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National Speleological Society, Inc. What is the NSS?

The National Speleological Society has three explorers—throughout the and goals: abroad. The Society was founded in 1941 and is headquartered in Huntsville, . The NSS is To protect and their natural contents, affiliated with the American Association for the Ad- vancement of Science and the Union Internation- To advance the study of caves and the sci- ale de Spéléologie. ence of , and NSS volunteers donate countless hours to- ward conservation, cave science, and safe cave To promote safety and fellowship among exploration. Membership in the Society is open to cavers. anyone who shares our goals. The NSS is a non-profit corporation and is tax The NSS is the largest cave-related organiza- exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal tion in the world. We have over 12,000 members— Revenue Code. Contributions to the Society are tax , conservationists, cave owners, and cave deductible to the full extent allowed by law.

Contents

A Letter from the President 3 Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents 4 Cave Restoration and Protection 5 Cooperation with the Federal Government 6 Cooperation with States and Private Organizations 7 Educating People about Caves 8 Encouraging Sensible Public Policy 9 Aid to Cave Owners 10 Cave Ownership and Management 11 Studying Caves and Speleology 12 Promoting Speleological Research 13 Exploration and Documentation of Caves 14 Promoting Caver Safety and Fellowship 16 Cave 17 Member and Non-Member Services 18 NSS Awards 19 NSS Financial Reports 20 Statement of Financial Position 20 Statement of Activities 21 Statement of Cash Flows 22 Photo Credits 20 NSS Personnel 23 NSS Donors 23

2 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. A Letter from the President

NATIONAL Office of the President Scott Fee SPELEOLOGICAL 2813 Cave Avenue SOCIETY, INC. Huntsville AL 35801-4431 DEDICATED TO THE EXPLORATION, STUDY, AND CONSERVA-

Dear Reader,

For over 60 years, the goals of the National Speleological Society (NSS) have been “to promote interest in and to advance in any and all ways the study and science of speleology, the protection of caves and their natural contents, and to promote fellowship among those interested therein.” I am pleased to say that the Society made great strides to- wards these goals in fiscal years 2001-2003, thanks to our members and dedicated volunteers. Through acquisition and by providing grants, the Society continued its program of protecting significant cave systems and their contents for fu- ture generations. In 2003, we purchased Great Expectations Cave, , the third deepest cave in the United States. This is the Soci- ety’s second cave property west of the Mississippi, and our first in alpine . A very successful fundraising drive raised nearly half of the acqui- sition cost, and we expect to be able to cover the remaining amount with contributions from our members. Thanks to a generous donation, we also ac- quired Cave, one of ’s longest and finest recreational caves, with important biological and geological features. Taking further steps to protect caves, the Society awarded $10,000 in grants to regional cave con- servancies for cave and karst acquisition. NSS members continued to add greatly to the knowledge of karst, caves, and cave environments by discovering and surveying new caves and cave passages, documenting cave flora, , and artifacts, and conduct- ing speleological research. To support this important work, the NSS awarded thousands of dollars in grants for research, exploration, and conservation. The Society advanced safety with the publication of American Caving Accidents, as as On Call, the foremost book on techniques. In addition, the National Cave Rescue Commission conducted cave rescue courses around the country, at all skill levels, to cavers as well as non-caver technical rescue teams. The continuing strength and success of the NSS comes from our mem- bers, who volunteer countless hours each year in support of the Soci- ety’s goals. It is these dedicated individuals, with their passion for speleology, exploration, and conservation, who have made us what we are today. This report documents two years of their accomplishments. I am honored to serve as their leader.

Sincerely, Scott Fee, President

National Speleological Society, Inc.

AFFILIATED WITH THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SICENCE

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 3 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents

The most visible reasons to often forms caves), cave conserva- ward as cleaning trash out of a protect caves are the delicate and tion has a very direct benefit: im- cave. Just as often, however, the beautiful crystal formations proved quality. In karst NSS works to educate land owners (like and ) areas, often lead to and make public officials aware of they often contain. Indeed, visi- cave passages, to underground the importance of the caves under tors to commercial caves only see , and into the underground their feet and of how fragile the a fraction of the beauty that exists that supply the drinking cave environment is. underground. water. Polluted runoff into caves But caves are also to is especially dangerous because it Conservation Task Forces unique creatures, including some frequently leads to drinking endangered species. For exam- water pollution. In these regions, The NSS has chartered Con- ple, cave-dwelling can eat the unexpected collapse of the servation Task Forces specifically tons of mosquitoes and other surface (along with any buildings to deal with conservation issues pests in a single evening. Scien- above) can be triggered by in these areas: tists are excited about other drought and groundwater deple- • Central Oregon forms of cave life—even bacte- tion, or by excessive runoff from • ria—which have adapted to sur- over development. • Sloans , Kentucky vive in extreme conditions, Some caves are important • The Teton , Idaho because they may hold the key to because they preserve evidence and Wyoming the development of new medi- of historic or prehistoric visitors— • Klamath Mountains, cines. The survival of all these sometimes and some- • Daniel Boone National Forest, creatures depends upon maintain- times animal. Kentucky ing the cave ecosystem. For all these reasons and • Mount Adams region, Washing- For individuals and commu- many more, the NSS is working ton nities in karst regions (where to protect our caves. Sometimes, • Peppersauce Cave, Arizona limestone and similar bedrock is as straightfor-

Cave Restoration and Protection: Shelta Cave, Alabama The Society’s headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama, sits atop Shelta Cave, a particularly important cave because it contains several endangered species. For example, Shelta Cave is the only place in the world where a species of crayfish, Orconectes sheltae, lives. Thirty-five years ago, vandalism and increasing human traffic threatened the cave’s ecology. The NSS decided on a radical experiment: it created a from an old jail cell door and installed it on the en- trance in 1968. The vandalism stopped, but the endangered gray bats that had inhabited the cave would not fly through the bars. With the bats gone, their guano no longer supplied food for the other species that lived in the cave, and those other species nearly disappeared. A new gate design in 1981 was sup- posed to encourage bats to return, but things did not improve. Unlike most species, it appears that gray bats are particularly skittish about cave gates. In 2002, the NSS used grant money from the U.S. Forest Service and Bat Conservation International to remove the gate and instead erect a fence around the entire entrance in its place. A genera- tion ago, Shelta Cave taught the world that bat cave gate design was critical. Now, it may teach us about habitat.

