OFFICERS President: Patty Perlaky Without A Name, TX Ph: 830-537-4212 [email protected]

Vice President: John Graves Luray Caverns, VA

Ph: 540-743-6551 [email protected] Robert A. Holt PO Box 625, Cobleskill, NY 12043 Executive Director Phone: 518-231-5420 Secretary Treasurer: Bob Holt Email: [email protected] www.cavern.com Mercer Caverns, CA Ph: 518-231-5420 [email protected]

Past President: Steve Rawlings June 2017 Mercer Caverns, CA Ph: 209-728-2101 [email protected]

REGIONAL DIRECTORS Cave extends Region One: (CT, DE, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT) Rob Arey –Polar Park, NH a warm welcome as hosts [email protected] Ph: 603-536-1888 for the 2017 convention Region Two: (MD, VA, WV, KY) Eric Helton – Diamond Caverns, KY Mark Twain Cave staff and employees [email protected] Ph: 270-749-2233 are looking forward to your visit at the

Region Three: (IL, IN, MI, OH) convention this September. We are so Claudia Yundt - Squire Boone Caverns, IN centrally located that we hope every [email protected] Ph: 812-732-4382 member can come. If you haven't been to convention in awhile, this location will Region Four: (AR, IA, KS, MO, NE) Dennis Boyer - War Eagle Cavern, AR be perfect. Our cave does not have any [email protected] Ph: 479-789-2909 steps. There is so much to learn at convention. You may think you know all Region Five: (MN, MT, ND, SD, WI) about caves but, these days there is so Tom Hagen - Rushmore Cave, SD [email protected] Ph: 605-255-4467 much more to run a smooth and profitable operation. We learn new merchandizing Region Six: (CA, ID, NV, OR, WA, AK, HI, trends, how to make our computers work Barbados, Bermuda) Matt Doyle – Lake Shasta Caverns, CA for us and also review the old tried and [email protected] true. We meet the new generations of Ph: 800-795-CAVE some of the most loyal legends of our

Region Seven: (AZ, CO, NM, UT, WY) business. So I invite you today to make Steve Beckley – Glenwood Caverns, CO plans to come to Mark Twain Cave, [email protected] Ph: 970-945-4CAV Hannibal, MO for the 52nd annual National Caves Association Convention. Hannibal is 2 hours north of St. Louis, 3.5 hours east of Kansas City, 5.5 hours Region Eight: (LA, OK, TX) Ed Mayfield – Caverns of Sonora, TX south of Chicago and also 5.5 hours west of . We are the [email protected] Ph: 325-387-3105 crossroads of the . Watch for more to follow.

Region Nine: (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN) Linda Coleberd Lisa McClung – Lost Sea, TN [email protected] Ph: 423-337-6616 Mark Twain Cave

DIRECTOR AT LARGE Mark Twain Cave Commercial Denise Bell – Seneca Caverns, OH [email protected] Ph: 419-483-6711

DIRECTOR EMERITUS Steve Runkle - Cave of the Winds, CO Register for 2017 Convention [email protected] Ph: 719-685-5444 Click Here

Convention hotel accepting reservations!

Headquarters for the 2017 convention will be at the Quality Inn & Suites right in Hannibal. The cave is minutes away. The best way to be sure you get a room is to call the hotel directly. The number is 573-221-4001. The arrival date is Monday, September 18 (unless you are a board or committee member), departing Friday, September 22. The NCA has the entire hotel for our use! Quality Inn -Choice Hotels -Hannibal, MO

National Caves Association declares June 6 National Day of Caves and Karst

News Release announcing the formation of our national day.

Cobleskill, NY (May 12, 2017) — The National Caves Association, which represents more than 80 show caves in the United States, Bermuda and Barbados, has declared June 6 as National Day of Caves and Karst to increase awareness of the roles both play in our lives and the environment. Karst is an area of land made up of ; its landscapes feature caves, underground streams and on the surface.

According to CavesLive.org, which is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Prince William Network, caves and karst make landscapes diverse, fascinating and rich in resources, including the largest springs and most productive groundwater on Earth and 175 different minerals, a few of which have only been found in caves. They provide a unique subsurface habitat for rare animals and preserve fragile archaeological and paleontological materials for millennia.

