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CAVE RESEARCH FOUNDATION QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2 005 VOLUME 33, NO. 1 SPOTLIGHT ON MAMMOTH CAVE See Mammoth Cave Expedition Reports, pages 6-11 2 CRF NEWSLETTER Annual Report Submission Guidelines for 2004 Volume 33, No.I The Cave Research Foundation solicits reports established 1973 from CRF operations areas, research expeditions, pro Send all articles and reports for submission to: jects, and sponsored scientific and historical research William Payne, Editor projects for the 2004 Annual Report. The deadline for 5213 Brazos Midland, TX 79707-3161 submissions is March 1, 2005. Maps, photos, line drawings, charts, tables and The CRF Newsletter is a quarterly publication of the other images are an important part of the report and Cave Research Foundation, a non-profit organization should be chosen and prepared with the goal of com incorporated in 1957 under the laws of Kentucky for the municating significant achievements and discoveries purpose of furthering research, conservation, and during 2004. education about caves and karst. A new feature for the 2004 Annual Report will be Newsletter Submissions & Deadlines: the limited inclusion of color photos. High quality, Original articles and photographs are welcome. If intending to jointly submit material to another publication, please in high-resolution photos will be needed for the front and form the CRF editor. Publication cannot be guaranteed, espe back covers. If enough high-quality submissions are cially if submitted elsewhere. All material is subject to revi received and the printing budget warrants it, there may sion unless the author specifically requests otherwise. For be a color plate insert in the report. A full color PDF timely publication, please observe these deadlines: version of the Annual Report will also be created, so submission of materials in color (even if the final print February issue by December I version is black-and-white) is desirable. May issue by March I Submission guidelines: Please supply addresses August issue by June I (regular and email) of authors of articles for the report. November issue by September I Most questions about submissions will be handled via Before submitting material, please see publication email. Text and images should be submitted in an elec guidelines at: www.cave-research.org tronic format, preferably as an email attachment, or may be mailed to the editor on a CD. Photos may be NEWSLETTER STAFF: submitted in hardcopy format (photos, slides or nega Content Editor: William Payne, tives) or in digital format. Photos should be submitted Layout and Photos: Ralph Earlandson, in color, even if the final print will be in black and white. Acceptable digital formats include tiff, jpeg, and psd (Photoshop ). Photos should be supplied at 300 ©2005 Cave Research Foundation dpi for the layout size, which will typically be 5 x 7 Cave Research Foundation Board of Directors inches (about 2.8 Mb in size); for a cover photo, the President - Chris Groves, photo should be twice that size (about 5.5 Mb). Treasurer- Roger Smith, Maps may be submitted in color but will be Secretary - Pat Seiser, c printed in black and white at full-page size or smaller. Hamilton Valley Director- Pat Kambesis Maps may be submitted as high-quality photocopies of Peter Bosted, Mick Sutton, Joel Despain, a reasonable size, and the editor will reduce and scan Rick Toomey, Richard Maxey, Bernie Szukalski as needed. If scans are sent electronically, they should be at least 300 dpi and in tiff format. All hardcopy Operations Council submissions will be returned to the author. Direct any Barbe Barker (Guadalupes), Scott House (Ozarks), questions about submissions (content, suitability of Janet Sowers (Lava Beds), Dave West (Eastern), material, electronic formats, etc.) to the editor: John Tinsley (Sequoia/Kings Canyon) Diana R. Tomchick For information about the CRF contact: 10106 Technology Blvd. West, Apt. #826 Rickard Toomey, lll, CRF President Dallas, TX 75220 Kartchner Caverns State Park, 520-586-4138 (214) 418-5827 PO Box 1849, fax 520-586-4113 Benson, AZ 85602, s COVER PHOTO: Donations to CRF should be sent to: Roger K. Smith, Jr., CRF Treasurer Roger Brucker is backlit in the Lost Passage of Floyd 3669 Singleton Terrace Collins Crystal Cave, in the Flint Ridge section of Frederick, MD 21704 Mammoth Cave. Photo taken by Ralph Earlandson during a 1988 visit to the passage. 