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THE TEXAS CAVER TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 40, No. 3 September 1995 79 Edit oral Fees For Caves Noble Stidham The Texas Ca11er iB a quarterly pubHcalion of the Texas 80 Conservation Report Speleological ~tion (TSA), an internal organization of Cave Conservation Issues . David Jagnow the National Speleological Society (NSS). Issues are publiBhcd in March, June, September, and December. 83 Please Write Letters . ... Concerned Cavers Subscription J"1lta arc $15/ycar for four iBsucs of The Texas 86 General News Ca11er. This includes membership in the TSA. For only Tower of the Americas . Bill Steele $5.00 additional, or a total of $20.00, you can receive Pat Copeland's Monthly Mailing of Dated Material containing dates and places of current and future TSA, TSS, TCMA, 90 Gear Review ............... Joe Ivy TCS, and Grotto activities . Out of state subscribers, The Petzl Duo Headlamp libraries, and other institutions can receive The Texas Caver for the same rate ($15/year). Send all correspondence (other 91 Safety and Rescue Alex Villagomez than material for The Texas Caver) , subscriptions, and The Frog System ex::hanges to: The Texas Caver, P.O . Box 8026, Austin, . TelUlll 78713. Back iBsues are available at $3.00 per iBsue. 92 TCMA News ............. Jay Jorden Articles 11nd other M11terial for The Texas Caver should be Annual Membership Meeting sent to the Publications Chairman, Jay Jorden, 1518 Devon Circle, Dallas, Texas 75217-1205. The Texas Caver openly 92 TSS News Bill Elliott invites all cavcrs to submit articles, trip reports, photographs (35mm slides or any size black & white or color print on glossy 93 TSANews paper), cave maps, news events, cartoons, and/or any other 1995 TSA Competition . Cathy Winfrey caving related material for publication. 93 Project Report Exchanges should be mailed to The Texas Caver at the Colorado Bend State Park . UT Grotto News subscription address above. The Texas Caver will exchange newsletters with other grottos. 94 Book Review . Bill Mixon 0 Copyright 1995 by the Texas Speleological Association. lntemal Organizations of the NSS may reprint any item first 95 Ainnan's Cave: . Bill Russell appearing in The Texas Caver us long as proper credit is given Austin's Flint Ridge and a copy of the newsletter containing the reprinted material is maikxl to the C()-(.X{itars. Other organizations should eontil.et the Trip Reports: co-editors about reprinted materials. 96 Yet Another Guads Report Charles Haskett 96 The Photodocumentors . Pat Copeland Alternating Editors: 97 Endless Survey ............. Mike Hill This Issue: Next Issue: Noble Stidham Terry Holsinger & Cris Vreeland 98 Camp Wood Project .... Markus Barksdale P.O. Box I 094 209 East Live Oak 98 Alpine Area . Cathy Winfrey Lubbock, Texas 79408 Austin, Texas 78704 98 Honey Creek . Mark Minton (806)763-1464 Day (512) 474-1709 Day 98 Powell's Cave . Terry Holsinger (806) 748-0105 FAX (512) 474-1753 FAX CornpuServe: 7 5023,700 INTERNET: [email protected] Typesctt.ing ... ............ .. ... .. Rosemary Stidham Proofing . Betty Johnson & Carol Holsey Printing .. .......... .. ... .. .... Terry Reed Printing Lubbock, Texas ..······ fu:Jvi~~ · ~· ~~ ··· ALL ARTr~~Es ANP~ uBws;ioN to The TEXAs CAVER should be mB.iled Front Covu: James Lofton eating "cold" LURPS in Inner JAY JORDEN Space. You have to be hard-core to eat this stu IT cold. Photo by 1518 DEVON CIRCLE James Ja.'iOk (Olympus Camera w/ TRI-X film ). DALL~, 'fEXAS 75217-1205 / Back Cover: La Boca, Mexico. Entrance Room. 1988. Shot 5651968@M Clmail. coni (prefer-l-ed) wiUtllassclblad Super Wide camera on T-max 400 using three · · others. pn:ss 22llashbulbs. Cloac caver is Terry Rains, far caver is Ron jay [email protected] Miller. Photo by James JRSCk . ZDFX23A@prodigy .eoin 73477 , [email protected] EDITORIAL FEES FOR CAVES A CALL TO ACTION ll of us within the caving community are facing a this the questions trickle down to the level of the bureaucracy problem of far-reaching proportions which will making the bad decisions. 'The key to alerting those at the top A eventually affect us as individual cavers whether we is for them to receive large numbers of individual letters from want it to or not. This problem will certainly affect many Texas cavers, all wanting to know answers to specific caving and cave conservation as we know it today. 'The issue questions. is one of "Pay for Caving." This issue has reared its ugly head and unless EACH of us acts it will never go away. Simply stating your opinion to your senator or congressman does not seem to do IIJJCh good. At least opinions do not seem Our fellow New Mexico cavers and a scant handful of Texas to prompt them imo much action. The best approach is a letter cavers are working for the long haul for all of us. 