“There’s just so much to see, learn and discover underground,” Patty Perlaky, president of the National Caves Association, said. “With publicly accessible caves located throughout the country, our hope with the National Day of Caves and Karst on June 6 is to encourage people to tour at least one cave this summer. We’ve come up with five reasons why they should.”

1. See things they’ve never seen before. No two caves are alike. Sights on a cave tour include formations, millions of years in the making, such as , , aragonite crystals, and cave bacon. There are also many caves with water features, such as underground rivers, pristine lakes and raging waterfalls. 2. Spend quality time with family. Some of the best family memories are made during summer vacations and staycations. Exploring caves with kids not only means quality time together, it can spark an interest in science and nature that will last a lifetime. Bonding opportunities exist as well when family members share a challenge such as going deep underground for an adventurous wild tour.

“Most people don’t realize that when they’re out walking or taking a hike, there might be a completely different world beneath their feet. Even teenagers, who weren’t that excited about the trip to begin with, are amazed and want to go right back in for another tour,” John Graves, president and CEO of Virginia’s Luray Caverns, explained. “Instead of more screen time this summer, get kids of all ages engaged in the natural world. No matter how many times you go underground, it’s different every time.”

3. Cave tours are educational. Most guided tours teach guests about the history of that particular cave and the surrounding area, as well as its geology, the positive impacts of and the importance of cave conservation. There’s a lot more to learn about the scientific research that’s taking place in caves around the world. Universities are partnering with privately owned caves to learn how unique bacteria can play a role in cancer treatment and the development of new antibiotics. Researchers also collect broken formations to track historical weather trends dating back hundreds of thousands of years and take water samples to identify changes in mineral content.

“There’s no limit to the ways that we can benefit by better understanding caves and karst. Astronauts train underground, and NASA is considering the possibility of using a cave to create a shelter on Mars so that only one exterior wall has to be constructed,” Perlaky, who is also co-manager of Cave Without a Name in Boerne, Texas, added. “Cave discoveries include unique species as well as fossilized bones, some dating back to the Ice Age. The list goes on and on.”

The National Park Service offers a Junior Cave Scientist Program to encourage kids’ learning. A free activity booklet is available for download at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/caves/junior-cave-scientist-program.htm.

4. Spending time in nature has many benefits. Multiple studies show that nature boosts our mental and physical well-being. Benefits, particularly when paired with exercise, include restored mental energy, better vision in children, improved concentration, sharper thinking and creativity. Spending time in natural spaces has been linked to increased energy, improved cognition, reduced anger and stress, lower blood pressure and slower heart rates.

5. Caves are fun. These aren’t your grandfather’s cave tours. Options for exploring and spending time in caverns are increasing each year. Visitors can: travel on underground rivers in electric tour boats at and in kayaks at Caverns, both in Indiana, or by floating at Natural Stone Bridge Caves and Park in New York; watch live concerts broadcast by PBS or camp out at Tennessee’s Cumberland Caverns; and listen to the Great Stalacpipe Organ, the world’s largest musical instrument, at Luray Caverns in Virginia. Visitors to the Sea Lion Caves wildlife preserve and bird sanctuary on the Oregon Coast often spot sea lions inside the cave, depending on the time of year.

Sometimes, just getting to the cave is fun. Access to Glenwood Caverns and the Historic Fairy Caves in Colorado is via tram, with panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains along the way. In California, guests descend 150 feet by rope to enter the main chamber at Moaning Caverns, no experience required. A Lake Shasta Caverns’ California adventure begins with a ride across the crystal blue waters of Shasta Lake on a 65-foot catamaran.

“I’ve been a caver most of my life, so any time I spend underground is fun for me. Having the family join me makes it even better,” Steve Beckley, who owns Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park with his wife Jeanne, said. “Like all cave owners, we are stewards of these incredibly delicate natural resources. We all share a passion for protecting them and for educating people about them. That’s what the National Day of Caves and Karst is all about.”

