APRIL 2007 GROTTO NEWSLETTER
IN THIS ISSUE
Here’s a hearty welcome
to ESSO for NINE new grotto
members:
-- Jacob Lewis, Paul &
Melony Stern, Jeff Rickman,
Nicole Good, Wes Wyrick, Nick
Wyrick, Jarod Lewis and
Connie Harkin.
––
From Brian Saul and
Jeremy Chapman on the May 4-
6 ESSO Vertical Weekend: We
have Echo Canyon reserved for
the workshop. This is where we
will camp for
the weekend,
have dinner
on Saturday,
and where Bill
Eidson will
present. It is
S HORT
an awesome facili-
ty with kitchen,
C RAWLS
indoor water, bathrooms, elec-
tric, and a lot of room.
Here is a link to the materi-
al covered in the beginner sec-
tion of ther vertical workshop.
Click on
http://briansaul.com/esso/ver-
tical.mht using Internet
Explorer. You can click through
the 6 pages by clicking on the
each of the page names in the
gold box. You have to use
Internet Explorer for this to
work. Also 5 of the knots were
cut off so in addition to the
knots on the on the list, you
should practice the Bowline,
Double overhand (barrel knot),
Double Fisherman (used for
tying cord for prusik), Butterfly,
and the Prusik knot.
For those not interested in
the working on rope or attend-
ing any of the training, come
here ESSO member Bill Eidson
speak about his adventures on
rope that Saturday evening. For
more info, check www.essogrot-
to.com or email Jeremy at ltcol-
hillbilly@yahoo.com.
• The Prez, 2
• Minutes, 3
• Calendar, 2
• Restoration, 4
• Restoration, 5
• Batshop, 7
• Knots, 6
BIG SUCCESS: Carter Caves
first annual restoration camp
by Jonathon Lewis
Participants in the recent Caves of
Carter Caves Restoration Camp were
blown away by what can be accom-
plished when several people gather
with the same focus. What took decades
to occur, such as algae and lamp flora
growth was reduced or nearly eliminat-
ed in areas in just one day!
Debris and minor projects that the
park could never plan to do on its own
was considered challenges and met by
determined cavers willing to tackle the
obstacles to make the project a success.
So what all was accomplished at this
event that is deemed to be worthy of and Brian Saul were heading up two
such praise? groups of operations in X-Cave which
Four projects were tackled during were teams battling the growth of algae
the weekend and all were completed to near lights in the cave. It was a difficult
some degree or another, at least until job but the restoration members were
the next time we gather for the cause. up to the challenge. Thankfully we had
several participants and people oversee-
The weekend was broken down into
two reasons to go underground: one to ing operation that had dealt with forma-
tion cleaning and were able to assist
restore and one to appreciate. We went
underground on both Friday and others in getting the swing of things.
Saturday evenings to appreciate the By late afternoon X-cave was begin-
caves of the area (Friday in Cow ning a transformation into something
Counterfeiter & Sat in Tar Kiln). much different than what we had
However on Saturday and Sunday dur- encountered on our first visit that week-
end. Teamwork and a desire to complete
ing the day we went in the catacombs of
the park to restore, and restore we did. the task at hand was the motivation that
Saturday the projects were Cascade helped to make it happen. Also in the
Debris Removal, Speleothem Cleaning afternoon a small group of volunteers
and electrical cable disguise. Larry traveled to Moon Cave entrance to assist
Matiz headed up Cascade Operations in cleaning out the entrance of timbers
and by early in the afternoon a lot of the and debris for an upcoming gating proj-
ect slated for this summer by Roy
projects we wanted accomplished were
well on their way to completion. On the Powers.
other side of the park Roy Vanhoozer See RESTORATION, Page 4

