THE EXPLORERS LOG The Explorers Club | World Center for Exploration Published Quarterly | Volume 47 Number 4 Fall 2015 COMPASS POINTS Jonathan Leader FN’05 and colleagues raised the three naval guns, lost in 1865, from the CSS PeeDee. p. 9 IN THE FIELD Arctic Sea Ice Observation: Citizen Science at the North Pole, organized by two first-time flag carriers Lauren Farmer MR’14 and Alexander Cowan FI’15 p. 24 FROM BASECAMP A Tribute to Jim Fowler MED’66, Fellow 1966, Explorers Club Medalist 1994 Honorary President (2002- 2008), Honorary Chair (2009-2013). p. 33 Contents 3 ON THE ASCENT, EXPLORATION IS ALIVE AND WELL ^COVER PHOTO 4 IN THE TENT, EXPLORING CHAPTERS Floyd Collins 5 COMPASS POINTS Crystal Cave 20 IN THE FIELD Doug Soroka FN’06 and 22 FLAG EXPEDITIONS Chris Clark of the National Park Service in Floyd Collins 33 FROM BASECAMP Crystal Cave (part of 39 BACKWARD GLANCE Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave 39 MEMBERS National Park); see St. Louis Chapter, page 19. Photo: Doug Soroka archive EXPLORERS LOG SUBMISSIONS The Explorers Log welcomes brief submissions from members, preferably in Microsoft Word .doc format with digital photographs as high-resolution .jpg files sent separately from the text. Please send all materials to: [email protected]. The authors are responsible for the con- tent of their articles. Their views do not necessarily reflect the views of The Explorers Club, and the Club is not responsible for their accuracy. MEMBER DESIGNATIONS Fellow Member Associate FR–Resident MR–Resident AR–Resident FN–National MN–National AN–National FI–International MI–International AI–International FE–Emeritus ME–Emeritus LF–Life Fellow LM–Life Member Honored CO–Corresponding MED–Medalist The Explorers Club TM–Term HON–Honorary Member World Center for Exploration SM–Student PEX–Patron of Exploration THE EXPLORERS CLUB THE EXPLORERS LOG The Explorers Log is published quarterly. 46 east 70th street The Official Newsletter of News items, photos, member and chapter new york, ny 10021 The Explorers Club, published quarterly activities, and subjects of general interest www.explorers.org volume 47 number 4 • FAll 2015 are welcomed. 212.628.8383 The Explorers Club, The Explorers Log, President Ted Janulis MR’95 The Explorers Journal, World Center for Editor Exploration, and the flag and seal shown Lee Langan FN’99 inside are registered trademarks of the Art Director Club. Use by others is prohibited. Mary McBride © 2015 The Explorers Club. All rights reserved. 2 On the Ascent Flash From the Field – Exploration is Alive and Well! Ted Janulis MR’95, President f you’re like me, you’ve been asked this question in one form or another Irecently: “What’s left to explore, haven’t the big discoveries already been made?” Of course as explorers our immediate reaction is, “You have to be kidding, we’re just scratching the surface!” But, I believe one of the reasons we so often get the question is that we are an institution that participates in and celebrates so many “firsts” – as the plaque in our headquarters lobby says: “First to the North Pole, First to the South Pole, First to the Summit of Mt. Everest, First to the deepest point of the ocean, First to the surface of the Moon”. As our Executive Director Will Roseman recently noted, we’ve even left a little room on the bottom of the plaque for the “First to Mars.” While these accomplishments are iconic and monumental, they are of course part of a larger fabric of exploration. Over the last few months, it has been easy to find headlines and articles in the news celebrating new firsts. Just two weeks ago a new species of polar dinosaur was discovered in Alaska, and this is sus- pected to be the first of many outstanding finds in the area. Our very own Fellow International Lee Berger was instrumental in discovering the remains of Homo Naledi – a previously unidentified species of human life in South Africa. In July, after a decade flying through the solar system, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft passed Pluto for the first time. Back on our planet, NASA, as recently as Septem- ber, confirmed evidence of water on Mars.Hōkūle‘a , a Polynesian voyaging canoe, is sailing around the world on a journey to a more sustainable future. If that sounds like a familiar endeavor, you would be right; Solar Impulse is flying around the world – without a drop of fuel – in the first airplane to use clean technology and renewable energy on such an endeavour. From TEC’s perspective, with over 35 flags awarded so far this year, we are seeing as much field activity as ever. Mikael Strandberg’s recent effort to docu- ment the lives of prison camp survivors carried him deep into Kazakhstan where few foreigners have been permitted to go. And the research that Randi Rotjan is currently conducting in Samoa will examine the effects of climate change and the impact of the growing El Nino, which is predicted to be the most severe in recorded history. In the tepuis of South America, Dr. Bruce Means continues his biodiversity work and has discovered a new family of frog. These members, and many others, prove through their on going work that there is still much to explore and that we must never give up our curiosity or capacity for wonder. 