Thanks to Mandy Gauldin of Peak Communications for preparing our news release. View the entire release with photos and video here: NCA National Day of Caves and Karst Welcome two new NCA members Thanks to Region 3 Director Claudia Yundt who brought into membership two caves in her backyard. We welcome Stanley Baelz at Wyandotte Cave and Mark Young at Twin Caves who are the NCA representatives from these caves. Both caves are operated under the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Wyandotte Cave

Wyandotte Cave in Indiana is gearing up for its first full season after its grand re-opening last summer, with new improvements to Little Wyandotte Cave.

Big and Little Wyandotte Cave, which were closed from 2009 to 2016 in part because of white-nose syndrome affecting bats, will open again for the summer season on Friday, May 26.

Tours in the little cave will begin at 10 a.m., running every hour, with the last tour running at 2 p.m. The cost is $8 for ages 12 and older and $4 for ages 6 through 11. Ages 5 and younger are free. The big cave tour times are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The cost for those tours is $18 for ages 12 and older and $9 for ages 6 through 11. Helmets and headlamps will be provided. Wyandotte Cave will again only be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

"We're already taking reservations, so, if people want to call the park office and want to sign up for a certain day they're wanting, they can go ahead and make those reservations at O'Bannon Woods State Park office," Stanley Baelz, assistant property manager, said. Baelz said the season again will last through Labor Day weekend, with Monday, Sept. 4, being the last day for tours.

"I think last year went very well," he said. "The amount of support we got from both the local community and people from out of state was unbelievable. We kept thinking we were going to see big crowds, and we did. "We almost missed a generation of youngsters that didn't get to go in, so we were just so happy to see the young faces and the families back at Wyandotte getting to see, what I consider, one of the hidden jewels down here in Southern Indiana," he continued.

Improvements to the little cave during the off-season included new LED lights and hand rails. "(Those lights have really) brightened it up and made some of the features stand out a lot better," Baelz said. "That was about a $153,000 improvement in the little cave. We're hoping to do something like that in the big cave, also."

Baelz said the caves again will feature the decontamination station for cave-goers to walk through after finishing a tour, which washes the bottoms of their shoes. "Most people go home and they wash their clothes," he said. "The real big thing is that they still wear the same shoes when they may go to or Mammoth (Cave), and they don't wash their shoes. Walking through that decontamination station will again be something that we're doing this year to ensure that nothing that's coming out of Wyandotte is going into any other place."

Wyandotte Cave saw 3,000 in attendance across the two-day grand reopening last July combined with another 1,800 during the 25-day regular season. For more information regarding , call O’Bannon Woods State Park at 812-738-8232.

Taylor Ferguson Corydon Instant Print Twin Caves

Spring Mill State Park offers a powerful illustration of the link between the natural and cultural worlds. The water flowing from several cave springs led to the founding of an industrial village in the early 1800s. Pioneer entrepreneurs took advantage of a constant water source that never froze, using it to power several gristmills, a wool mill, a saw mill, and a distillery. In turn, pioneer settlers shaped the landscape around the village, clearing land for agriculture and timber. Visitors can explore this story in the park’s four interpretive facilities—the Pioneer Village, Nature Center, Grissom Memorial, and Twin Caves Boat Tour—and see it reflected on the landscape as they hike the trails. The interpretive staff also offers a wide variety of public programs, including an extensive special events schedule. Public programs are offered year-round. Twin Caves is a pair of cave entrances connected by a short river at the bottom of a within the boundaries of in Lawrence County, Indiana. The river is an exposed section of a mostly- underground stream that originates as Mosquito Creek several miles southeast of the park, which sinks into the Upper Twin Cave system. The stream then comes out briefly at Twin Caves, and flows into the Lower Twin Cave, re-emerging briefly at Bronson Cave shortly to the northwest, then flowing into the Shawnee Cave System. The stream finally emerges at the Donaldson Cave entrance as a short tributary of Mill Creek, still within the park. The park offers boat tours from Twin Caves, into the southern cave entrance (Upper Twin Cave). The tours last 20 minutes and go upstream about 500 feet (150 m) into the cave, then turn around due to the rest of the cave system belonging to the Indiana Karst Conservancy. The tours are operated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and are seasonal from Memorial Day - October. The Shawnee (Bronson-Donaldson) Cave and Upper Twin Cave have reopened to registered groups, after a closure of several years due to WNS.

