December 6, 2000


The meeting was called to order at 7:08 P.M.


18 members were present.


Treasurer's report: $1227.30 in the coffers


MSS Directors' Report: Mike Morgan seeks a permanent replacement for
this position. Please contact Bob Lerch if you are interest. Jo Schaper
is willing to do it beginning next May -- so it could be just an
interim position. Dave Webster will be kind enough to fill in at the
December meeting.


<underline>Foresight</underline> Editors' Report: Patti Williamson and
Daryl Greaser are working like mad on the<underline>
Foresights</underline>. Patti is doing the first two quarters of 2000.
If you have any photos she can include with these, please get them to
her soon. She is also looking for third quarter photos. Daryl is
working on the 1999 issues.


Hunter's Cave Restoration activities. There have been two Grotto
"resto" trips to Hunter's, focussing mainly on the entrance room, which
is mostly clean. Ben Miller has also done two restoration trips with
Missouri Wilderness, removing six bags of used carbide. There is
another Missouri Wilderness restoration trip later this month. There is
still more carbide to be brought out.


Bill Elliott is thrilled about these activities, and thanked the Grotto
on behalf of the Missouri Department of Conservation.


Bill reported that there have been recent numerous violations of
MDC-managed caves. One of the parties that has looted Decker Cave has
been indicted under Federal law and will probably do time.


Officer Elections. The nominees were (drum roll...) Bob Lerch, Chair;
Rita Worden, Vice-Chair; Kevin Feltz, Treasurer; and Joe Hobbs,
Secretary. There were unanimous votes for each. There were no hanging
chads, and no swinging chads became pregnant.


Cave Reports...


 Lots of photos from the recent 42 hours in Berome Moore Cave were
passed around. Apparently a good time was had by all, and hot coffee
between 7 hour stretches of caving was a welcome novelty. The MMV will
have a cleanup trip there from January 12-14. Ben Miller and his female
Erin friend visited Ash Grove cave, and Ben was also in Tunnel and
Spring Cave.


Ben has been awarded a year's internship in cave management at Jewel
Cave, beginning in January. Congratulations, Ben!


Bob Lerch spent his birthday with Rita Worden and others at Indian
Cave. Bob, Rita, Mike Morgan and Jeff Williams explored Daryl's Sump at
Spring Cave. There was some speculation on the origin of the water's
odors, something to do with hogs.


Roger Brown, Rita and Bob did more mapping of a passage near Chert
Bridges in the Devil's Ice Box, adding about 300 more feet.


Bill Elliott will lead a trip to GPS-locate the caves of Three Creeks
Conservation area. The tentative date is February 10, and Grotto
members are invited to help out.


Jim Huckins, Mississippi Dan and others found lots of caves on the
Upper Jack's Fork drainage area in Shannon County. It's a rich area,
Huck reports.


Bill Elliott's work has taken him to Lime Kiln Quarry Mine. Gray bats
have a maternal colony here in summers, and some decisions need to be
made about how to balance their needs with those of rock climbers who
have created and use a kind of highway on the mine's ceiling.


Upcoming Trips...


Bob Lerch will lead a Hunter's Mapping Trip on December 16 or 17.
Contact him for details.


Joe Schaper is hosting a 17 or 18 February (or both) cleanup trip to
Cathedral Cave. The limit is 15 participants. Jo is giving Chouteau
members first crack at this, but you must let her know by the end of
December if you plan on attending. Then she will open the trip to
others.


Other...


Captain Nemo's has used wetsuits at reasonable prices.


A motion was made, passed and approved for the Grotto to donate $100
toward the Carrol Cave Conservancy; however this contribution is
contingent upon adequate resources remaining after the publication of
the upcoming <underline>Foresights</underline>.


Roger Brown and Jeff Williams were commended for their fine volunteer
efforts as wild cave tour leaders for the Rock Bridge Memorial State
Park.


Bill Elliott passed around the October 2001 issue of
<underline>Missouri Conservationist</underline>, which features an
article on cave restoration. This magazine is online, including all
past issues.


Bill Elliott's chapter "Conservation of the North American Cave and
Karst Biota" has been published in the monumental book
<underline>Subterranean Ecosystems</underline>. Congratulations, Bill!
This is in the series "Ecosystems of the World" published by Elsevier
in Amsterdam. It costs a bundle, so you might want to check out the
copy Joe Hobbs ordered through the Department of Geography; it will be
in Ellis Library at MU early next year.


Rita is off email for awhile as her computer is ill.


Dave Webster invited everyone to the MCKC meeting on December 9 at 10
A.M.; see your newsletter or contact Dave for details.


The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 P.M.


The program was a 27 minute Missouri Department of Conservation video
in the 'Just Kidding Around' series. It featured Bill Elliott with a
class of fifth graders in Lone Hill Onyx Cave; also Mark Magimpsy (sp?
Sorry Mark!) netting bats, a virtual cave web site, and other good
stuff.


Respectfully submitted,


Joe Hobbs

Secretary