Welcome
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Calendar
Newsletter
History
Photo Album
Silers Cave
Related links
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| November 2001 |
Volume 30, Number 1 |
Subterranean Sun
On-Line Edition
This on-line edition of the November, 2001 Subterranean Sun has been edited to remove
personal information, to add some late news, and to Internet enhance the text. We are
also experimenting with a new format for the on-line edition to make it more readable
with less scrolling. Please let us know how you like it!
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Sligo Grotto Holiday Party
Fang and Harn invite all Sligo cavers, friends and family to our annual holiday
party on
Saturday, December 15th
6:00 PM - whenever
The party will be held at Fang and Harn’s Mud Puddle Gulch. E-mail Fang if you don't
know how to get there.
Dinner will be potluck as usual - please bring your favorite dish to share. Keg provided - BYOB.
By special arrangements, we will have a live band for your entertainment.
Bring your instruments; there is always room for a couple more performers!
Bring your dancing socks! (to protect the nice wood floor)
Sligo Grotto encourages responsible drinking. If you plan to drink, please bring either
a designated driver or a sleeping bag to spend the night. Plenty of crash space will be provided.
There will be a Grotto meeting sometime between dinner and the entertainment.
Topics to be discussed are elections (or lack thereof), the newsletter,
Sligo Grotto On-Line, and budgeting.
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Officers
- Chairman, Treasurer, Grotto Trips Coordinator and Reluctant Newsletter Editor:
- Jim McConkey
- Chair of Vice:
- Jennifer Neemann
- Secretary:
- Gloria Briggs
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Calendar
- 15.Dec.2000
- 6:00 PM Holiday Party – see announcement this issue
- 17-19.Feb.2002
- Annual Sligo-SVG President’s Day Weekend Bash at Thompson’s Motel in
Franklin, WV. Reservations are essential: 1-800-338-5531
- 26-28.April.2002 (tentative)
- WVCC will host the Spring VAR at Natural Chimneys (tentative site). The annual VAR Grand Caverns
Restoration Project will likely also be held in conjunction with the VAR.
- 24-28.June.2002
- NSS Convention in Camden Maine.
Clawd the Lobster invites you to the coolest convention in years where
"the lobster meets the limestone."
- 27-29.Sept.2002
- BATS will host the Fall VAR at Endless Caverns
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Editorial
Last time I talked about the continual changing of the Grotto, and this year we have gone
the next step towards becoming a virtual Grotto. The Internet is changing everything, including grottos.
I got a very perplexing e-mail not long back from two cavers in North Carolina wanting to
join the Sligo Grotto. At first I wrote back telling them they had the wrong Grotto,
but they insisted they didn't. They live in an area far from any local Grotto, and had
found our web site and decided we sounded like the right Grotto for them. When I welcomed
them and told them of our annual events, they said "so that's what all the bat stickers
were in the Thompson's parking lot last President's Day weekend!" It seems like great minds
think alike! Welcome on board Adrian and George!
We had many good comments and not a single complaint last year about the switch to electronic
publishing of the Sub Sun. We will continue to put out one printed issue a year, for the
primary purpose of distributing the membership list, but any other issues will be posted on
our web site. In addition to full issues, I send out numerous e-mail updates throughout the year.
With most communication now taking place electronically, please make sure to keep me updated
with your latest e-mail address!
Jim
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New Members
We would like to extend a great big virtual welcome to new members Adrian Henson and
George Durham, both from North Carolina. We hope to actually meet you in Franklin this February.
We would also like to welcome back some old friends: Meredith Hall and her daughter Kelsea,
and Tracy Schaff. Welcome back!
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Silers Cave Update
By Jim McConkey
Photos by Jim McConkey (Click the thumbnails for larger pictures)
Check out the complete on-line story
The long awaited new gate at Silers Cave finally went in over the weekend of April 28-29, 2001.