WNS Report In Hannibal, MO the Sodalis Nature Preserve census revealed nearly 44,000 more of the federally endangered Indiana bat living at the preserve since the last census count in 2015. However, numbers of the gray bat (also federally endangered), dropped from 570 to 31, and the federally threatened northern long-eared bat went from having 83 living at the preserve to none. Three other species saw drops of 50 percent or more in numbers, as well as bats that were unidentified as belonging to a particular group.

 WNS has now been confirmed in Oklahoma, from a biopsy of a tri-colored bat from a privately owned cave in Delaware County.  WNS is now present in 24 of 28 Wisconsin counties, and sites in their second and third years of known infection are seeing population decreases of 30 to 100 percent.  Another bat confirmed with WNS in Washington State, this one from North Bend in King County.

Patty Perlaky WNS Chair Ruby Falls President Hugh Morrow honored as sustainability professional of the year

The second annual Building Recognition in Chattanooga (BRIC) Awards were held recently where Ruby Falls President Hugh Morrow was named Sustainability Professional of the Year. This award was a co-sponsored effort by green|spaces, The American Institute of Architects of Chattanooga and the Sustainability Professionals of Greater Chattanooga (SPGC). This BRIC Award was designed to recognize excellence, achievement and advancement in sustainable practices from an individual who has excelled in this profession and is reflective of SPGC’s mission: promoting sustainability through the development of sustainability professionals.

Ruby Falls has continued to live by sustainable practices daily, focused on four main environmental initiatives: the production of renewable energy, recycling and waste reduction, land use planning and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The solar panels at Ruby Falls produce 16,000 watts of renewable energy, and the panels combined with computer-controlled, high-efficiency lighting have resulted in reduction of more than 24% in power consumption.

The operational and building programs of Ruby Falls continue to be designed to reduce the attraction’s environmental footprint. “Being a natural attraction, we understand the significance of sustaining the land,” said Morrow. “Protecting the unique geological formations and waterfall that are a part of our caverns is extremely important to us. We design our tours in a way that will have minimal impact on these natural wonders.”

Ruby Falls is certified by green|light, a third party corporate sustainability certification for Chattanooga businesses. This program from green|spaces helps businesses in areas such as employee attraction, cost savings and environmental stewardship. A quote from their website by Fortune magazine stated, “As millennials now make up one third of the American workforce, 88 percent look for employers with social responsibility values that reflect their own.”

Since 2007, green|spaces has been promoting sustainable living, working and building through education and innovative projects. Current programs include Empower Chattanooga, helping low-income residents identify ways to reduce utility bills, NextGen Homes, net zero energy homes built for conventional home prices and green|light, a third-party green business certification. More can be found at www.greenspaceschattanooga.org.

Ruby Falls is committed to the reduction of its environmental footprint while providing a better experience for visitors. The goal is to lead and educate others in the local community about the importance of sustainability and protecting the environment.

Meagan Jolley Public Relations Manager

California Caverns welcomes AmeriCorps NCCC

California Cavern, State Historic Landmark was honored to treat these AmeriCorps NCCC members to

a free cave tour recently.

AmeriCorps NCCC is an AmeriCorps program that engages 18- to 24-year-olds in team-based national and community service in the United States. National Civilian Community Corps teams complete about four different six- to eight-week-long projects during their 10-month term of service. Each team is made up of eight to twelve Corps Members and one Team Leader. Corps Members and Team Leaders are representative of all colors, creeds, states, and economic status. Approximately 1,200 Corps Members and Team Leaders are chosen annually to serve at one of five regional campuses, Sacramento, California; Denver, Colorado; Vinton, Iowa; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Baltimore, Maryland. Each campus serves as a training center and hub for a multi-state region. Members are required to complete a minimum of 1,700 hours of service, including 80 independent service hours, though members complete an average of 1,850 service hours per term. In August 2012, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) partnered to develop FEMA Corps, a new cadre of NCCC members who follow the traditional NCCC model, but serve solely on disaster response and recovery related project through FEMA. The mission of the NCCC program is “To strengthen communities and develop leaders through team-based national and community service.” Thanks for making our area even more beautiful!

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park food collection contest

The 9th season of Music on the Mountain kicked off recently. Guess how many cans of food we've collected from our guests since the series started in 2009 Hint: It's more than 60,000!