Notes from the Underground
Spring forwad into ESSO!
by Jonathon Lewis
ESSOers! Before I go back under-
ground again I wanted to take a
moment or two to inform you what is
going on down there! Things have been
really busy as we have been enjoying a
lot of trips and events recently.
However this is not going to change as
we continue the recent pattern with
several more events coming up soon.
You will want to be sure to look for
information on them both in the BEE
and online (www.essogrotto.com). If
you have not gotten to participate in
the recent outings you will want to be
sure not to miss some
of the upcoming ones:
We are excited to
finally locked in on
long awaited work-
shop coordinated for
us and WUSS by Bat
PRESIDENT’S
PASSAGE
Conservation
International (BCI).
Jim “Crash” Kennedy
is flying up from BCI’s
headquarters to host
this two-day work-
shop. It will be held April 21st and
22nd at Camp Cardinal Girl Scout
complex in Carter County. This event
is going to be a great opportunity to
learn some bat focused information
and become more informed on this lit-
tle creatures. More info on this event
can be found in the BEE and also
online on the ESSO Grotto website.
The event is limited to a total of 40
participants from both of the grottos
and we will be attempting to gather a
list of who is going to plan on attend-
Eastern States Speleological Organization (ESSO) Grotto, Inc.
Meets third Mondays monthly in Flatwoods, Ky.
Jonathon Lews, President; Allen Blair, Vice President;
Cindy Duncan, Secretary; and Shelia Gilliam, Treasurer
HTTP://WWW.CAVES.ORG/GROTTO/ESSO
HTTP://GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/ESSOGROTTO
ing in the near future. Email me if you
are interested in the event.
Soon after we get complete with
the BCI workshop we will be
approaching the much-anticipated
2007 ESSO Vertical Workshop. Jeremy
Chapman and Brian Saul have been
working hard to coordinate this event
during the last few months. If you are
just getting interested in the world of
vertical or are an aged veteran you will
find something to do and learn at this
event. Contact Brian and Jeremy for
more info on the event and the equip-
ment needed to participate. Even if
you are not consid-
ering attending the
event to participate
– I do encourage
you to come down
for the day and visit
and enjoy the
evenings dinner
and keynote speak-
er, Bill Eidson.
Indeed this will be a
great weekend to be
on rope in Carter
County with so many people skilled in
vertical training to assist you.
Another event that is creeping up
on us and will be closely following
the Vertical Weekend is an ESSO
Grotto Canoe Trip (Estimated date is
Saturday, May 12th). Mark Walker is
working with Carter Caves to get the
park to lend us their canoes for the
day – allowing us to travel down a 6-
mile journey of Tygart’s Creek.
See PRESIDENT, Page 3
Page 2
Caving Calendar
April 16, ESSO Grotto meeting,
7:30 p.m., Flatwoods library, eats
at Giovanni’s.
April 21-22 BCI Bat Cave
Assessment Workshop. Email:
jonlewis@zoomnet.net
April 28, Spring VAR weekend.
•
May 5-6, Mammoth Cave
Restoration Camp.
May 5-6, ESSO Vertical Weekend,
Echo Canyon. Jeremy Chapman,
ltcolhillbilly@yahoo.com
May 5-6, ESSO Vertical Workshop,
Echo Canyon. Jeremy Chapman,
ltcolhillbilly@yahoo.com
May 12, Tentative Grotto Canoe
Trip, all day, 6 miles, Email:
mwalker@utionline.net
May 19-20, Great Saltpetre
Preserve Open House, Rockcastle
County, www.rkci.org
May 21, ESSO Grotto meeting,
7:30 p.m., Flatwoods library, eats
at Giovanni’s.
•
June 16, Summer Grotto Picnic
and ESSO meeting, Carter Caves!
Cabin/party space available. Check
essogrotto.com for details!
June 22-24, Karst O Rama at Great
Saltpetre Preserve.
•
July 16, ESSO Grotto meeting,
7:30 p.m., Flatwoods library, eats
at Giovanni’s. Ice Cream Social!
July 23-27, NSS Convention 07,
Marengo, Indiana.
•
August 5-11, Mammoth Cave
Restoration Camp!
TBA, Grotto Fall Cave Outing/Meet.
More: www.essogrotto.com