It was a gorgeous weekend for an outdoor project, sunny and mid-70s, and the red buds were in full bloom.
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The Steel Chicks (L-R: Carol, Pat, Meredith, Ellie and Jen) ready for action |
For years the gate has consisted of a chain-mounted manacle at the end of a 55 gallon drum at the
bottom of a 15' pit. Vandals have repeatedly attacked the lock and chain using bolt cutters,
saws and even a fire. When we reinforced the gate, they dug a new entrance. After we sealed
the new entrance, the vandals again attacked the main gate, finally completely destroying it.
Because of the increasing severity of the vandalism we opted for a serious heavy metal gate
which should hopefully foil even the most determined vandals for some time to come.
The design and placement of the new gate were picked to simultaneously deter vandals,
minimally interfere with the indiginous bats and be friendly to cave rescue operations.
We still expect some digging attempts, and they will be dealt with as they arrive.
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L: Vitas & Jim, R:Harn, Ellie, Bob and Josh haul steel up the hill. |
Sligo and Baltimore Grottos split the cost of the new gate out of the profits from the
VAR we jointly ran at Friars Hole. Almost two tons of steel were used in the construction of
the new gate. Craig Hindman prefabricated most of the gate parts at work, then borrowed a
large flatbed truck to deliver them to the Silers property. About 20 volunteers showed up to
help haul steel and construct the new gate.
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Mike guides the steel into the pit as it is belayed down. |
It only took a couple hours to haul all the steel up to the cave, but it took us all weekend
to construct the new gates. We had a giant impact drill, large generator, gas and electric
welders, and all sorts of other equipment to haul as well.
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The main gate starts to take shape. |
The gate at Silers has traditionally been an ongoing project, and we fully expect the tradition
to continue. Already the vandals have been back at work. They managed to damage the smaller
side gate, dig a bypass, and have attacked the cave walls trying to enlarge an air hole.
Some people apparently have absolutely no respect at all! Another small gate will need to be
added and the existing small gate will need to be repaired later this fall or winter.
If you are interested in helping out, please contact Jim.
We would like to heartily thank all of the volunteers who came out to participate in the project!
Don't forget the cave now has it's own e-mail address for reservations and information:
SilersCave@myrealbox.com. The account
is setup to automatically reply to all messages with the access restrictions and the entire
current schedule of usage dates.
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Sligo Grotto Web Site
Just in case you've been living in a cave, Sligo Grotto now has its own web site!
Check it out by pointing your browser at:
http://www.caves.org/grotto/sligo.
On our web site, you will find general information about the Grotto, contact information
for the officers, how to join, membership benefits, a frequently updated calendar of
upcoming events, our history and information on Silers Cave. We will eventually add
basic information on caving, equipment and other topics. The site is under constant improvement.
Please send Jim
your comments and suggestions - this is YOUR web site!
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New Baltimore Grotto Web Site
Since many Sligo members also belong to Baltimore Grotto, the new Baltimore Grotto
web site may be of interest. Also designed by Jim, you can find the new site at:
http://www.caves.org/grotto/baltimore.
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VAR Web Site
The VAR web site should also be of interest to local
cavers. It has links to all the local caving organizations, the closed cave list, regional
cave protection laws, Virginia Region events, etc. Check it out!
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Outdoors E-Mail List
Vitas Eiduvekias of Tri-State Grotto has started an e-mail list (Under The Blue Sky)
for people interested in canoeing, kayaking, hiking, camping, biking or any other outdoor
activity. The majority of the people on the list are also cavers and most of you will know
each other. Any body is welcome to join.
If you want join the email list the easy way would be to send Vitas (vitas@intrepid.net)
an email saying you want to sign up to Under The Blue Sky. Or yuu can go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UnderTheBlueSky
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Rescue at John Brown's Cave
By Allison Hazen
The call was initiated by the Park Service to Tri-State, who called Frederick. We had people
on the way before NCRC was involved. I told Jan to call you when they needed more people.