3 Cave Research Foundation Annual Members' Meeting Hamilton Valley Field Station, Mammoth Cave, Kentucky Saturday, November 6, 2004 By Pat Seiser The morning session consisted of nine presenta cern with the shifting ecosystem structure in the region tions of CRF and related activities. Presentations in due to a major change in fire events. Fires naturally :::luded seven national and one international cave pro occurred approximately every 20 years; however, there jects, as well as one presentation about an environ has been a history of 100 years of fire suppression. mental education program. The presentations indicate Cave restoration efforts continue. Joel Despain and the wide variety of research activities that CRF is in Shane Fryer have organized the survey of caves in the volved in, as well as the level of professionalism ex Mineral King Area. The main challenge in this region hibited by an extraordinary group of volunteers. It is is the elevation (9-11 ,000 feet) snow levels reduce safe to say that all the presentations where well re access to a 6-8 week period. ceived and it was unfortunate that we could not devote Mike Crockett presented the Cumberland Gap more time to hearing more from each of them. Project, which is currently an extension of Eastern Chris Groves began the presentations with a pro Operations. The Cumberland Gap National Historic gram about the China Project- a CRF/WKU Hoffman Park was created in 2002. Survey started in May of Institute Collaborative effort. The focus was in Guilin 2003 (approximately 5 miles). There are twenty-six Region of China. The project is part of a China-US caves within the park; four more have recently been cooperative program in Karst Studies through IGCP located. There are significant cave features around and (International Geological Correlation Program), a UN near Gap. Currently mapping is occurring at only the program to enhance communication with scientists main cave. An observation made was that project man around the world. The work is also part of the Interna agement pressures increase as the amount of virgin tional Cooperative Study of Karst Water Resources. borehole increases. The geology, history, and cultural Since 1995, there have been ten trips to China and five aspects of the Cumberland Gap area were briefly from China. Exploratory work was conducted with an touched upon. Current as well as planned future activi aim toward providing water for the local area includ ties were discussed. The projects are looking for new ing input from dry-land cavers and cave divers. participants, surveyors and sketchers. There are fifty John Tinsley presented a program on the Lava going leads and then some! Beds Project (CA). CRF is working on a variety of Scott House presented a program on the Ozarks cave related activities including documentation, sci Operations Area activities. Efforts in the Mark Twain ence, and interpretation. Documentation activities in National Forest included the continuation of survey as clude: recon inventory- locating caves and shelters, well as baseline biology inventory. There are over 500 monitoring of caves, and mapping. Ice level monitor known caves in the Forest. One project has been the ing is occurring in eight caves, including one cave removal of"stuff' stored by the University of Missis which has melted out. Interpretive activities included sippi (formally Mississippi School of Mines). They the development of the Valentine Virtual Cave Tour had originally had a seismological station in one of the for people who are unable to enter the caves. One of caves and had maintained a special use permit for 40 the highlights of the year included the dedication of years. Work is also occurring at the Ozark National the research center funded by CRF. Scenic Riverway (NPS). CRF has been mapping there John Tinsley then presented a program on Se for twenty-five years. CRF is now involved in cave quoia/Kings Canyon (SEKI) project. Exploration and management/stewardship. A caves monitoring pro mapping efforts continue with one significant change gram is part of a management agreement, with CRF, in personnel. Peter Bosted has stepped down as cartog law enforcement, resource management and volunteers rapher, turning things over to Jed Mosenfelder. Addi all participating. A biological assessment is occurring, tional scientific research includes Lilburn Cave serving including a bat census ( 45 caves/inventoried in one as a dynamic lab for study of sediment transport, winter). New behavior discoveries include work done which appears to be El Nino dependent/controlled. with larval salamanders. Cave gating projects include Research includes studying the nutrient loads in the gate design modification because of conflicts with the sediment, looking at dissolved organic carbon, nitro scenic view. gen and phosphates levels in the water, and looking at CRF is also involved with the interpretive pro threshold toxicity. They are also looking at water gram, helping train the seasonal guides. The Homes chemistry changes produced by fires: there is a con- Cave Restoration Project is beginning. It is a former 4 show cave (Rebel's Cave). The Powder Mill Research vey. The Roppel Project is looking for people who Center (former visitor center) is now open for use. The are interested in exploration and mapping. Pink Planara Project involved the establishment of Roberta Burns from the Living Arts and Science census protocols for the State Park so that it can be Center in Lexington, KY provided a presentation on done by state people.