Minutes, News
March grotto meeting minutes ...
by Cindy Duncan
The March 19, 2007, meeting of ESSO
Grotto convened at the Flatwoods library at
7:30, and was called to order by our presi-
dent Jonathon Lewis.
Treasurer's and secretary's reports
were read and accepted. We welcomed four
new members: Jeff Rickman, Marlena Ross,
Wess and Nick Wyrick.
Old business: Burchett's. Nothing new
to report but Allen is working on a letter to
the Lands family. (Editor's note: Done, and
in process of mailing at this writing.)
Carter Caves first annual restoration
camp coming up March 24-25. Sunday will
be Laurel Cave surface restoration. Meet at
welcome center. Free camping.
BCI: The park is booked for the week-
end. Are trying for another location, the
Girl Scout camp. April 21-22. Classroom
instruction and in-cave training for bat cave
assement, in other words learning how to
tell if bats once hibernated in a cave.
It was mentioned our Web site has
been received a ton of hits.
Larry Matiz donated to ESSO's library
Speleodigests from 1968-1989. Thanks
Larry.
PRESIDENT
- From page 2
This will be a full day event with
potential stops at caves along the way.
Mark will be notifying the group soon
about the details and date once they
are all worked out. If you are interest-
ed in participating in this event contact
Mark Walker for more information.
We also do not want to forget
about the upcoming summer picnic
and caving weekend at Carter Caves.
It will be held Saturday, June 16th at
the park. We will have a grotto Cabin
in the park for use by members thru
the day and Saturday Night. Currently
the next step is to get a few more mem-
bers to step up and command chairs of
various positions in the weekend. We
will want to start working towards get-
ting the event planned soon. You can
Bat fact ...
African heart-nosed bats can
hear the footsteps of a beetle
walking on sand from a dis-
tance of more than six feet.
Vertical workshop at the Plummer's
May 5-6. Contact Jeremy Chapman or Brian
Saul.
Program committee: Not much yet, but
still need volunteers to organize a few
months this year.
Landowner relations committee: No
new news.
Photo Trip to Tarkiln: March 17. Mark
said he would like another when it gets
warmer. (Anyone wanting a slave flash, see
Mark who can build them cheaply.)
June picnic: June 16, have a cabin.
Again we're putting together landowner
baskets. Still under discussion for items.
ESSO's 40th anniversary: Jonathon said
T-shirts were being worked on.
New business: Canoe trip. Possibly
May 12. Mammoth Cave Restoration Camp
May 5-6. Larry said it will be a good camp
this time. The week-long camp is the week
of August 1, but bunhouse is now limited
to 18. $60 to sign up for the camp.
No trip reports. Meeting adjounred at
8:30. Program followed with NSS videos
"Merlin's Bats" and "The Bat That Cracked
the Frog Code," both wall-sized thanks to
the library's video projector.
find out the open positions on the grot-
to website or by contacting me directly.
Mark your calendars now so you will
get to attend this much-anticipated
event.
This is only a drop in the bucket of
the upcoming trips and events the
grotto is working on. We also have
potential Photography Workshops
planned – Weekend Survey Trips with
Steve Duncan – and perhaps a scout
trip or two that might need organized.
If you are interested in participat-
ing in any events you will want to stay
connected so you will be informed of
them. Join the Yahoo Groups page of
the ESSO Grotto and of course also log
online to http://www.essogrotto.com
for current info on the happenings of
your grotto! I look forward to seeing
you the next time I travel under-
ground.
Page 3
The annual Carter County
Route 60 Yard Sale is Aug. 4 this
year. Start planning now. ESSO has
done wonderfully well raising
money at this event the last two
years. It's a shame to stop now!
––
If you are unfamiliar with the
power of the internet you might
not know what I mean when I say
are you a member of the ESSO
Yahoo Group. Indeed the ESSO
Grotto is a modern group, one
with connections into the electron-
ic age. The grotto takes advantage
of the features of this digital era
by having heavy volume of email
traffic in regards to caving. We
also have a great website
(http://www.essogrotto.com) that
we use to inform both members
and potential members about the
grotto and its happenings.
However we also have another tool
that is in our arsenal that is just
as beneficial as
email however
with additional
features and
capabilities:
Yahoo Groups. S HORT
ESSO
C
Grotto’s Yahoo Groups RAWLS
is a special members
only site on the Yahoo website that
enables members to place polls,
documents, links, photos and
more in a central location that
enables all members access to
them. Thru the features of the
group page members can also
send a email to all of the mem-
bers of the group thru one
address, saving a great deal of
time and effort keeping you per-
sonal list of members updated. If
you wanted to announce an
upcoming trip or event in a matter
of seconds you can notify the
entire group about it.
It is simple to become a mem-
ber of the ESSO Yahoo Group - log
on to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/e
ssogrotto/ today to do just that!
––
The Dayton Underground
Grotto will be hosting an
Orientation to Cave Rescue on
May 12-13, 2007 at Ohio Caverns.
This is a great opportunity to be
introduced into the world of cave
rescue for both the novice and
experienced caver alike! Email:
scramblerhvn@gmail.com or call
(812) 331-2305.
 Page 4
Restoration Camp 2007!

