Chouteau NewsTo go
to past issues of the Chouteau News.
Chouteau News
October, 1999
Vol. 2 No. 10
Next Meeting: Wednesday, November, 3, 7PM.
Program: October's Program is details for the mapping trips into Hunters Cave in Three Creeks
Conservation Area.
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Check out Chouteau's webpage:
http://web.missouri.edu/~ccmikew/chouteau.html
***The homepage now has the monthly meeting minutes***
Webmaster: Michael Wardin: wardinr@missouri.edu
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Contents:
1. MSS Meeting Highlights:
2. Grotto Calendar
3. Regional Calendar:
4. Thoughts from the Chair
5. In the Media:
6. Heads upÖ. Fall MVOR participants
7. Vertical Training:
8. A Note for people without email: Cave Rescue List
9. Quotable Quote:
10. Recent events:
11. Officers / Committees:
1. MSS Meeting Highlights, September 18, 1999
This was a rather short meeting as it was a beautiful day and there were
not too many items on the agenda. Highlights included:
The new MSS brochure is nearly completed and was distributed. It will be placed in high target areas
such as geology libraries, etc.
The MSS agreed to sign on to the letter pioneered by the Sierra Club to
reject Senator Bond's rider, which benefits the Doe Run Mining Company at great
public expense.
Scott House and Joel Laws introduced a by-laws amendment that will result in meeting
only twice a year, due to recent technological advances in communication. (i.e. e-mail)
Results of the MSS Member involvement survey were discussed. The general consensus is
that most members don't know what is expected of them.
MSS Research: A project is being funded to study Bandit Sculpins in Mystery Cave, which
is believed to be a new sub-species.
Carroll Cave Conservancy: Safety has become an issue, due to the extreme depth of the
dig; however 126' of virgin passage was discovered, and digging is continuing at the time
of the meeting.
MCKC: Tom Cravens was elected as the new president at the last meeting (6/12). Jon Beard
has taken over as the publications director and will be editing the Digest from what I
understand.
MSS President: A search committee has been appointed to look for a new MSS President,
as Kenneth Thompson will be stepping down after the next meeting.
Announcements: A member of the MMV announced new high-tech cave radios can now
be purchased.
I'll be in touch....
Daryl
2. Grotto Calendar
October 22-24:Fall MVOR, Leasburg, MO hosted by MMVG at the Ozark
Outdoors Campground. PRE-REGISTRATION IS DUE OCT 7TH!!! People are
encouraged to attend this awsome event.
November 14 : Trip to Perkins or Rattlesnake cave. Meet at the A.C. exit at 9:00 a.m. This
could be a hard trip if we go into Perkins. Its about a mile long with 700 feet of crawl and
mud. See Keith Noll for details.
Hunters Cave: Mapping plans will continue...
***Please send calendar entries to Patti Williamson, at least on week before the
next meeting.
3.Regional Calendar
10/7- 10:
22nd Annual TAG Fall Cave-In, Sequoyah Caverns, Valley Head, Al. Hosted by the
Dogwood City Grotto for NSS members and their guests.
10/ 19-23:
14th National Cave Management Symposium, Clarion Hotel, Chattanooga TN. For info
contact Mark Wolinsky, 3201 Byers Dr., Raleigh NC 27607-6365. Or email
ncms99@scci.org. See web site at www.caves.org/ncms99.
10/22-24:
Fall MVOR, Leasburg, MO hosted by MMVG at the Ozark Outdoors Campground.
For info contact Don Dunham at 314-296-1716, or email Jim Donley at
jr-donley@mocty.com. PRE-REGISTRATION IS DUE OCT 7TH!!!
10/23:
The Southeastern cave Conservancy is hosting the fall NSS BOG Meeting in Chattanooga,
TN at the Clarion Hotel. Contact Scott or Jaime Fee at (205) 854-PITS or
scottfee@pipeline.com for more information.