3 In the Tent… Exploring Chapters ne of the true highlights of my last six months Oat TEC has been getting to know our chapters and their members better. After being hosted by Mead Treadwell and friends in Alaska in June, I’ve had the pleasure of attending two fantastic chapter events: Aviation Night with the Atlanta Chapter and a night at University of South Carolina’s Thomas Cooper Library with the Greater Piedmont Chapter. Both events featured a diverse and engaging array of activities, including tours of an aircraft, plane assembly lines, a rare book vault and a world-class botanical exhibit, as well as two fascinating lectures on the famous Glacier Girl airplane and the mirac- ulous Alexander von Humboldt. Additionally, a resurgent Great Britain Chapter, led by new Chair Seb Coulthard, recently held an outstanding program in London that was attended by approximately 50 members and interested guests. In the end, what struck me most about those evenings was the camaraderie and goodwill that our members showed to each other and their guests. It was an aspect of TEC I had not had the opportunity to experience, and I applaud all of you who are assembling and maintaining these wonderful communities of like-minded, curious explorers. A few numbers further underscore the central role played by the chapters in our organization. First, out of 3,000+ members, less than 600 live in the New York City area; the rest are closer to one of our 27 chapters than our headquarters in New York City. Second, of our current board members, 8 have previously served as chapter chairs, ensuring that voices far from Manhattan are well repre- sented in our governance. Third, many of our officers and committee chairs are affiliated with chap- ters, including our current Treasurer, VP of Flag and Honors and VP of Membership. Much of our future membership growth will develop within our chapter system. We are genuinely interested in your thoughts and participation in continuing to build a dynamic and thriving chapter system at TEC, and I heartily thank all of you who have put so much work and devotion into making our chapters as successful as they are today. In the meantime, we will continue to implement new initiatives, such as adding regional co-chairs to the ECAD Committee, hosting regular conference calls with chapter chairs, and incorporating chapter needs and priorities into Lynn Danaher’s website redesign initiative. I also truly look forward to continuing my visits with you at chapter events (the New England Chapter is next!), as they are certainly one of the highlights of my involvement with The Explorers Club. Yours in Exploration, President John Hodge FN’74 and his wife Sharon at a special viewing of the rare book vault at the University of South Carolina’s Thomas Cooper Library. Photo: Ted Janulis 4 Compass Points Atlanta Chapter Moorea, French Polynesia (top); experimental flumes (middle, right); corals (bottom); Mark Hay. Photos: Mark Hay Mark Hay FN’15, a 2015 Lowell Thomas Awardee, spent July through early August on reefs in Moorea, French Polynesia, investigating the effects of ocean acidification on seaweed-coral interactions using experimental flumes, where ocean acidification could be manipulated to determine how it affected some of the most common corals. On June 20, the Atlanta Chapter held a Member Show-and-Tell where members and guests were invited to bring artifacts, slides, and sto- ries about their adventures to share with the group. Bob Killorin MN’97 shared his experiences diving at Jackson Blue Cave in Florida. Al Padwa discussed high-altitude medicine and his many mountaineer- ing experiences. Bill Liss MN’13 talked about exploring the North Pole and brought a copy of Robert Peary’s book signed by the author! Guill- ermo Sohnlein shared his plans for his upcoming expedition to Dean’s Blue Hole. Richard Taylor FN’77 talked about “Rolling the North Pole” in an aircraft and its effect on compass behavior. Bob Wells MN’85 showed the trailer for his documentary The Mystery of the Trees which was featured in the Gwinnett International Film Festival this year. Mark Hay FN’15 brought artifacts from his adventures in Papua New Guinea. Jim O’Kon FN’98 shared the story of his discovery of the Mayan bridge at Yaxchilan and his exciting adventures with local guerrillas! Hayes Wilson MN’97 showed a collection of pictures from dives at Butaritari, 5 Midway, Easter Island, and Bonaire.