The father and son were found at about 2:00 past the second sump. It was a walkout. They had
light failure and waited for someone to come find them since about 3:00 Sunday. They were also
in shorts and the kids helmet had no chin strap. The guano is pretty deep. Not only did the
father face trespassing charges from CSX and the Park Service he had a suspended license and is
facing a child custody hearing this week. We did direct him to Tri-State Grotto in case he
insisted on caving again. At least, we can try to show him how to not be an idiot.
The way that it worked out, we had people there ASAP, the park service was in control.
We had two level two people there to head our people up and to make suggestions. NCRC was
contacted as soon as we finished our callouts. This kept the family from further suffering
while waiting for a reply from the NCRC. Also, Judy was told that there is no longer a central
number for NCRC by Debbie Meyer. What's up with that? Is this a God complex fulminating? I'm confused.
[Ed: This rescue underscores the importance of paying attention to access restrictions on caves.
Incidents like this are why we keep losing access to caves! John Browns has been closed for years,
and the fact has been well published, including the local
Closed Cave List.
The guy involved is not only in a lot of trouble, but he's almost guaranteed we
will never get in John Browns again. If in doubt, please ask!]
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Carter Caves State Resort Park, Kentucky
By Meredith Hall Johnson
July 21, 2001--en route to the 2001 NSS Convention
H2O Cave, Kelsea Johnson, Dan McConnell, Marian McConnell, Greg Turner, Drew Turner, and Meredith Hall Johnson:
After stopping by the Visitor Center and signing out for a trip to Laurel Cave, we headed for
the footbridge leading to the entrance. At the bottom of the hill, Dan noticed a very
cave-like rock wall that he wanted to check out. He and Marian, in white jeans, weren't
planning to do much more than go to the entrance of the cave anyhow. He headed off to explore.
As esteemed trip leader, I said we should all stick together and besides, it looked too cool
to pass up. It turned out to be a collapsed, or partially so, cave entrance. It was quite
impressive, but so was the extant entrance that beckoned us with its low wide stream.
We followed this into the cave and turned on our flashlights. We followed the inverse
rule of three light sources per person and had three people per light source. I figured we were
still better prepared than most of the tourists who visit this park.
About this time, Dan and Marian decided they wanted to go caving. We headed out of the cave
only to find a forlorn puppy-looking man sitting on a rock. That was my first impression of
him anyhow. He recognized the McConnell's and introduced himself to the rest of us, Jim "Crash" Kennedy
from BCI. He said he had tried to catch up to us but knew we would be out soon the way we
were talking not far into the cave. He was looking for some cavers to go with him to check dataloggers.
"I have keys to two caves that you wouldn't otherwise get to see. It should take only an hour per cave,"
was the fish line he threw at us. Of course we bit and went to suit up. Of course the first cave trip
took three hours; we never did get into the second cave. Oh well, Convention was calling anyhow.
Saltpetre-Moon Cave System, Jim "Crash" Kennedy, Kelsea Johnson, Dan McConnell, Marian McConnell, and Meredith Hall Johnson:
We hiked past the group of tourists who had paid for a tour of Saltpetre Cave and were waiting at the
Main Entrance, where we would exit later. Jim pointed out two other small entrances nearby, covered with
branches. We hiked way up the hill, with Jim pointing out the Moon Pit Entrance which is located in
sandstone. We helped each other down the Moon Entrance and ended up in a big room after a short crawl
past a black spotted Slimy Salamander and much trash brought in by cave rats. After pointing out where
the sandstone meets limestone, Jim went to the first datalogger. Marian, Kelsea and I sat and watched
while Jim did his thing with the datalogger. Meanwhile Dan was exploring the interlocking passages of
this big room.