11/5-7:
International Technical Rescue Symposium, Fort Collins, CO.
11/ 19-24:
15th annual Ennis Cave Speleo-Holiday, Stone County Arkansas. Contact Randy Rose at
253-839-2908 or by email at rrose77777@aol.com.
4. Thoughts from the Chair
Hello Cavers,
The club has had a fun filled summer. Between the water sampling, the float trips, the
mapping and the caving it hasn't been slow. We can't forget the rope classes and the
practice secessions. Obviously we are a complete grotto.
I believe that every member has made this club the best. Our communication system is one
of the best.
I hope to see a big turnout at the MVOR. I plan on going to the MVOR early that
Friday morning. Remember that caving in the winter is cool.
Happy caving,
Mike Morgan
Your chairperson.
5. In the Media
Article from the Columbia Daily Tribune, September 26, 1999.
By CHRISTOPHER LEONARD
of the Tribune's staff
Imagine search and rescue in the underworld. All the rules are changed; standard
operating procedure is meaningless. Radios don't work down there, and the only light
is battery powered.
Devil's Ice Box in Rock Bridge State Park is a winding underground cave chilled to 55 degrees
year-round, filled in parts with running water. If a hiker gets lost there, it can
take a monumental effort to reach them. Such emergencies are rare, but do happen.
"It's common enough that when it does happen, you need to be prepared," Boone County Fire District
spokesman Jeff Scott said as he entered the cave yesterday. Scott paddled a canoe through chilly
waters that fill the first stretch of the cave. Bats flew by his head now and then, bursting out of
the darkness like tiny gobs of light, then disappearing.
Scott took part in a training exercise in Devil's Ice Box yesterday meant to hone
emergency crews' ability to work in caves. Their goal was to "rescue" 10 fictional spelunkers lost
in the cave. Scott has been through the tunnels many times, and not
always for recreation.
"Right here is where two guys capsized. We found their canoe over there," he said,
referring to a time in 1973 when two men in their 20s flipped their canoe in the Icebox
and drowned. "Their lights went out when they flipped, they didn't know up from down,"
he said.
Such tragedies have led the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to restrict access to
the cave. Tours are only allowed from September through March, and a trained guide is
required to lead the tours.
Yesterday's drill brought together members from the fire district, DNR and private
spelunkers. The fire district is usually first on the scene for emergencies, but spelunkers
are often called in for assistance.
"That way, they don't just run in there and not know what they're doing," spelunker
Daryl Greaser said. He belongs to the Chouteau Grotto, a local caving club that meets
every month. For them, being trapped in cold, muddy holes is a dream vacation. "It's what
I live for, man," Greaser said. He said spelunkers' familiarity with caves is an asset
during a search.
During the training exercise yesterday, the group of about 30 searchers broke into teams
and went down different corridors starting at 9 a.m. Most of the "victims" were merely
orange vests with a note pinned to them leading searches on to new areas.
As the day wore on and the teams penetrated deep into the cave, it became apparent why
so many people are drawn to the Ice Box, why they crawl on all fours over wet gravel
and squeeze through narrow passages just to see it.
Rock formations hang from the ceiling and stretch from the floors like fluid steeples of
some ancient church. Crystal structures sprout up, swallowing light and glowing a mellow
green in the dark.
The ceilings are covered in places with fossils from old Missouri oceans, and bats chirp in
the shadows.
At one point, the group gathered around to look at a pink planarian worm, a species that has
only been found in Devil's Ice Box. It lives in a world of total darkness, one that seems completely
isolated. In fact, it's a world intimately connected with our own.
"See that deep brown and orange patch there?" asks Roxie Campbell from the DNR. "There
must be some car or something rusting up on the surface and dripping down here. I wish we could find
it.
"That's something we try to emphasize a lot, that land-use decisions up there have an effect down
here," she said.