4 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Cave Restoration and Protection

The front lines of cave teer effort to remove graffiti and Huccacove Cave, Colorado conservation are in the sink- help decontaminate pools of holes and caves themselves: water in the cave. The NSS is Huccacove Cave was Colo- cleaning up trash, restoring working with the Coronado Na- rado’s first commercial cave when broken formations, or perhaps tional Forest to erect an informa- it opened to tourists in 1875. installing entrance gates to tion kiosk nearby. When vandals broke into the cave help regulate human visitation in 2002 and spray painted the to particularly sensitive caves. Designing Bat Cave Gates walls in a pristine passage, the Wil- NSS members spend countless liams Cañon Project of the NSS hours every year working on A cave-dwelling bat can de- developed innovative techniques these projects, which are too vour hundreds of mosquitoes to remove the damage. numerous to mention. Private and other insects every hour, cave owners, governments, every night of the summer. But Cave Conservation Grants and conservation organizations bats are particularly susceptible all rely upon the NSS’s ability to human disturbance when The NSS supports extraor- to muster dedicated, special- they are hibernating or nursing dinary cave conservation pro- ized volunteer help. their young in caves. That’s one jects through a modest grant reason why the NSS has em- program. Among the projects Volunteer Training braced the use of gates on the supported in the past two fiscal entrances of certain caves to years were: The NSS conducts work- regulate human traffic. • a study and inventory of the shops and meetings to teach A bat cave gate must be de- caves along the proposed the specialized techniques re- signed precisely. The openings route of interstate highway I- quired to work in caves. A fo- must be small enough that peo- 66 in Kentucky; rum on cleaning cave graffiti ple cannot crawl through, yet • a cave gate design forum in (without harming stalactites big enough for a bat to find us- Texas; and stalagmites) was held at ing echolocation. • a study comparing bats’ re- the NSS’ 2002 national conven- The NSS is part of a nation- sponses to gates at entrances tion in Maine. Restoration wide steering group on bat cave versus gates farther inside workshops were held at the gating that includes the federal caves and mines; 2001 national convention in and several state governments, • creation of educational mate- Kentucky and at Karchner Cav- Bat Conservation International, rials about land development erns State Park, Arizona, in and other conservation groups. on karst terrain; April 2002. In March 2002, the group met in • a study of public reaction to a technical forum in Austin, the designation of under- Peppersauce Cave, Arizona Texas. The information presented ground areas; at this meeting represents the na- • installation of an information Peppersauce Cave in the tion’s best source of information kiosk near a popular Coronado National Forest, Ari- about bat cave gating. tube cave in Hawaii. zona, was a pristine under- ground wilderness with dozens of insect species living inside when a popular 1948 magazine published exact di- rections to the cave. As a re- sult, this undeveloped, wild cave quickly became one of the most heavily visited—and most heavily vandalized— caves in the world. Using grant money from the State of Arizona and the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, the NSS is working to restore Peppersauce to the extent possi- ble. The Society has donated over $100,000 worth of volun-

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 5 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Cooperation with the Federal Government

The NSS is not alone in re- , the teachers reached thou- bat species, and the placement of alizing the importance of cave sands of schoolchildren. bolts and use of hand by conservation. But as the largest The NSS conducted a spe- rock climbers was threatening cave conservation organization cial cave rescue orientation semi- prehistoric on the cave in the world, the NSS is unique nar for Wind Cave , walls. in its ability to provide knowl- . In Cornonado National For- edge, expertise, and manpower est in Arizona, NSS members are to the federal government and U.S. Army Corps of working to reverse decades of others. Together, we have a track Engineers vandalism at Peppersauce Cave. record of successful conserva- The NSS conducted a cave tion, restoration, education, and Along with The Nature Con- conservation seminar for Lincoln advocacy for caves and the crea- servancy and other organizations, National Forest personnel in New tures that live in them. the NSS helped the Corps in an Mexico. The United States govern- unprecedented three week cam- ment is an invaluable partner in paign to place bat-friendly gates U.S. Fish and Wildlife our work. The federal govern- on seven entrances into the Dud– Service ment owns countless caves, and Haile Cave System in Tennessee. they are the principal conserva- The Society helped the U.S. tor of our nation’s wildlife and USDA Forest Service Fish & Wildlife Service, the Na- environment. The NSS main- ture Conservancy, and the state tains memorandums of under- The Society successfully of Vermont develop a manage- standing on common areas of concluded a years-long struggle ment plan for a Vermont cave concern with the National Park to convince USDA Forest Service that is one of the largest bat hiber- Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land land managers from the nacula in New . Management, the U.S. Forest Deschutes National Forest in Ore- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Service, the U.S. Fish and Wild- gon to change their management was one of many groups with life Service, and the Tennessee of Road 18 Caves. Among other which the NSS formed a task Valley Authority. problems from over use, cave ex- force to study the design of bat plorers were disturbing sensitive cave gates. U.S. Bureau of Land Management The NSS provided guest speakers at the BLM’s Cave Man- agement Workshop in Carlsbad, .

National Park Service The NSS concluded a unique arrangement with Mammoth Cave National Park in which the NSS re- moved “improvements” made dur- ing the 19th and early 20th century from deep within the cave. The So- ciety is also working with the Park Service to decide how to restore microclimates within Mammoth Cave to encourage bats to return to the cave. The Society worked with Na- tional Park Service interpretive rangers in five regions to train NSS volunteers to teach elementary and secondary school classes about caves and karst. Using materials supplied by the National Park Serv-

6 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Cooperation with States and Private Organizations

State and local govern- vancy, is developing a unique con- The Nature Conservancy ments the federal govern- servation plan to preserve cave- ment’s concerns for cave dwelling species (for example, The Nature Conservancy conservation. The NSS offers blind fish and insects) before and the NSS have been partners them its knowledge and expertise they reach the brink of perma- in cave conservation for decades. to help form and implement sen- nent extinction. The Nature Conservancy owns sible policies concerning caves. The Arizona Department may important caves which the The NSS also works hand-in- of Environmental Quality and NSS helps manage. For example, hand with conservation organiza- the U.S. Environmental Protec- in Tennessee, local NSS chapters tions on a variety of cave tion Agency are working with help The Nature Conservancy conservation activities, both lo- the NSS to clean up Pepper- study and manage Hubbards cally and nationwide. We main- sauce Cave. Cave and Yell Cave. tain memorandums of The NSS and The Nature understanding with The Nature Bat Conservation Conservancy, along with the gov- Conservancy, Bat Conservation International ernment of Vermont and the fed- International, the American Cave eral government, are monitoring Conservation Association, and The NSS and Bat Conserva- microclimates in several Vermont the Karst Institute. tion International worked to- caves which are important bat hi- gether to study microclimates in bernacula. State Governments Vermont caves which serve as bat hibernacula. Boy and Girl Scouts The NSS’ Hawai’i Caves Bat Conservation Interna- Conservation Task Force worked tional and the NSS together re- NSS members lead count- with the Hawaiian legislature to vised their public information less Scouting trips into caves craft a statute that tried to bal- brochure, Bats Need Friends. every year. These trips afford a ance conservation, science, rec- NSS members assisted Bat wonderful opportunity to teach reation, and the religious beliefs Conservation International foun- youngsters about caves and cave of native Hawaiians. der Merlin Tuttle in surveying the conservation. The Tennessee Wildlife Re- endangered gray bat population The Society is testing a pilot sources Agency, along with the in caves in Tennessee and Ala- cave training program with the NSS, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife bama. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in Service, and The Nature Conser- and Texas.