RESTORATION Cleaning for-

- From page 1 mations with
bleach and
Something of interest was what water ... Then
John Tierney gathered during his visit the fun of the
to the operations on Saturday. He was
on site to photograph the event and park-spon-
interview the participants. He found sored picnic,
that many of the participants were from and the “slack-
areas of great distance to Carter Caves line!”
and even a few had never been to the
park. It was great to have so many peo-
ple from different areas on hand to help
the park and the caves come closer to
natural beauty. A few participants had
never participated in a cave restoration
event and gained new understanding of
an event and procedure for formation
cleaning. I think indeed they got a taste
of this aspect of caving involved with
restoration work and will be interested
in the future in participating in addi-
tional projects.
Sunday after a long night in Tar Kiln
we discovered our army of volunteers
was dwindling. They must have been
exhausted! After caving almost non-stop
since Friday evening -- breaking only for
meals and sleep -- it was beginning to
catch up with them. Only about a dozen
determined cavers were on hand for the
morning projects on Sunday, however a
LOT was accomplished!
We traveled up Horn Hollow to the
rear of Laurel Cave to remove the tons
and tons of timber that had backwashed
and dammed the rear entrance. It was a
major task not only cutting up the timber

Cascade Cave restoration ...

but removing the pieces above the high
water level in rains as to avoid it all wash-
ing into the cave to cause more problems.
A lot was accomplished in the two
shorts days of work. The volunteers and
park management agreed that this is to
be an annual event for the park and
ESSO. Thanks for the many people who
worked hard to make this a success.
Without the preplanning efforts of peo-
ple working with me such as Larry, Roy,
Coy, Sam and John Jordan this event
might still be on the drawing board.
However, everyone responded well
and helped to make it a reality. If you
did not get to participate in the first
annual Restoration Camp at Carter
Caves you will want to be sure not to
miss the Second Annual Caves of Carter
Caves Repair Affair slated to be in
March 2008. Keep your eyes open for
information on that event! I know I am
looking for to it!
by Larry Matiz
The first restoration camp at
Carter Caves was attended by a nice
group of cavers and we met at 8:30
am at the Welcome Center. Jonathon
Lewis talked about the camp and
safety concerns, Coy Ainsley (Park
Naturalist) discussed some safety
things also. I gave a demonstration
on how to clean formation with the
bleach solution before the volunteers
split up into two groups. One group
was to head to X Cave under Roy
Vanhoozer’s leadership and the other
group was to head to Cascade Cave
under my leadership. Jonathon over-
saw the project's operations.
My group was instructed on
how to clean formations and remove
debris in the passages off the tourist
trails. Todd Richards headed up a
group of volunteers and they
removed a lot of old tires, wood and
wire from the off trail areas collec-
tively removing a truck load of for-
eign materials. Todd’s crew covered
up some of the new lighting con-
duits also of the lighting system in
the cave with rocks that bring the
cave a more natural appearance.
My formation cleaning group
went in two directions -- four volun-
teers, Terry Waechter, Cindy
Duncan, Jennifer Estep and Maggie
Duncan went to North Cave to clean
formations, while four more volun-
teers, Marti and Michael Jacobs,
Nancy Bortle and her granddaughter
Emily started cleaning a large
Rimstone dam formation on the trail
 Page 5
Restoration Camp 2007