The rescue team was careful to disturb as little as possible throughout the day. They
retrieved victims who were hiding in the cave pretending to be wounded.
"It was a great learning experience," park superintendent Scott Schulte said. "That's the
purpose of it, to bring these groups together so we can learn lessons for the future."
6. Heads upÖ. Fall MVOR participants
Please pass this along to your grottos or interested MVOR attendees:
There will be a Cathedral cleanup trip at 11 am Sunday at the MVOR.
There is no charge for this and there will be time allowed after working to take an informal
look at the cave, do some pictures etc.--anywhere in the cave except upstream Cathedral.
Timing is such that you presumably can break camp, and come across the river to clean up
for a few hours before heading on home. Signup will be first come, first serve Saturday
morning (no pre-registration.) Participants should be ready to sign state volunteer forms on
Sunday, which asks simply your name, address, phone and social security number for
liability coverage during the cleanup. A 5 gallon bucket, normal sized hammer, cold
chisels between 1/4 and 3/4 inch sizes, and medium sized wire cutters/tin snips/bolt cutters, would
be useful, as would gloves, nylon brushes, tweezers or parts retrievers. Even though
this is a "show" cave, there is no light, so you need helmet and light, coveralls and minimal
cave gear, a trash bag or something to sit on the floor if you want.
Some loaner tools will be available, but we do not have enough for all.
People will need to work until about 2:30 or 3, and can then tour the cave afterwards.
Everyone will have to be out of the cave by 5 p.m.
Any questions, email Jo Schaper at JoSchaper@aol.com. If you are interested or others
you know are, have them email Jo for tools to bring.
Trip requires 4 people minimum to go and 15 maximum
7. Vertical Training:
On September 26th there was a Vertical Workshop at Capen Park held during a beautiful Sunday
afternoon. We had plenty of gear for all, and we ended up rigging 4 ropes.
Jennifer Wolff was led through change-overs by Mike Walk while Rick Walk was on his
way back from Bonaire. Mike Morgan, Daryl Greaser, Rita Worden, or Bob Lerch were
among some of the participants. Submitted by Mike Walk
8. A Note for people without email: Cave Rescue List
In our September meeting, Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Naturalist Roxie Campbell asked for volunteers to sign up to participate in any REAL LIFE
cave rescue, should the need arise. A list was circulated to those present, and several
members signed up, indicating which caves in Boone County they would feel comfortable
in during a rescue situation.
After the meeting, Roxie and Joe Hobbs decided that the list should be expanded to
include Moniteau and Callaway Counties.
So, if you want to add specific caves in Moniteau and Callaway counties, let Joe know
which caves those are.
9. Quotable Quote: "For them (Chouteau Grotto members), being trapped in cold,
muddy holes is a dream vacation. "It's what I live for, man," Greaser said."
from Columbia Daily Tribune article
10. Recent events:
9/11: FLOAT TRIP: Jennifer Wolff sponsored a float trip to the upper Meramec from Indian Springs to
the Lucky Clover Campground. The group spent time at Fishing Springs, a beautiful spring and
associated cave. Attending with Jen were Jeff Williams, Rita and Grace Worden, Daryl Greaser and
Sami Lababidi, Kevin Greaser & Monica & Lee, Orin Worden, and Mike O'Laughlin.
9/12: PIQUET CAVE: Bob Lerch led this lengthy trip into Piquet Cave. Bob & Andy Lerch, Daryl
Greaser, Rita, Orin, and Grace Worden, Patti Williamson, Jennifer Wolff,
Jeff Williams, Roger Brown, Mike O'Laughlin, David Carter, and Kieth Noll were in
attendance. Several of the members spent a total of 9 1/2 hours underground, and some
made it as far as the Tablerock. Look for a detailed report in the Foresight.