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 7 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Educating People about Caves

Public education is a vital film about caves, the NSS helped tional children’s video about part of our cave conservation pro- to make sure the public got not caves. gram. Ignorance about caves and only accurate information, but a karst often leads to conservation-oriented message as General Interest Cave , to inap- well. The film, Journey into Books propriate land use, and to irrepa- Amazing Caves, premiered in rable harm to the cave ecology. March 2001. The NSS maintains the larg- By educating the public and The NSS’ involvement has est cave bookstore in the world, those who make the decisions continued as the film tours IMAX and it offers the largest selection about how to use the land above theatres across the country. Local of cave books available anywhere. caves, the NSS hopes to raise NSS chapters answer questions, The bookstore also distributes awareness of these issues. provide literature, and give dem- free educational literature about Over the past two decades, onstrations at showings of the caves. concerned groups made the pub- film. Nationally, the Society con- In 2003, the Society publish- lic aware of how important wet- tinues to field requests for infor- ed its first children’s book, The lands are. The NSS wants to do mation that the film has Hidden World of Caves, written the same for caves. The Society is generated from the public and by Ronal Kerbo of the National trying to make land owners, insti- news media alike. Park Service. tutional land managers, school- The American Geological children, and the public as a Project Underground Institute’s publication, Living whole all aware that caves are not With Karst: A Fragile Founda- just tourist attractions. Like wet- Project Underground was tion, produced with NSS finan- lands, caves are very fragile places created seven years ago by the cial and editing support, won that we have to protect if we NSS members to train school- an award at the International want clean water and a naturally teachers and provide them class- Congress of Speleology’s 2001 functioning ecosystem. room materials to teach about quadrennial meeting as one of caves and karst. The Society pro- the best speleological publica- Public Outreach vides Project Underground with tions in the past four years. training facilities and financial The NSS cooperated with assistance. With additional sup- Media Relations the Smithsonian Museum of Natu- port from the National Park Serv- ral History to produce a traveling ice and the American Cave Whether it be questions photo exhibit titled Caves: A Frag- Conservation Association, Pro- about Osama Bin Laden’s ile Wilderness. ject Underground continues to hideouts, a sinkhole that swal- The “learn about caves” make a difference in our lowed a building, or the discov- page at the NSS’s award-winning schools. ery of a cave never before seen Web site, http://www.caves.org, by man just outside a major gets thousands of hits. city, the news media rely on the The Society’s Discovering Cave Education Initiative National Speleological Society Caves series of brochures are for accurate information about available free of charge in both The NSS, Project Under- caves. printed and electronic versions. ground, and the American Cave For example, the NSS Titles include Bats, Fragile Under- Conservation Association to- helped National Public Radio ground, and Lava Tubes. Down- gether received a grant from the journalist Daniel Grossman pro- loads of these brochures are National Park Service to train two duce a segment on cave biology extremely popular, sometimes dozen NSS volunteers in each of for the radio program, The DNA topping 300 per day. five regions (Virginia, Kentucky, Files, which won a prestigious The NSS booklet, A Guide to Colorado/South Dakota, New Peabody Award for 2001. In Responsible Caving, was completely Mexico/Arizona, and Ore- 2002, Public Broadcasting Serv- revised and reprinted in 2002. gon/Northern California). The vol- ice’s award winning science pro- unteers then spent the gram, NOVA, aired a program Journey into Amazing 2001–2002 school year teaching titled The Mysterious Life of Caves cave and karst programs for Caves that featured an NSS pro- grades K–12. ject to study the caves of Ta- When the leading producer The NSS also helped the basco, Mexico. of IMAX films wanted to make a Park Service create an educa-

8 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Encouraging Sensible Public Policy

Where there are threats to completed, the effect on the reational activity similar to orien- caves on a regional scale, the NSS caves and on the underground teering. People get the coordi- works to educate well-inten- environment is minimized. nates of a cache hidden tioned policymakers who may somewhere in the great outdoors not realize what a resource they Cave Inventories from the Internet and then use a have (quite literally) just under GPS receiver to find the cache. their feet. Even when they know Where a large development The NSS is concerned where caves have been found, project is proposed in a karst about the publication of geo- policymakers often have no idea area, NSS members often con- cache locations at cave entrances. how important and sensitive duct an inventory of the area’s Often, the only protection a par- those caves may be. caves and cave resources. With- ticularly fragile cave might have out such an inventory, neither from human visitors is the fact Ebay Auction Policy the NSS nor the decision makers that its location is unpublished. can know if underground re- Increased traffic to caves may also The NSS opposes the sale sources are at risk. damage delicate landowner rela- of cave formations (like stalactites Inventories often go far be- tions built up through decades of and stalagmites) because the mar- yond merely locating caves and trust. Some geo-cachers may also ket for such formations encour- cave passages. They typically in- be encouraged to enter caves ages vandals to deface caves. In clude mapping the caves and may without proper training or equip- 2001, the Society succeeded in include studies of the animal and ment. The NSS is developing a getting eBay and Yahoo to pro- insect populations present in the policy that properly addresses hibit the auction of most cave for- caves, hydrologic studies to un- these issues. mations. The Society also derstand where underground discourages “rock shops” from water comes from and goes to, handling similar sales. and geologic studies.

Kentucky TriModal Sloans Valley Cave, Transpark Kentucky NSS members are working Sloans Valley Cave is 26 to improve a proposal for a 1,200- miles long and fantastically diverse. acre industrial park outside the For example, among the rare and border of Mammoth Cave Na- endangered species in the cave is a tional Park in Kentucky. In addi- large population of blind crayfish tion to the industrial park, plans that live only in caves. for the “trimodal transpark” call The NSS formed the Sloans for a new airport, a new highway, Valley Conservation Task Force to and a new rail line. It promises to address several potential threats be an important economic en- to the cave from a nearby landfill, gine for the region. a second planned landfill, a water But the site is sensitive to that backfloods parts of development because it is pock- the cave, highway widening over- marked with sinkholes which head, and a rails-to-trails project lead to caves which are in turn that will funnel thousands of peo- connected to underground aqui- ple past several entrances. fer beneath the longest cave in The Task Force is develop- the world, Mammoth Cave. There ing a 3-D GIS model of the cave is a potential that increased run- to model water levels, the mixing off from the development enter- of cave with reservoir ing and polluting the water, siltation, landfill runoff underground environment. In- routes through the cave, and air- creased runoff could also cause flow patterns. surface collapses, damaging build- ings and other infrastructure. Geo-Caches in Caves NSS members on both sides of the controversy are working to Geo-caching is a relatively assure that, if the transpark is new and immensely popular rec-

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 9 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Aid to Cave Owners