Work crews in
Cascade, above and
to the left, and the
reward trip to Tarkiln,
below!
Testimonials!
We are knee deep
into the restoration
camp weekend.
Dinner is in 20 min-
utes and I am taking
advantage of the high
speed internet at the
lodge. It has been a
great day. Kudos to
everyone who helped
pull this off.
I have found that
some of people who
are attending this
have never been to the
park or to
Crawlathon. Different
strokes for different
folks. Mike from Team
Extreme Rappels came
in for this so we made
sure that we used his
vertical skill in the
Dome Room of X
Cave. Good stuff.
-- Brian Saul

The first annual

Carter Caves
Restoration Camp is
one for the history
books and will be
remembered as a huge
success! The weather,
the people and the
RESTORATION based efforts and planning. We will need work all combined to
people to clean the higher formations with make it a wonderful
- From page 1
the use of ladders, hopefully we will be able outing for all.
to do this great work at another Carter Cascade cave and
close to the exit of the Cascade Cave Caves Restoration Camp in the future. X Cave both were
Tour. The work projects were large but so Expect to see another camp in spring 2008. treated to a makeover
was the determination of those working on After our day's work ended, we were that went a long way
the projects. treated to a super cookout hosted by the to beautify the caves
After lunch some of the group went with new Park Superintendent John Jordan. John and make the experi-
Jonathon to Moon Cave Entrance to clean it went all out to accomplish this and it was ence of a cave tour for
for preparation of a new Bat Gate. The “Above and Beyond the Call of Duty." the park's tourists an
North Cave Crew continued to finish their Around 7 p.m., Mark Walker took 20 of us even more enjoyable
job and Jennifer and Maggie started cleaning over to Tarkiln Cave for a fun trip thru this and pleasant experi-
formations in other parts of the cave. Marti’s cave. Some got wet and cold and others just ence.
group finished the rimstone dam cleaning had a nice easy walking and a little crawling Congratulations to
and went to other smaller projects of clean- trip thru the cave. Everyone enjoyed the trip everyone who worked
ing throughout the cave. I was getting nerv- and the day. so hard to make the
ous because there was still a lot to do so I Bonnie Curnock did a great job on our event a success and
jumped in and cleaned a formation at the first Carter Caves Restoration Camp T-shirt especially to Jonathan,
Bridge area. A lot got accomplished with the too. It was well received and people will be Larry and Coy, the
great group of volunteers we had, however proud to have them years from now when prime movers!
there is still a lot to do in Cascade Cave. the first annual restoration camp is only a -- Roy Vanhoozer
Future projects will involve more team- faint memory.
 Page 6
Be Vertical!

Learn to be a ‘knotty’ caver!