Bat Conservation International (BCI) is studying the temperature and humidity in various caves around
the country. It is hoped that, by studying former roost sites, BCI can determine what changes can be
made to the cave environment in order to hopefully bring the bats back, particularly Indiana bats,
an endangered species. Jim installs small round white devices that collect this information every
three hours; he later checks the dataloggers and downloads the information. He then does a temperature
check of the cave wall near the datalogger with a probe. The temperature at the first datalogger,
where we all felt we were melting from the humidity, was 67.8 degrees. The second device was in a
dome room.
The basic procedure is to unscrew the datalogger from the cave wall, usually as high up the wall
as possible, often where brownish markings indicate past bat roosts. Then a probe from a very small
computer device is inserted and the information downloaded. The device number is recorded as is the
cave temperature that day. Jim inserts the thermometer probe into a hole or crack in the wall. The
rest of us started making guesses as to the temperature to pass the time.We then slithered through
the obviously dug-out passage into the Saltpetre side of the Saltpetre-Moon Cave System. The
datalogger here was atop a large passage that the tours come through, or used to. We saw a long
object laying to one side that looked exactly like what it was, a fluorescent tube light. Datalogger
number six was near the steps leading to the Main Entrance of Saltpetre Cave. The temperature here
was a chilly 47.6 degrees. Jim said this was due to the way the cave breathes and that the colder
temperatures are why Saltpetre is (or was) a good cave for bats. In the 100 or so feet of vertical
difference between the Moon and Main Entrances, the cave temperature differed by more than 20 degrees.
I was amazed.
The whole while we were going from datalogger to datalogger, Jim was giving us a tour. He showed
us the cistern, some vat casts from long-ago saltpetre mining, the "potato bin," some anastomotic
passages which were plugged with dirt, and some signatures from the 1860's. He obviously knew the
cave well and was quite willing to share his knowledge. Also, Dan was entertaining us with jokes
and songs. I followed close behind as Jim headed for the eighth and final datalogger. At one point
Jim pointed up and said, "There's a cluster of bats." He then climbed up the wall nearby for a closer
look. I was surprised when he reached out and removed one of the four small bats from the ceiling.
As a bat biologist, though, he can do so to identify the species. (Don't try this at home!) He looked
the bat over carefully and called down that he thought it was an Indiana bat, an endangered species.
By now the whole group had gathered below and wanted a look. Jim downclimbed with bat in hand and
began a very interesting lesson in bat identification. Despite the grayish fur, if you blow softly
to see the color of the underlying fur, you can determine an Indiana bat from a Gray bat. The Indiana's
fur is much darker below; a Gray's is light-colored to its skin. Jim spread the wings for us and showed
the bones, the keeled calcar and something else, the latter two characteristics of Indianas. He told me
later that it gave him hope that BCI's efforts are paying off since there are still Indiana bats in
this cave system. Kelsea asked if she could hold the bat. (I think we all would have liked to.)
Jim said no, that he'd had all his shots and that the bat had been disturbed enough. The little guy
(yes, Jim showed us that too!) was a bit angry, with teeth bared. Jim climbed back up the wall and
tried to get the bat to reattach itself near the cluster. The bat was still torpid (Jim's word, means
sluggish) so Jim set him on a shelf.
We went on to record the data from the last datalogger. Marian led the way back down the passage.
Her shout told us that the bat had fallen off the shelf. Dan climbed up this time with bat in gloved
hand to put him on a more recessed shelf. We stayed until we were sure that the bat wouldn't fall again.
We climbed the steps up by datalogger number six and Jim unlocked the Main Entrance gate. Our one hour
trip had turned into three hours but it was well worth it.
Note: Later, at the NSS Convention, I went to Jim's session on bats. He had the downloaded datalogger
information in graph form on his laptop. The one datalogger that he'd had to replace due to failure
had stopped collecting data back in March. It was neat to see the end result of our trip.
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Greenbrier Trip & LED Flashlight Report
By George Durham
I thought I would write to you to let you know what a great time Adrian and I had in
Greenbriar County, WV. last weekend. Saturday we spent10 hours in Norman and Bone Cave.