Owning a cave brings with has blossomed into the NSS’ land- vancy of a critical entrance to a it the extra responsibility of car- owner defense fund. The fund is 25-mile-long cave which is listed ing for the underground re- designed to encourage land- as one of the world’s top ten en- sources (like clean water, like owners to allow the public to dangered karst ecosystems by the mosquito-eating bats, or like a visit their caves. Karst Waters Institute. great place to enjoy exploring). Many states have passed Cave owners have to deal landowner liability statutes that Cave Management with competing pressures: pres- say landowners should not nor- Assistance sure to develop the surface and mally be liable for injuries that potentially harm the cave, pres- hunters, hikers, and cave explor- The NSS’ Central Oregon sure to let spelunkers visit the ers suffer on the landowner’s Caves Task Force has signed an cave, or pressure to avoid the property. The lawsuit against the agreement to help the Deschutes problem by simply bulldozing the Tennessee landowner was dis- National Forest help manage entrance. missed because of one of these caves in the Bend–Fort Rock The NSS tries to make it eas- laws. Ranger District. The task force ier for cave owners—private indi- has previously helped shape the viduals, government agencies, Helping Make Cave U.S.D.A. Forest Service’s conserva- and conservation organizations— Acquisitions Possible tion policies toward several sig- to do the right thing. nificant caves in Oregon. The NSS makes modest The Society held a sympo- Landowner Defense Fund grants for conservation organiza- sium on cave management for tions to acquire important caves. nonprofit organizations at its na- Several years ago, a gener- In these two fiscal years, the Soci- tional convention in Maine in ous Tennessee landowner with a ety supported the Northeastern 2002. long history of letting the public Cave Conservancy’s purchase of a The NSS’ Klamath Moun- explore her cave was sued when cave which is hydrologically con- tains Conservation Task Force a boy (not an NSS member) fell nected to the Society’s own worked with the Klamath Na- inside her cave and died. What be- McFails Cave Nature Preserve in tional Forest in Oregon to de- gan as a private collection to help , and the purchase by velop a management plan for offset the landowner’s legal bills the Cave Conser- Marble Cave.

Vandalism Deterrence Reward The Society maintains a standing offer of a reward, up to $1,000, for information leading to the conviction of anyone for vandalizing a cave. Although no claims were paid in these two fis- cal years, several claims are cur- rently under investigation.

Cave Management Symposia To help governments and other organizations that own caves, the Society brings to- gether the nation’s experts in the field to discuss common is- sues. In addition to symposia at the NSS annual national conven- tion, the NSS co-sponsored the 15th biennial National Cave Management Symposium in Ari- zona in 2001.

10 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Protecting Caves and Their Natural Contents: Cave Ownership and Management

The NSS appreciates the Weinman Museum, the NSS own or manage caves for conser- pressures on cave owners be- makes it available as a geological vation purposes: cause the NSS owns caves, too. classroom for ’s school • Appalachian Cave Conservancy teachers. (Tennessee, Virginia) NSS Nature Preserves • Butler Cave Conservation The Society’s Newest Society (Virginia) The NSS owns or manages Preserves • Carroll Cave Conservancy twelve extraordinary nature pre- (Missouri) serves throughout the country. Al- During these two fiscal years, • Great Saltpetre Cave though none is developed as a the Society added two new nature Preserve (Kentucky) , which caters to tour- preserves. Wells Cave Nature Pre- • Cave Conservancy of Hawaii ists, each is important for another serve, Kentucky, has been a popu- • Karst Conservancy of Illinois reason—geologically, biologi- lar recreational cave but is also • Indiana Karst Conservancy cally, paleontologically, histori- geologically and biologically signifi- • Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy cally, or recreationally. cant. It was generously donated to (Pennsylvania, West Virginia) For example, the Donald R. the Society by Mr. James Helm- • New Jersey Cave Conservancy Russell Nature Preserve in Okla- bold. The second new preserve, • Northeastern Cave homa was donated to the NSS to Great Expectations Cave in Wyo- Conservancy (New York) help preserve endangered bat ming, is described in the sidebar. • Pennsylvania Cave Conservancy species. One cave at the preserve • Texas Cave Conservancy is home to as much as a third of The Society’s Other • Texas Cave Management the known population of one Preserves Association such species of bat. Recently, the • West Virginia Cave Sam Noble Museum of Natural The other NSS Nature Pre- Conservancy History helped study rare serves are: In addition, the following of a tapir discovered • Mill Creek Sink, cave conservancies are institu- at the preserve. • Barton Hill, New York tional members of the NSS: The Kingston Saltpeter • Shelta Cave, Alabama • Cave Conservancy of the Cave Nature Preserve in Georgia • John Guilday Caves, West Vir- Virginias (Virginia, West is managed by the NSS for the Fel- ginia Virginia) burn Foundation. In the ice ages, • McFails Cave, New York • Michigan Karst Conservancy animals lived there. (The Univer- • Schoharie Cave, New York • Missouri Cave Conservancy sity of Tennessee houses the • Tytoona Cave, Pennsylvania • Southeastern Cave Conser- cave’s collection.) During • Cave, Florida vancy (Alabama, Florida, Geor- the Civil War, the cave was mined gia, Kentucky, Tennessee, West for Saltpeter. During the Great Cave Conservancies Virginia) , the cave was open to tourists. Today, the cave is the fo- The Society charters local cal point of a unique nature pre- cave conservancies throughout serve, and with help from the the nation. These conservancies

Cave Ownership and Management: Great Expectations Cave Nature Preserve, Wyoming The Society acquired Great Expectations Cave in Wyoming by purchase when it became available early in 2003. “Great X” is over 8 miles long and is the third-deepest limestone cave in the United States. It contains an underground room nearly half a mile long and over 100 feet high. The property borders federal land on three sides, including the Bighorn National Forest. This extraordinary cave and the surrounding area exhibit one of the finest examples of alpine karst in the nation. The upper entrance is at an elevation of 8,500 feet in the Big Horn Mountains. Trapper Creek sinks into the entrance and emerges again six miles down Trapper at the Great Exit, which is on land owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Cavers making the trip underground must travel through the 1,500-foot-long “Grim Crawl of Death.”

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 11 National Speleological Society, Inc. Studying Caves and Speleology

Caves remain one of the last frontiers on to for man to explore and study. NSS members almost routinely dis- cover places where have never set foot before, even just a few hours drive from this country’s major metropolitan ar- eas. Part of the NSS’ work is to catalog and inventory caves, which helps landowners make intelligent land use decisions. The scientific study of caves and karst, called speleol- ogy, combines the expertise of many different disciplines: biol- ogy, geology, hydrology, paleon- tology, and archeology to name a few. Speleology promises not just academic knowledge, but more direct benefits like cures for human disease and cleaner drinking water. The NSS sup- ports speleological research through grants and publications, and the NSS is closely involved with the federal government’s new National Cave and Karst Re- search Institute.