ESSO needs volunteers to
work on the annual Summer
Picnic and family caving event in
June. Please come to a meeting or
In preparation for ESSO’s upcom- ing knot passing. get in touch with an officer. (We
ing vertical workshop (for all levels) at The two knots that compose the will be continuing the Basket
Echo Canyon, here’s a few common double fisherman's should not be mir- Project to give out to Cave Owners
knots every vertically-inclined person, ror images of one another (i.e. they as we did last year. If you have
as well as every caver, should know! should have the same "handedness") anything you would like to con-
Figure-of-Eight otherwise they won't stack properly. tribute to the baskets contact
This is a very ver- Prusik knots Cindy Duncan.)
satile knot most com- A classic prusik knot is shown on ––
monly used for the left, and a Carter Caves
attaching ropes to Kleimheist (Olive Hill)
anchor points. Most prusik knot Annual
things that can be on the right. Wildflower S HORT
Pilgrimage &
done with fancier
knots (e.g. double
Either of
these, along Campers C RAWLS
loop knots for a Y- with other Appreciation Weekend -- April 27-
belay) can also be prusik knots, 29 -- Trillium, hepatica, and spring
done with a suitable can be used beauties abound at the valley
edges & rocky outcroppings of
combination of figure to prusik up Carter Caves! Special wildflower
of eights. If you only a rope. The hikes and programs produce a
learn one knot, make rope used for ³blooming² good time. This week-
it this one. the prusik- end has also been set aside as a
Bowline loop should special weekend for campers.
This can be be a fair bit Those camping this weekend will
used for tying a thinner than be charged the regular camping
rope around a the rope to be rate on Friday night and will
belay but is most climbed. receive Saturday night camping
often used for There are free! Special rates will apply to
campers for mini-golf and cave
tying the end of a plenty of tours. Some of the recreational
safety line rope tutorials programs include a Smokey Lake
around a person online, as canoe trip, crafts, homemade ice
when belaying well as some video presentations that cream, and a performance by the
them up a climb teach you how to tie some of the Appalachian Troubadours on
or ladder. basics. Just do a Google search! Saturday Night.
This knot does have a tendency to Meanwhile, attend the May 5-6 vertical ––
loosen and can come undone so it is a workshop. Email Jeremy Chapman for THE NEXT GREAT SALTPE-
TRE PRESERVE OPEN HOUSE IS:
good idea to used a half hitch to secure more info - ltcolhillbilly@yahoo.com. Saturday, May 19, 2007 - 10 am
the "tail" of the knot to the loop. to 4 pm and Sunday, May 20,
Alpine Butterfly 2007 - Noon to 4 pm.
A good knot for rebelays or The public is welcome and
for tying rub points out of a encouraged to attend. Free cave
rope. Its main advantage is that tours are offered. The tours last
the two strands of rope emerg- 30 to 45 minutes. The cave has
ing from the knot are at 180 electric lights. The cave floor is
degrees to one another rather generally flat. Dress for the cave
environment - comfortable shoes
than emerging in the same
and a sweat shirt. The cave is 57
direction as in a figure-of-eight degrees. Bring a flashlight if you
for example. This makes it a wish. Volunteers are also needed
good mid-rope knot and good to staff the RKC booth information
for rebelays because it has table.
greater strength than a figure- Other Activities:
of-eight if the rebelay fails. • Free soup beans, corn bread.
Double Fisherman's --> • Live music on Saturday.
The standard knot for tying Bring an instrument and join in!
two ropes together. If used in • Food concession stand oper-
ated by the Livingston Fire
the middle of a pitch, a loop
Department.
knot such as the figure-of-eight • Souvenir concession stand.
should be tied into one of the • Miles of hiking trails.
"tails" of the knot for safety dur- • Bring a picnic lunch.
 Page 7
News from the Underground
Some national caving events
to mark on your calendar:
April 27-29, Spring VAR - To
be held in Durbin, WV. Hosted by
FrontRoyal Grotto. Information:
www.varegion.org/frontroyal.
May 5, Spring WVASS
Meeting: The spring meeting of
the West Virginia Speleological
Survey will be held in conjunction
with the May project weekend of
the Shavers Mountain Cave Survey.
For information, contact George
Dasher at 304-965-1361.
May 25-28, Kentucky
DID YOU FIGURE OUT where this is? It’s the downstream Speleofest - "Underground
Heaven!" The 36th Annual
entrance of Passage Under X Cave, aka Cave Branch Cave!
Kentucky Speleofest will be held at
Lone Star Preserve in Upton, KY,
hosted by The Louisville Grotto:

CAVER TRAINING WORKSHOP www.caves.org/grotto/louisville-

grotto/or call Sue Milburn 270-
300-8800 days; messages 270-
LEARN BAT CAVE ASSESSMENT 737-1868 evenings.
May 31 - June 3,
21-22 April 2007 Southeastern
Carter County, Kentucky Regional
Produced by Bat Conservation International for ESSO and WUSS grottos Association
by Jim “Crash” Kennedy, Instructor, Cave Resources Specialist, BCI (SERA) Summer
This 2-day course is designed to train interested cavers in the some basic bat Cave Carnival -
ecology and the techniques used to evaluate cave suitability for bats. Day 1 con- Hosted by East
Tennessee Grotto
S HORT
sists of classroom instruction with handouts and audio-visual lectures. Day 2 con-
sists of hands-on field experience in selected caves under the instructor’s guid-
at Camp Nakanawa, C RAWLS
located near
ance. Participants will get a chance to use measurement and documentation Crossville, TN. Future updates,
equipment, practice documentation techniques, and learn how to recognize and photos, contact information, and
interpret roost evidence, such as roost staining, in the field. Food and lodging at downloadable registration form
the camp are covered by Bat Conservation International, and there is no fee asso- will be availalbe at
ciated with this workshop. www.caves.org/grotto/etg/SERA20
Location: Wilderness Road Girl Scout Council’s Camp Cardinal, 3758 Carter 07.
Caves Road, Olive Hill, KY 41164-6108. If driving north from I-64, the entrance to the June 22-24, Karst-O-Rama -
camp is on the right, approximately one mile past Carter Caves State Resort Park. The Greater Cincinnati Grotto
Approximate UTM coordinates are Zone 17, 0314958e, 4251127n, NAD27 datum. invites you to attend the 2007
Karst-O-Rama at the Great
Facilities: We have rented the Dining Hall/Kitchen and the Adventure Haven tent Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Mount
area. You are welcome to arrive any time AFTER 4 pm on Friday, 20 April. The Vernon, KY. For info go to
Adventure Haven has platforms on which to pitch tents, or you can pitch them in www.karstorama.com.
the grass in that area. There is a latrine, bathhouse, and a shelter in that area for our ––
use. We will pack up Sunday morning before heading into the field. No lodging is
available at CCSRP due to a large wedding that weekend. Anybody wishing to stay Nominations for the NSS Web
in a nearby motel is welcome, but you need to be back at camp on time for the lec- Page Award for January-March
tures and field trips, and are on your own for the extra expenses. 2007 are now being accepted. The
nomination period will close on
Topics: Indiana myotis hibernation requirements; Monitoring and restoration April 15th. To nominate a site,
work at nearby Saltpetre Cave; Field equipment care and use; Data recording; please go to:
Photodocumentation; Cave safety and conservation; Roost stain recognition; Bat http://www.caves.
guano recognition; Cave microclimates; Natural and human changes to caves; org/webawards/
Cave protection and restoration strategies; Eastern cave bat identification; and Thanks! Mike Hood,
Landowner relations and public outreach. Equipment needed: Basic camping Chairman, NSS Web Page Awards
equipment (tent, sleeping bag, clothes, toiletries) is needed for the weekend at Sub-Committee
Camp Cardinal. Basic caving equipment (boots, gloves, helmet, headlamp, cave
pack, kneepads, adequate clothing) is necessary for the Sunday field exercises.
Meals will be provided Friday evening, Saturday morning, noon, and evening,
and Sunday morning. We suggest bringing a snack for the Sunday field trips, and
those remaining Sunday evening will go out to eat after the field work is finished.
This workshop is limited to 40 people, so sign up with your grotto coordina-
tor soon, so that we can get a headcount for materials and food.
Hole to Somewhere: Mike Rzesutock and company visited this
Carter County pit and Swirl Sink in February. If you’re itchin for
some pittin, then you’ll want to attend the May 5-6 vertical work-
shop, which includes a trip to the beautiful and deep 70-70 Pit.

Allen Blair
April 2007

3520 Elizabeth Ct.

Catlettsburg, Ky. 41129

NEXT ESSO GROTTO MEETING: MAY 21, 7:30 P.M.

AT GREENUP CO. LIBRARY - FLATWOODS, KY. - EATS AT GIOVANNI’S!