Congratulations to Nate Harrell; he came up with the exact number – 62,238. Nate won 2 Funday passes.

Congratulations to the folks at Glenwood Caverns who have helped so many who are in need! Great job!

Caverns of Sonora featured in the movie premiere of

“Time Trap”

According to Shalayne Mayfield the movie Time Trap finally premiered! Ben Foster and his cast and crew filmed several scenes in the Caverns of Sonora. The part where the girl yells, "Oh my God, Oh my God" took place in the Auditorium/Underground Classroom. ”I took Presley in there to watch while they filmed that part. You can see them running through the "pretty parts" of the cave, too” said Shalayne.

Shalayne and Presley Mayfield watch the taping of the movie “Time Trap” inside Caverns of Sonora. “I'll never forget how the crew lit up parts of Devil's Pit to where it illuminated all the way through the opening in the Auditorium. It was so beautiful and completely transformed the look of the room” said Shalayne. Fun fact, the actress in the closing scene of the trailer is Cassidy Gifford, Kathy Lee Gifford’s daughter.

The storyline is about a group of students who venture into the deep caves of remote Texas to locate a favorite archaeology professor who inexplicably has gone missing while searching for the Fountain of Youth. In the course of their pursuit, the group unwittingly rappels into a break in the space-time continuum, where time passes much slower than on the surface. With no hope for rescue, they descend further into the cave and uncover the most coveted urban legend in history and find themselves in the crossfire for its control. View 'Time Trap' Trailer

Three boys who ventured into caves 50 years ago never seen again

Fifty years later, mystery lingers about what happened to three boys who vanished after they were said to be exploring caves in Mark Twain's hometown of Hannibal, Missouri.

The Hannibal Courier-Post reports the boys were never seen again after May 10, 1967, when they set off into the caves, much as they had in search of adventure like Twain characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

Since then, speculation has swirled around the Mississippi River town about 14-year-old Craig Dowell, 13-year-old Joey Hoag and 10-year-old Billy Hoag after they reportedly entered the sprawling Murphy's Cave complex.

Some wonder if they even entered the cave, or whether they ran away or were abducted. Others surmise they might've become trapped in another cave as a result of a highway's construction. NCA Insurance Program adds four new caves

In the last year, we have been successful in adding four NCA caves to the insurance program. These include Perry’s Cave and Put In Bay Transportation, DeSoto Caverns, Mercer Caverns and Indiana Caverns. This is attributed to many things including our efforts to truly understand the cave’s unique attractions and exposures not to mention the creation of the new Lloyd’s of London Cave and Natural Attraction Program. In the coming months you will hear testimonials of why cave owners made the move to our program after many years of working with their local agent and other carrier programs. This month, I am proud to call Indiana Caverns our client and share with you Gary Roberson’s reasons for taking that leap of faith.

Gary writes: “The following are all part of the reason that we decided to switch to the NCA Insurance policy, although we had a very good relationship and were pleased with the service of our current carriers.

. The general partners in Indiana Caverns feel more secure with a carrier that knows and understand the "show cave" industry. . We won't be out-on-our- own in a situation where we may be the only show cave or one of a very few insured by our current carrier. While we hadn't had any liability or property claims, we were concerned that our carrier might cancel us as soon as we had any kind of claim. Those made us feel very vulnerable. . The NCA policy offered significantly higher blanket coverage limits than our current policy at a slightly reduced price. . Our total premium cost is somewhat less (not dramatic savings), but enough to matter. . Until the attendance of Indiana Caverns grows, we will not be subject to annual audits, which can be a nuisance. . The NCA policy offers replacement cost coverage for destroyed property regardless of what it costs to replace the building (up to a Blanket limit of $5M). We didn't have that with the current carrier. . The NCA policy offers Business Interruption insurance, which we currently don't have. While I don't know all the details. Anything is better than nothing. . Indiana Caverns may add additional supplemental attractions in the future and there is a higher likelihood the NCA policy will agree to cover us than an independent carrier. While we did get "cave exploring insurance from our current carrier, we felt if we ever had a "cave exploring trip" claim, we would probably be immediately cancelled.”