Promoting Speleological Research: Working with the National Cave and Karst Research Institute Congress created the National Cave and Karst Research Insti- tute in 1998. Like similar institutions in other nations, and like the NSS, the Institute is chartered to coordinate and facilitate the sci- ence of speleology, promote speleological education, encourage cave and karst conservation, promote environmentally-sound land management, and serve as a repository of information about caves. The Institute is funded by federal government appropriations on a matching basis with other contributions. The Institute appointed its first permanent director, noted spe- leologist Dr. Louise Hose, in 2002. Dr. Hose is an NSS member and formerly served as a director of the Society. Immediately before her appointment, Dr. Hose was the editor-in-chief of the Society’s scien- tific journal, the Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. Although the National Cave and Karst Research Institute is still in a ramp-up phase, the Institute and the NSS are already working closely together. Institute helped fund the publication of the NSS book, Cave Conservation and Restoration. The NSS is helping author a “white paper” to provide an intellectual framework to aim the Institute toward obtaining its required matching funds from the speleological community. The NSS and the Institute are negotiating for the potential loan of certain NSS library materials to the Institute headquarters in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

12 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Studying Caves and Speleology: Promoting Speleological Research

Although not a research in- • cave sedimentation; lins, who died in a cave entrap- stitution itself, the NSS is keenly • cave use in ; ment media spectacle in 1925, interested in promoting the study • caves in the Grand Canyon; and whom many consider the of speleology by academics and • mist-netting cave bats in Panama; greatest cave explorer who ever other qualified researchers. (NSS- • ecology of a cave in Grand Can- lived. sponsored cave research directed yon National Park; The Society has established toward conservation is described • atmospheric CO2 and the land- a Spelean Arts and Letters Award elsewhere in this report.) scape of the South karst; to recognize excellence in cave-re- • sulfur-based ecosystems in lated artistic expression, manage- Journal of Cave and Karst caves; ment, or criticism. Studies • micromammal in the northern Urals, Russia; The NSS publishes its peer- • biologic effects on mineral for- reviewed, multidisciplinary scien- mation in sulphidic caves; tific journal, the Journal of Cave • ancient Maya cave use; and Promoting Spe- and Karst Studies, three times an- • the West-central Florida . nually. With an advisory board of leological Research: world-renown speleologists, the NSS Fellowships Dating Cave Journal is the premier English Sediments language publication concerning The Society awards the cave science. The Journal is in- Ralph W. Stone Research Grant Darlene Anthony is a dexed in the Thompson ISI Sci- each year to a graduate student PhD candidate at Purdue Uni- ence Citation Index Expanded studying cave or karst science. versity. Her research was par- database, making it an important For academic year 2001- tially sponsored by an NSS to facilitate cave research. 2002, the fellow was Jean Krejca fellowship in the 2002–2003 To encourage an awareness of the University of Texas, Austin, academic year. and appreciation for speleologi- for her proposal, “Genetic Relat- Ms. Anthony is investigat- cal research among cavers out- edness of Stygobites as a Tool for ing the rates at which hillsides side academia, the NSS Determining Aquifer Connected- erode and rivers become en- distributes the Journal to all regu- ness.” For 2002–2003, the fellow trenched in the Ohio Val- lar members of the Society. was Darlene Anthony of Purdue ley over the past two million In April 2002, the Journal University for her proposal, “Late years. Quartz-containing sedi- published a special issue titled Tertiary Development and Quater- ments are left in some cave Cave and Karst GIS describing nary Abandonment of Large passages by underground the use of geographic informa- Caves Along the Western Cumber- streams. Later, erosion may di- tion systems to model caves and land Escarpment, Tennessee and vert the , leaving the karst regions. In April 2003, the Kentucky, in Response to Re- cave passages “high and dry” Journal published papers from gional River Entrenchment Across and leaving these sediments the Conference on Lava Tubes Unglaciated Appalachian Pla- undisturbed over geologic and Ground Water Pollution held teaus.” time scales. Because they are in Hilo, Hawai’i, in 2000. shielded from cosmic radia- Speleological Work in the tion, certain isotopes of alumi- NSS Research Grants Arts and Humanities num and beryllium in the sediments radioactively decay The NSS makes research Although the natural sci- at different rates. The differen- grants in the natural sciences, so- ences dominate Speleology, the tial rate of decay allows Ms. cial sciences, and humanities. NSS also supports work in the Anthony to determine when The Society’s conservation grant arts and humanities. the sediment was deposited, program also sponsors research For example, the American which is evidence of the eleva- specifically related to cave conser- Spelean History Association is an tion of surface rivers at that vation. Research grants in these official section of the Society and time. This kind of research two fiscal years included: publishes the Journal of Spelean may eventually allow scientists • a comparison of hydrology of History. In June, 2001, the Jour- to more accurately model karst and non-karst basins in nal published a special issue on landscape erosion or date Kentucky; the life and death of Floyd Col- cave passages, both of which may have profound implica- tions.

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 13 National Speleological Society, Inc. Studying Caves and Speleology: Exploration and Documentation of Caves

Speleology remains one of that country. (In fact, most of Williams Cañon, Colorado the few sciences where laymen those “caves” turned out to be routinely add to mankind’s knowl- man-made .) The NSS’s Williams Cañon edge of the world. With only a lit- Project in Colorado published a tle training, amateur cavers—who Underwater Cave book, Caves of Williams Cañon, make up the bulk of the NSS’s Exploration in 2002. Conservation projects by membership—regularly discover the group included repairing van- and map new caves, discover new The NSS Sec- dalism to Huccacove Cave and re- cave passages in known caves, tion is the largest cave diving or- storing areas of the commercial and document the animal life and ganization in the U.S. These Cave of the Winds. The group contents of caves around the na- highly trained and safety con- also repaired the Williams Can- tion. These projects are too nu- scious experts expand our knowl- yon Road which was destroyed by merous to mention, but without edge of Florida spings, high flooding in 1999. this important work, the profes- altitude sumps in the West, sea sional academics (biologists, ge- caves along both oceans and the NSS Cave Surveys ologists, hydrologists, great lakes, and the cold, murky paleontologists, and the like) sumps deep inside the caves of NSS Cave surveys coordi- would be unable to do their work. the Northeast. nate the systematic exploration and inventory of caves over large NSS Exploration Grants NSS Cave Projects geographic areas. Surveys are ac- tive in Alabama, Colorado, Geor- The NSS makes modest Large, long-term cave explo- gia, Hawai’i, Idaho, Indiana, grants for cave exploration, both ration and documentation pro- western Kentucky, Missouri, Ten- in the United States (from the jects may be granted status as an nessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Sara Corrie Memorial Fund) and official NSS project. They include: Virginia. The NSS has docu- abroad (including grants to study • studying Lost River Cave, Indi- mented over 25,000 caves in the Mexican caves from the former ana; United States. Joe Ivy Fund). During the past • paleontological studies of Vir- two fiscal years, the Society ginia caves; Aerial Survey of awarded grants for: • studying caves along the can- Idaho Caves • purchase of gear yon of Rio La Venta, Chiapas, for use by a Tennessee cave Mexico; When a fire cleared over- survey group; • mapping caves on Mona Is- growth on a swath of Idaho land • locating and documenting land, ; controlled by the Bureau of Land caves in the Cascade Moun- • monitoring and documenting Management, a unique opportu- tains of State; caves formed in the Mount nity arose to look for caves which • an expedition to India; Rainier by volcanic were nearly impossible to find • exploring Coldwater Cave, the steam vents; otherwise. Bat Conservation Inter- longest cave in Iowa; • exploring cave sumps using national funded an aerial survey • the inventory of caves along a specialized diving techniques of the area by members of the proposed interstate highway in the northeast U.S.; NSS’s Idaho Cave Survey. Poten- route in Kentucky; • studying caves in Tabasco, tial cave entrances were • exploration of halite caves in Mexico; located using GPS. northern Chile; • exploring caves in the The NSS volunteers then re- • exploration of caves in west- southwest U.S.; turned on foot and found 43 new ern Mexico and Oaxaca, Mex- • exploring and surveying of caves. Each was surveyed and ico; and some of the deepest caves in photographed. Archaeological, pa- • exploration of anoxic caves in the hemisphere in Oaxaca, leontological, and biological re- Florida. Mexico, which are approach- sources were inventoried. Special ing a mile in depth; attention was paid for evidence Fighting Terrorism • surveying the Roppel portion of a dwindling species of bat of Mammoth Cave, Kentucky; which uses the area. In all, over When Osama Bin Laden • studying Scott Hollow Cave, five miles of cave passage were was rumored to be hiding in West Virginia; and found. caves in Afghanistan, the NSS li- • indexing published cave pas- brary provided the U.S. military sage descriptions into a single with information about caves in database.