'They should asking specific questions that require specific answers. Use the not have to go it alone when we are all involved. As one who guidelines in the article "Write Letters" starting on page 83. If has attended only two of the "public meetings" (and departed your time is limited, ask one question. You are not limited to with disgust from the actions of our public servants), I can tell the questions provided. Caver insight and intelligence are you that it will be an upbill battle all the way. 'The struggle for necessary. Use the general idea of the body of this resource the protection of New Mexico Caves and, ultimately, all caves to write your own constructive letters to whom you see fit. on public lands, should be shared by us all. Constructive and sincere letters will be read but abusive letters will not. The "Pay for Caving" issue ~ immediate action if we are Should you like to write a to stop or at least curtail this public official that you think concept. As cavers we des may help other than the perately need to help the people individuals listed and you do who are already involved in the not know their address ... battle to protect our caving rights. Viola!, leave it to our We need to help as individuals, as bureaucracy to be helpful. Grottos, or as members of TSA, 'The 800 Information Number TCC, TCMA, and TSS. to obtain any official address is 1-800-359-3997. Please read all of the material presented in this issue regarding this obtrusive, complicated, I have a stack of data that was provided by the Southwestern am llli:i-conservation orieded push to change the face of caving Region Grottos, other New Mexico cavers, and the PMT am cave protection. My grateful "thanks" to David Jagnow for (Participating Management Team who represents all cavers in providing a synopsis and chronology of the major events dealings with the Bureau of Land Management). The PMT occurring up to the present. His article, Cave Conservation consists of appoimed or volunteer individuals from each of the Issues in Federally-Owned Caves, provides an insightful New Mexico grottos. Texas is represented by Lubbock Area overview of events. Grotto (LAG) caver James Pinion. Space and costs prolnbit printing everything. If you desire copies of other documents The second article entitled Please Write Letters is an mentioned in any of the articles, I will try and assist you in accwmlation of more facts together with specific questions, in obtaining them or direct you to the source. the form of "sample letters", which need answering. Hopefully, this article will inspire you to write your officials and ask for So cavers, here it is. It takes up a lot of space in The Taas their help in this matter. Texas cavers should ask Texas Caver, but it is one of the more important isiiUe& of the day. congressmen to help as well as New Mexico and federal This is the proper forum in which to introduce the isiiUe&, and officials. Addresses of New Mexico and Texas Senators and you are the proper people to solve the problems. Congressmen and high ranking BLM officials are listed on page 89 of this issue. Individual, personalized letters from a number Let's do what we do best- DIG for the oolutions. of constituents will demand the most attention. A sincere Cf.l6Stion in your own handwriting may carry as much weight as Time is of the essence. a formal document. However, your opinions will not count if you don't write it, stamp it, and mail it. E-mail is also an effective way to make your voice heard. If you write any congressional official and ask a "specific" Cf.l6Stion, they are, at least morally, required to find the answer for you. This means that they must query someone else and Noble September 1995 The TEXAS CAVER Page 79 CONSERVATION REPORTS CAVE CONSERVATION ISSUES IN Analysis---We have to choose carefully which battles we can win, and this is probably not one of them. The commercial use FEDERALLY-OWNED CAVES of BLM caves is a legitimate use of public caves. The hy David Jagnow, NSS Conservation Chairman restrictions placed on commercial outfitters will need to be monitored closely. In the meantime, the caves can benefit by As an active southwestern caver and recently elected NSS all recreational cavers applying the same stipulations to their Conservation Chairman, I am extremely concerned by recent own caving trips--including carrying out all human waste, changes in cave management policy by some of our federal providing a detailed orientation to novice cavers prior to agencies . In my 25 years of caving in New Mexico, our caving entering the cave, etc. Thus, the caves can benefit from this relationship with the BLM Roswell Resource Area is suddenly potentially destructive proposal.