and
organizations (cavers, non-cavers, land owners, land managers,
economics, politics, etc.) there is no doubt no common opinion of what the
solutions are...... or we wouldn't have need for this discussion. But maybe if we
better understood the issues we would either be more accepting of the rules, or
we could come to common understandings and change the rules to something that
closer fits everyone's needs.
What do you think?
Joel Laws
(Joel Laws is a member of the Meramec Valley Grotto.)
On May 5th, the IKC accepted ownership of the Orangeville Rise from The Nature
Conservancy. The rise is a National Natural Landmark, an Indiana Nature Preserve,
and is one of the most significant karst features of the Lost River system. Visit
IKC's website:
http://www.caves.org/conservancy/ikc
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
Hunterís 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
Joseph Hobbs NSS# 45012
2601 Summit Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 474-1497
hobbsj@missouri.edu
Treasurer
Kevin Feltz NSS# 23141
2310 Nelwood Dr.
Columbia, MO 65203
(573)-474-1173
kfeltz@mail.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