14 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc.

Exploration and Documentation of Caves: Making Cave Maps Fictional spelunkers leave ure every passage. This special- gists use them to track the flow bread crumbs or unroll balls of ized skill is valuable because the of water underground. Geolo- string to avoid getting lost. In work is often tedious and un- gists use them to help under- real life, cavers use maps to navi- comfortable. Large caves regu- stand both the formation of gate through larger caves. In the larly take decades to survey caves and the geology of the sur- United States, NSS members completely. rounding rock. Cavers use them make nearly all of those maps. Cave maps have other very to select the most likely places No satellite or high-tech important uses. They document to search for new passages. If a equipment can survey a cave; the location of cave passages rescue is ever required, a good surveyors must manually meas- relative to the surface. Hydrolo- cave map may save a life.

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 15 National Speleological Society, Inc. Promoting Caver Safety and Fellowship

Although the NSS is largely out the nation through its Na- may be the world’s largest cave li- a membership organization (our tional Cave Rescue Commission. brary, along with a museum and 12,000 members make us the larg- The Society operates one of archives of American cave explora- est cave-related organization in the largest cave-related book- tion. The NSS also supports joint the world), we provide important stores in the world. We publish a activities with foreign caving or- cave-related services, resources, monthly magazine, the NSS News. ganizations. and information for both mem- Annual NSS conventions bers and non-members alike. provide a wealth of opportunities The NSS provides training for learning about and visiting for cave rescue services through- caves. The Society maintains what

Cave Rescue: Bowden Cave, West Virginia The main entrance to Bowden Cave, West Virginia, is visible from the highway. On Saturday morn- ing, July 28, 2001, two adult youth leaders and five boys left a note on their vehicle saying they would be poking around inside the cave and exiting from another entrance up the hollow. No one had checked the weather forecast. Once inside, the group slowly headed up a lazy underground stream. Occasionally, the ceiling low- ered and they had to crawl. Meanwhile, it started raining outside. They left the stream for a mazy section of the cave that they thought would lead up to the other entrance, but they could not find the way out. Eventually, they turned back to exit from the main entrance. But by then, extremely heavy rains outside had turned the lazy stream into a torrent, and in one of those crawlways, the stream had risen to within just 3 or 4 inches of the ceiling. Now they couldn’t get back out the main entrance, and they couldn’t find the other entrance. They were trapped. On Sunday morning, the owner of the campground where the group was staying noticed they hadn’t returned. He knew they had gone off caving somewhere, so he called the authorities. Eventually, the search was expanded to include the fire department near Bowden Cave, and they found the group’s vehicle and the note. The fire department contacted a local coordinator for the National Cave Rescue Commission, and trained volunteers (mostly NSS members) began to arrive by Sunday evening. The group had already been underground for over 30 hours. One team of rescuers went in the main entrance and fought their way up the raging river. They had to stop when they found the crawlway filled with water nearly to the ceiling. Meanwhile, a second rescue team hiked up the hollow and entered the cave from the other entrance. This team found the stranded group, who had moved to higher ground, removed most of their wet clothing, and used space blankets to try to keep warm while awaiting either rescue or for the water to recede. With the rescuers’ help, they were able to exit the cave from the other entrance under their own power. One boy was hospitalized with .

16 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Promoting Caver Safety and Fellowship: Cave Rescue

Visiting caves is safe for On Call tains of Wyoming. The Commis- trained cavers, but nearly ever sion also trained cave rescue week, an unlucky or inexperi- The NSS published the teams in Cuba, Costa Rica, and Ar- enced spelunker somewhere in world’s foremost treatise on cave gentina. the United States requires some rescue, titled On Call, at the end sort of help to exit a cave. of 2001. American Caving Accidents The NSS’ National Cave Res- cue Commission helps fill this Cave Rescue Training The Society biennially pub- need. The Commission maintains lishes a compilation of reported a national curriculum for cave res- The National Cave Rescue cave accidents in the United cue training, trains volunteer res- Commission’s cave rescue train- States, American Cave Accidents. cuers, maintains communications ing curriculum includes dozens The publication is intended as a with local, state, and federal res- of weekend orientation seminars learning tool for novice and expe- cue squads and agencies, and organized regionally and week- rienced cavers alike. maintains strategically located long “boot camps” for more in- caches of specialized equipment depth training. To date, over International Technical designed for cave . The 3,000 cavers have been trained by Rescue Symposium National Cave Rescue Commis- the Commission. Topics include sion does not provide rescue serv- patient care and stabilization in The NCRC is an annual co- per se; that is done by the the underground environment, sponsor of the International Tech- thousands of individual volun- evacuation techniques for differ- nical Rescue Symposium, which teers (mostly NSS members) who ent types of cave passages, was held in Denver in November serve in local rescue squads or rescue techniques, underground 2002 and in Salt Lake City in Oc- cave rescue groups. communications, and incident tober–November 2003. Most fire departments and management. The 2001 national rescue squads have no cave res- boot camp was held in West Vir- Underwater Cave Rescue cue experience—be it finding a ginia, and the 2002 national boot lost group somewhere in a camp was held in upstate New The NSS Cave Diving Sec- twenty-mile-long cave, keeping York. tion has trained more than 500 an injured caver warm until more The National Cave Rescue cave diving rescue and recovery help arrives, or helping move a lit- Commission conducted special specialists. The Cave Diving Sec- ter through a tight crawlway. Na- cave rescue seminars for Wind tion cooperates with National tional Cave Rescue Commission Cave National Park in South Da- Cave Rescue Commission, the Na- trained rescuers are available na- kota and for local rescue and law tional Crime Information Center, tionwide to help local rescuers enforcement personnel near a the National Association for conduct underground search and particularly popular and danger- , and even for- rescue. ous in the Teton Moun- eign governments to make under- water cave specialists available 24 hours a day. The NSS Cave Diving Sec- tion educates open water divers about the extreme dangers of cave diving, to prevent tragedies in submerged cave passages. In cooperation with the federal gov- ernment, state and local govern- ments, and other diving organizations, the Cave Diving Section has developed a success- ful “no light” rule for open water divers to discourage them from entering into underwater caves. The Cave Diving Section also in- stalls safety and warning signs at some better known underwater caves in the U.S., Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 17 National Speleological Society, Inc. Promoting Caver Safety and Fellowship: Member and Non-Member Services