9/18: ANNUAL CHICKEN ROAST: This year's Chicken Roast was held at the
Worden residence in rural Moniteau County. Many thanks to Rita for letting us use
her land. Among those in attendance were: Rita, Grace, Orin and Karl Worden, Master
bird roaster and Chouteau Chairman Mike Morgan (many thanks for his dedication and
effort!), Joe Hobbs and his daughter, Daryl Greaser, Mr. and Mrs. Dave Webster and guest,
Bill Elliott, Mike O'Laughlin, Jennifer Wolff, Mike Walk and family, Joel Laws and Brian
from MVG, members of LOG, Brent, Matt Chasen & Tara Barnett, and many more. (Sorry
if I missed you!) Roasters enjoyed the sauna and took an almost-a-polar-bear-plunge dip in
the pool.
9/22: CHOUTEAU SPRINGS: Daryl Greaser and Rita Worden were given a tour of the "legendary" springs
in rural Cooper County by a local resident. At one time this was a bustling town of the same name
but you wouldn't know it now. Near a "T" in a now-gravel road, the springs aren't what they used to
be. The remains of a large spring-fed swimming pool were on the property. The local said he
remembers swimming in it all day for a nickel when he was a boy. The spring (s) flow from a small
well-like culvert in the middle of a marsh.
9/25: MOCK RESCUE: Chouteau participated in this exercise conducted by Rock Bridge State Park and
the Boone County Fire Protection District in the Devil's Icebox. Members Daryl Greaser, Rita Worden,
Jeff Williams, Patti Williamson, Nathan Leigh, Anna Dennis, Roger Brown, Mike Morgan, Jim Yancey,
Joe Hobbs, and Scott Schulte participated in the event. Scott Schulte (who is the park
superintendent) set up the scenario and supervised the rescue. Jim Yancey acted as the frantic (and
hilarious!) parent who called for the search. Joe Hobbs assisted as one of the Wild Cave Tour
Leaders. The group organized several search teams and extricated the mock patient from the cave.
Afterwards, a debriefing session concluded the event by discussing problems encountered and many
made suggestions for needed improvement. The park sprung for some pizza after the session
and everyone made it home in time to see the Cornhuskers walk all over MU! Chouteau would like to
thank the park and fire department for the opportunity to participate.
9/26: VERTICAL WORKSHOP: Several members met in Capen Park for practice and
honing-in vertical skills and techniques. This event gave everyone a chance to try different systems
and adjustments. In attendance were Mike Morgan, Jennifer Wolff, Mike Walk, Jeff Williams, Daryl
Greaser, Bob Lerch, Andy Lerch, and Mike O'Laughlin.
10/4: Members of the Chouteau Grotto and DNR collaborated on an effort to push the
terminal siphon in the Devil's Icebox, which resulted in the group finding approximately 500' of
virgin passage past the original siphon, ending at a "new" terminal siphon. The passage will be
mapped at a later date. Daryl Greaser dubbed the new passage "the fourth watercrawl." Rick Walk and
others mapped approx. 180' of previously unmapped passage, dubbed "Rick's Noodle."
Thanks to Daryl for the summary of recent events.
11.
1999 Committees
Conservation
Bob Lerch, Joe Engeln
Editor Foresight
Rickard Walk
Associate Editors, Foresight
Daryl Greaser, Bob Lerch
Editor Chouteau News
Patti Williamson
Education
Bill Elliott, Bob Lerch,
Rick Walk
Library / Exchange Publications
Kevin Feltz, Rick Walk
Membership Dues
Kevin Feltz
MCKC
Rickard Walk
NSS
Rickard Walk
Public Relations
Mike Morgan, Bill Elliott
Research Review
Joe Engeln, Carol Wicks, Jim Huckins, Bob Lerch,
Louise Hose
Safety / Rescue
Rick Walk, Jim Yancey,
Scott Schulte
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
Trip Coordinator
Rita Worden
Webpage
Michael Wardin
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
3217 Westcreek Circle
Columbia, MO 65203
(573) 441-2613
hobbsj@missouri.edu
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