Thank you Gary for your kind words about the program. Thank you for the confidence and trust you placed in us. We will definitely be talking more about the details of the Business Interruption policy. It was interesting that Gary did not mention anything about the Loss Control Bonus. Although this is a great program feature, it shows that there are more things of importance when selecting an agent and insurance program.

This is one example we would like to share with the NCA membership. More will follow. Although we are still ironing out specific exposures for some cave operations, we are open for business and ready to work on your upcoming insurance renewal. The process is simple! We will engage with you on a phone conversation and set a time to visit your operation. During June and July, we would like to conduct a visit to collect new data or update data we already have on file. Then after the Fourth of July, we will ask you for recent loss experience and obtain your exposure estimates for the 2017-18 policy periods. We will then have the account underwritten and provide you with a proposal no later than Labor Day. If you are interested, please give us a call at 847-463-7345 (Keith) or 708-655-5444 (Pat).

Keith Dobrolinsky NCA Insurance Column: Could you use a digital detox?

The other day, I was on the way to a restaurant with my family to celebrate my daughter’s birthday when I realized I left my smartphone at home by accident. Well, no problem – my wife would have hers. “Hmmm…I forgot my phone,” I said, to which she replied, “I left mine at home because I knew you’d have yours to take pictures.” Oops. By now, I’m sure you know where this is going. We were able to have a perfectly normal, fun birthday lunch without the distraction of our phones buzzing every few seconds. And once I got used to not having my phone there, I felt relieved. I could just relax in the moment, with no distractions. Focus on the fun, have a memorable lunch, and get on with the rest of the day. Just like we used to do, before there were smartphones (or, in my case, mobile phones – I’m old enough to remember the days when car phones were introduced…). That got me thinking. Due to the nature of what I do professionally, I have to pretty much live my work life plugged in – I collect information from various sources, make sense of it for our clients, and recommunicate it in a way that helps us help you minimize risk and maximize health. From when I get up to when I go to bed, I’m able to check to see what is going on. But sometimes I can get so wound up with all of that information – the emails, news stories, podcasts, etc. – that I don’t have time to actually think about the information I just digested. It may make me well informed, but does it help make me more effective at what I do? My advice to business leaders is to take time to disconnect. Here’s what I think we can all gain from more time unplugged:

 Focus – No more notifications interrupting you throughout the day. Our brains can’t multi-task as well as we think they can, and oftentimes our phones are simply a distraction.  Mindfulness – Whether it’s the news, social media or your email, our phones often bring stress. Swap the time you’d spend catching up on your phone with meditating and see how much more relaxed and present you feel.  Better sleep quality - Instead of checking your email right before bed, try reading a book. The bright lights from the phone hinder your body’s ability to become properly tired.  Time management – How often does a quick social media check-in last longer than expected? You’ll find yourself with more hours in the day when scrolling through your social pages is off the table.

From now on, I’m going to be a bit more mindful about my time on my devices, and I challenge you to the same. I can’t cut myself out of it – that’s simply not realistic in today’s information age – but I can choose to be disconnected when it’s appropriate. Is that something you need to do too? Mark Lam Assurance Compliance Officer

Welcome Avery Lynn Key

Congratulations to Jordan and Katy (Richards) Key on the birth of their daughter Avery Lynn Key. Avery came into the world on May 25 weighing in at 5 lbs 13 oz and 18.75 inches long.

Congratulations are also extended to grandparents Jim & Sheryl Richards of Bluespring Caverns.

Affiliate of the month Hello Again NCA!

Hope everyone has had a great winter and spring and you had a busy Memorial Day weekend. Hard to believe the summer season is upon us.

All of us at Sandy Creek would like to take a moment to thank our friends and customers in the NCA last year as we celebrated our 26th year of operation. Our company was created through the relationships and friendship of our NCA members both present and past. We take tremendous pride in being the first affiliate member to the NCA and having the benefit of growing together with the organization. We look forward to seeing everyone at the convention and other events throughout the year and miss the ones who have passed. Simply, THANK YOU for your friendship and support all these years.