Membership Services The Society holds a conven- called , across the nation tion annually in different loca- which plan regular field trips and Each month, members re- tions throughout the nation. (In conservation projects. In addi- ceive our magazine, the NSS 2001 it was in Maine, in 2002 in tion, NSS sections are organized News. The News is full of fea- Kentucky.) The convention at- around common cave-related in- tures on cave exploration, con- tracts between 1,000 and 1,800 at- terests that cut across geographic servation, history, and science. tendees. The weeklong meetings boundaries, such as vertical or Regular columns cover caving include technical and scientific digging techniques, cave survey- technique and safety, basic prin- sessions, presentations, work- ing and cartography, cave history, ciples of cave science, book re- shops, seminars, field trips, com- cave conservation, cave manage- views, and interviews. Each petitions, and salons that cover ment, underground photogra- , the News publishes an is- all areas of the speleological arts phy, cave diving, cave geology sue devoted solely to cave con- and sciences. For young people, and geography, and more. servation. the Junior Speleological Society Membership in the Society is Members also receive the arranges special activities during open to anyone, or any organization, Society’s peer-reviewed scientific the convention, including caving who shares our goals. Minors and stu- journal, the Journal of Cave and trips and educational programs. dents can join at a reduced rate. Visit Karst Science, an annual Mem- Perhaps the greatest mem- http://www.caves.org to join. ber’s Manual, and American bership benefit is the camarade- Cave Accidents, which brings rie with other cavers. The NSS The NSS Bookstore home a safety message. has over 200 local chapters, The Society operates one of the largest cave bookstores in the world for both members and non- members. Among the most popu- lar titles is On Rope, the NSS’ best selling book on rope climbing and rappelling techniques.

www.caves.org The NSS’ award winning Web site, http://www.caves.org, offers information about caves and about the Society, a lively dis- cussion board where anyone can ask questions, and free down- loads of some of the NSS’ most popular publications. The site is a reference resource for members and non-members alike.

International Cooperation The NSS provided a chal- lenge grant to create an exchange program with the Polish Moun- taineering Association. The Soci- ety also supports the Ukrainian–American Youth Caver Exchange Foundation and the China–USA Caves Project’s joint exploration of caves in Guizhou Province. The NSS’ Caves of Cuba Project develops relationships be- tween cavers through exploration of Cuban caves.

18 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. Promoting Caver Safety and Fellowship: NSS Awards

The NSS awards a number Science Award Gary Fielden of different honors to recognize Stephen Fleming extraordinary service to the Soci- James Reddell Dick Garnick ety or to speleology. The follow- Carol Hill Bill Greenwald ing awards were conferred in Roger Haley fiscal years 2001–2002 and 2002– Spelean Arts and Letters Andy Harris 2003, respectively: Dave Haun Tom Rea Honorary Member Colin Gatland Paul Heinerth Al Hughes Dr. Paul Williams Certificate of Merit Werner Jud Dr. Trevor Shaw Jean Krejca Scott Fee Dave Lester William J. Stephenson VPI Bill Meyer Randall Blackwood Barbara Moss Outstanding Service Eric and Melissa Hendrickson Tom Moss Award Jim Nepstad Andy Niekamp Paul and Lee Stevens Randy Paylor Dave Jagnow Tom Pollock Robert B. (Bob) Hoke Peter M. Hauer Merrilee Proffitt Julie Schenck Lew Bicking Award Spelean History Award Cyndie Walack (excellence in cave Robert H. Thompson Tim White John C. Taylor Jim Wilson exploration, mapping, Dale Acklin and publication) Bill Boehle Ralph W. Stone Research Gordon Brace Phil Lucas Grant Terry Clark David L. Black (graduate student Mike Dore Pat Dore Conservation Award fellowship) Tom Dotter George Jaeggers Jim Nieland Jean Krejca Darlene Anthony Larry King Kriste Lindberg Devin Kouts Kriste Lindberg James G. Mitchell Award Harold Love (best scientific paper by Paul Meyer Richard “Fig” Newton an NSS member under Jim Olsen age 25) Steve Ormeroid Doug Perkins (no award in 2001–2002) Brian Roebuck T.J. Friend Lynn Roebuck Joe Skipworth Fellows of the Society (long-term dedication to National Caves the goals of the Society) Association Stan Allson Show Cave Award Barbe Barker (best paper on a show John Benton Sam Bono cave) Jeff Bray Rick Fowler, Chris Groves, John Lamar Cole and Shivendra Sahi Al Collier (no award in 2002–2003) Joe Douglas

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 19 National Speleological Society, Inc. NSS Financial Reports

NSS Financial Reports: Statement of Financial Position April 30, 2003 (audited1)

Assets Liabilities and Net Assets Current Assets Current Liabilities Cash and cash equivalents $ 244,320 Accounts payable $ 8,367 Accounts Receivable 9,226 Accrued expenses 1,319 Inventory 188,705 Advances 1,191 Prepaid Expenses 35,688 Deferred income 22,418 Total Current Assets $ 477,939 Current portion of note payable 25,968 Total current liabilities $ 59,263 Property and Equipment Buildings 665,936 Long-Term Liabilities Land improvements 34,850 Mortgage note payable 145,062 Equipment 4,598 Less allowance for depreciation (66,497) Total Liabilities 204,325 Total property and equipment 638,887 Net Assets Other Assets Unrestricted net assetts Securities held for investment 1,968,184 Undesignated 388,993 Designated for a purpose 276,515 Temporarily Restricted 2,215,117 Permanently restricted 0 2,880,685

Total Assets $3,085,010 Total Liabilities and Net Assets $3,085,010

1. The notes to this statement and the independent auditor’s report are an integral part of the audited financial statements. The complete independent auditor’s report with accompanying notes is on file at the NSS office. Picture Credits

Front Cover Ed McCarthy Carrots Page 2 Ed McCarthy Ghost Page 4 Paul Meyer Shelta fence under construction Page 5 Colin Gatland Final Emergence Page 6 Jim Loftin Pea Pie Page 7 Dave Bunnell Rust Stains Page 9 Jeff Bushman Dropping Stevens Gap Page 10 Jonathan Griffith Covered Veil Skylight Page 12 left Peter & Ann Bosted The Splash Zone Page 12 right Alan Kressler The Green Pool Page 16 Jim Loftin Crack in the Ceiling Page 17 Ed McCarthy Up Page 18 Ed McCarthy In the Bend Page 19 Alan Cressler Recording the Past Back Cover Jim Loftin Thoughts and Reflections

All photos except page 4 are award winners from the 2002 Photo Salon.