Norman is a great cave in that it has a little bit of everything in it. Sunday we
spent 7 hours in McClung. We had a map of McClung and we did not even begin to cover
that cave. Heck, we didn't even begin to cover the main passages. It is a very long
cave with huge rooms alternated with sections where it really helps to be skinny.
I also wanted to report that LED lights are definitely the way to go. I took my new
Lightwave 4000 flashlght along. It is a little heavy but the 10 LEDs gave a huge amount
of light and I did not have to change the batteries or pack any extras. It is plenty
tough enough and when it got muddy I just dipped it in the stream to clean it off. In
fact it is still running. When I got home, I turned it on to do my own test of how long
the batteries would last. It has been 30 hours so far with no decrease in brightness.
A few minutes ago my wife asked how long I was going to leave it on because it blinds
her every time she walks by. I hope we will be able to meet up with you guys soon. Oh! By the
way we met a group from Montgomery County, MD. in Bone cave.
My flashlight is still going strong after 54 hours. It is not as bright as last night but
still plenty bright enough to light up my dining room. I will let you know when it finally tanks.
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Bat Conservation International Conservation Fund Grants
By Jim Kennedy (jkennedy@batcon.org), Conservation Fund Coordinator
Bat Conservation International -
North American Bat Conservation Partnership
2002 CONSERVATION FUND GRANTS
This program has operated since 1998, and to date we have provided $234,971 in support to
70 conservation, education, and research projects meeting high-priority needs in North America.
These small grants helped accomplish almost $2.5 million in bat work!
Deadline for 2002 grants is fast approaching. Applications and supporting materials MUST
be received by 31 December 2001. Applications and instructions are available at
http://www.batcon.org/nabcp/newsite/grants.html,
while an overview of the grants program and a summary of past years are available at
http://www.batcon.org/nabcp/newsite/fund.html.
All NABCP grants are annual, with projects starting in the calendar year of the grant.
Projects directly supporting student research are not eligible for this program and
should be directed to BCI's Scholarship Program.
All projects must address North American bat priorities as outlined in the
Strategic Plan for North American Bat Conservation
(http://www.batcon.org/nabcp/newsite/strategy.html).
Four copies of the application are required, but digital submissions (attachments via email)
will do in a pinch. A maximum of $5,000 is awarded per proposal, and applicants may submit
proposals for multiple projects. All proposals are ranked by independent reviewers, and only
the highest-rated projects may receive funding.
Remember that only projects in Canada, United States, and Mexico are eligible. All values
must be in U. S. dollars. No projects counting toward academic credit are eligible. Any
individual, agency, or organization may apply. Questions about your application may be answered
only if draft applications are received well before the deadline.
For more information, contact:
NABCP Conservation Fund
Bat Conservation International
Post Office Box 162603
Austin, TX 78716-2603
USA
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New NSS Book: "On Call"
NSS Bookstore Press Release:
The NSS has just produced a new book that is designed to bring together
under one cover the knowledge and experiences accumulated by cave rescuers
during 50 years of rescue in the caves of Americas. It is intended to serve
as a comprehensive reference of those interested in cave rescue. It may also
be useful as a field guide for rescue squads and Search and Rescue (SAR)
personnel who are occasionally called upon to work within a cave. The book
has ten subject-based sections.
- Introduction to Cave Rescue.
- Communications.
- Management Operations.
- Search Management.
- Medical.
- Vertical.
- Patient Packaging/Transport.
- Psychological Considerations.
- Special Problems.
- Wrap Up and Training.
Paperback - $25 - member price ($27 non-member price).
Hardback - $28 - member price ($30 non-member price).
Shipping is $7.00 for either.
NSS Bookstore, 2813 Cave Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35810
Phone 256-852-1300 Fax 256-851-9241 (nss@caves.org)
Note: as of this writing, this book cannot be purchased "on line."
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