In 2016 Sandy Creek Mining decided to add additional gemstone variety to our mining bags. These new stones were carefully selected to increase not just quantity but the quality and colors available in our mix. Happy to report that these new stones were well received and enjoyed by the guest! Sandy Creek Mining takes pride in providing the best possible products at the best possible price. With a new year come additional improvements to our production line ensuring a continued reliable and quality product.

Moving through the start of the 2017 season our family’s emphasis is again on maintaining the quality and identifiability of specimens in our Gemstone and Fossil bags. Gemstone bags such as the 2 lb. ”Prospector”, 3 lb. “Paydirt”, 5 lb. “Lucky Strike”, and 5 lb. “Emerald Strike” are sure to include Pyrite (“Fool’s Gold”), Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Citrine, Crystal Points, and Emerald to name a few. These items are a heavy portion of our mix and provide guest the best possible experience at your location.

Mining rough bags include ID postcard with educational information on back, collection bag, and personalized labels for the mining bag and collection bag. These labels may be up to photo quality and barcode scan-able. The custom printed labels for collection bag ensures guest will not forget their visit to your location as they take home their find with your locations name on it!

Production around here has been very fast paced around here this winter with new installations both foreign and domestic. Many of our NCA members have placed initial orders for the spring which have shipped. NEW for the 2017 season our 10 lb Mother Lode mining bag ($9.50/delivered) has been extremely popular with families of 2 -3 kids. With mining bags starting as low as $1.95 DELIVERED we can accommodate most any budget. Please check our website sandycreekmining.com or email us [email protected] for a complete pricing list. All Mining rough is always in stock and ships same day with personalized labels printed in house. Delivery is always included with quantity to your door.

Thank you all once again for your patronage the last 26 years! It all started with you folks in the NCA! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2017 NCA Convention at Mark Twain Cave. Until then, please let us know how we may be of service in 2017 and beyond, Thank you! Sandy Creek Mining Company Sincerely, PO Box 88 Woody, Terrie, Jason, Justin 522 S. Poplar St. And the rest of the Sandy Creek team Fostoria, OH 44830 sandycreekmining.com Email: [email protected] Phone: 419.435.5891 Fax: 419.435.6690 What are you doing to celebrate

National Caves & Karst Day?

Caverns of Sonora is participating in the National Parks Service Junior Cave Scientists program.

They have been promoting the following on their Facebook page:

“June 6 is National Day of Caves and Karst! Get your junior caver ready and go visit a cave! We'd love to see your cave pictures! #caveday National Caves Association”

Don’t forget June 6… Do your part to promote our cave industry!

Calendar of Events

 National Caves & Karst Day, June 6, 2017  NSS Convention 2017, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, June 19 - 23, 2017  The 17th International Congress of Speleology (UIS), Sydney, Australia, July 23-29, 2017  NCA Convention 2017, Host: Mark Twain Cave, Hannibal, Missouri, September 18 - 21, 2017  Geology Gem, Fossil and Mineral Show. Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology, Cobleskill, New York, September 30 & October 1, 2017  National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, October 16-20, 2017  International Gift Exposition in the Smokies 2017, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg, Tennessee, October 31 - November 4, 2017  IAAPA 2017, Orlando, Florida, November 14 - 17, 2017  Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows 2018, Tucson, Arizona, January 27 - February 11, 2018  NCA Mid-Winter Board of Directors Meeting, Renaissance Airport Hotel, St. Louis, Missouri, February 26 - 28, 2018  The Sinkhole Conference, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, April 2 -6, 2018  NSS Convention 2018, Whitefish, Montana, July 29 – August 4, 2018  NCA Convention 2018, Host: Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, September 24 – 28, 2018  ISCA 8th Congress 2018, Genga, Italy, October (Dates TBD)  International Gift Exposition in the Smokies 2018, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, (Dates TBD)  IAAPA 2018, Orlando, Florida, November 11 - 16, 2018  NCA Convention 2019, Host: Ruby Falls, Chattanooga Tennessee, (Dates TBD)

Got News? Please make sure you let Bob Holt know when you have news to share with the membership regarding you and your cave. It is the goal of the NCA office to continue producing monthly issues of Cave Talk and this can only happen when you help with the sharing of your news. Please send your articles, photographs to [email protected].

July 2017 Cave Talk Deadline Please have all articles to Bob Holt no later than June 15. Thank you!