20 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc. NSS Financial Reports: Statement of Activities April 30, 2003 (audited1)

Temporarily Permanently Total of Unrestricted Restricted Restricted All Funds Public Support and Revenue Public Support Membership dues $284,864 $ 34,833 $ 0 $ 319,697 Donations 9,624 102,298 0 111,922 Grant income 894 3,575 0 4,469 Fund raising 4,374 0 0 4,374 Total public support 299,756 140,706 0 440,462 Revenues Advertising revenue 21,281 0 0 21,281 Bookstore sales 103,574 0 0 103,574 Convention revenue 141,743 6,592 0 148,335 Cave restoration revenue 0000 Cave and karst education revenue 0000 Cave rescue training fees and income 34,751 0 0 34,751 Fine arts salon income 100010 Subscriptions and postal surcharges 4,990 0 0 4,990 Bookstore shipping fees 9,924 0 0 9,924 Miscellaneous 2,962 0 0 2,962 Total revenues 319,235 6,592 0 325,827 Total Public Support and Revenues 618,991 147,298 0 1,532,578

Expenditures Program Services 611,827 17,910 0 629,737 Support Services General and administrative 66,913 0 0 66,913 Fundraising 1,859 0 0 1,859 Total Expenditures 680,559 17,910 0 698,509

Excess (Deficit) of Revenue over Expenditures before Other Income (Expenses) (61,608) 129,388 0 67,780

Other Income (Expenses) Interest expense 0 (2,030) 0 (2,030) Interest and investment earnings (837) 44,536 0 43,699 Total Other Income (Expenses) (837) 42,506 0 41,699 Change in Net Assets (62,455) 171,894 0 109,449

Net Assets, Beginning 614,667 2,273,981 0 2,888,648 Receipt of restricted assets from donors 0000 Investment earnings on restricted assets 0 (117,412) 0 (117,412) Suplemental Information Transfer of unrestricted assets to restricted (7,570) 7,570 0 0 Transfer of restricted assets to unrestricted 86,006 (86,006) 00 Net Assets, Ending $ 630,658 $ 2,250,028 $ 0 $ 2,880,685

1. The notes to this statement and the independent auditor’s report are an integral part of the audited financial statements. The complete independent auditor’s report with accompanying notes is on file at the NSS office.

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 21 National Speleological Society, Inc. NSS Financial Reports: Statement of Cash Flows Fiscal Year 2002–2003 (audited1)

Cash Flows from Operating Activities Reconciliation of Increase in Net Assets to Net Cash Provided (Used) by Operating Activities Increase in net assets $ 109,499 Adjustment to Reconcile Net Income to Net Cash Provided (Used) by Operating Activities Depreciation 4,077 Realized (gains) losses on investments 2,426 Unrealized (gains) losses on nvestments (119,838) (Increase) decrease in assets Accounts receivable (3,470) Advances 4,438 Inventory (312) Prepaid expenses (13,002) Increase (decreasse) in liabilities Accounts payable 3,642 Accrued expenses (2,893) Deferred income (23,877) Miscellaneous (350) Net Cash Provided (Used) by Operating Activities $ (39,710)

Cash Flows from Investing Activities Purchase of fixed assets, net (238,752) Purchase and redemption of securities, net 54,014 Net cash Provided (Used) from investing activities (184,738)

Cash Flows from Financing Actifities Proceeds from mortgage note payable 195,000 Mortgage principal payments (23,970) Receipt of restricted assets from donors 0 Net Cash Provided (Used) by Financing Activities 171,030

Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents (53,418) Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of Year 297,738 Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of Year $ 244,320

Supplemental Information Interest paid on mortgage 2,030

1. The notes to this statement and the independent auditor’s report are an integral part of the audited financial statements. The complete independent auditor’s report with accompanying notes is on file at the NSS office.

22 Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 National Speleological Society, Inc.

NSS Personnel (as of March 2004) NSS Personnel: Directors

Hazel Barton, Highland, Kentucky Doug Medville, Reston, Virginia Linda Baker Divine, Potomac, Maryland Martha Hendrix Mills, Birmingham, Alabama David Jagnow, Albuquerque, New Mexico Gary Moss, Falls Church, Virginia Cheryl Jones, McLean, Virginia Philip Moss, Protem, Missouri Bill Klimack, West Point, New York Dave Taylor, Clarksville, Arizona Bill Liebman, Cass, West Virginia Bill Tozer, Pendleton, Indiana

NSS Personnel: Officers

President – Scott Fee, Birmingham, Alabama Executive Vice President – Don Paquette, Martinsville, Indiana Administrative Vice President – Thomas Lera, Falls Church, Virginia Operations Vice President – Colin Gatland, Vandalia, Ohio Secretary-Treasurer – Paul Stevens, Ashburn, Virginia

NSS Personnel: Employees

Operations Manager – Stephanie Searles, Huntsville, Alabama Office Secretary – Avis Van Swearingen, Huntsville, Alabama Office Assistant – Bill Torode, Huntsville, Alabama Bookstore Assistant – Micca Armstrong , Huntsville, Alabama

NSS Donors

Almost all NSS programs are staffed by un- under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue paid volunteers who together donate countless Code. Contributions to the Society are deductible thousands of hours every year benefiting caves. to the full extent allowed by law. Donations make this work possible, and every dol- The Society’s “Stash Your Cash” program al- lar is multiplied many times over by our dedicated lows small monthly credit card gifts that add tre- volunteers. The National Speleological Society, mendously to what we can accomplish. A Inc. is a non-profit corporation and is tax exempt complete list of our donors is published annually.

NSS Donors: The Stephenson Group

The Stephenson Group consists of members given the Society a 25% interest in a charitable of the Society who have made lifetime gifts total- trust. The Stephenson Group (as of March 2004) ing $10,000 (*), have designated the Society to re- includes: ceive $10,000 or more at their death, or have Richard Blenz* David W. Hughes Merle Stephenson* Don Cournoyer Cheryl Kayes Lee Stevens Robert E. Danielson* Ted Kayes Paul J. Stevens Scott Fee Michael R. Kistler Eugene Vehslage* Shari J. Forsythe Lynn G. Kleina Dogwood City Grotto* Preston L. Forsythe Thomas G. Lera Richmond Area Speleological Jeanne Gurnee* John E. Pearson Society* Mr. Russ Gurnee* Doug Soroka William Halliday* Jack Stellmack

Biennial Report 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 23