The FLOWSTONE

The FLOWSTONE

The FLOWSTONE Vol Vol 20 Issue 6 June 2013 Rescue in Ellison’s A Monthly Newsletter of the Cullman Grotto of the National Speleological Society June 2013 Cullman Grotto Flowstone CULLMAN GROTTO FLOWSTONE June 2013 Visit us online @ www.caves.org/grotto/cullman/ Volume 20, Issue 6 or www.cullmangrotto.com Inside this Issue The Flowstone is published monthly by the Cullman Grotto of the National th Echo Chamber Speleological Society. Items submitted for publication must be received by the 20 of each month for inclusion in the following month’s issue. 2 TAG Calendar The Cullman Grotto will exchange by request with any publishing grotto. 3 Republication of items within The Flowstone is allowed provided credit is given to author and source. Rescue in Ellison’s Cave 4 Membership to the Cullman Grotto is fifteen dollars ($15) per year for individual or twenty dollars ($20) per year for family. Dues are payable at the first grotto meeting of each year (January) and includes subscription to The Flowstone. Subscription rate for Ellison’s Rescue, Memorial non-members is fifteen dollars ($15) per year. Day 2013 6 The Cullman Grotto meets on the first Monday of each month unless the first Monday Editor’s Note falls on a holiday or otherwise noted. In those cases the meeting will be held on the 12 Minutes second Monday. Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. and are held at the old L&N train depot, Arnold St., Cullman, AL. All visitors and prospective members are welcome. Official Grotto Address Newsletter Exchange Cullman Grotto The Flowstone c/o Harold Calvert Perry or Sharon Clayton 123 Co. Rd. 250 1628 Edmondson Rd Cullman, AL 35057 Hanceville, AL 35077 [email protected] [email protected] 2013 OFFICERS APPOINTMENTS Membership/ Chairman: Vice Chair: Advisor: Library Harold Calvert Perry Clayton Victor Bradford David Drake 123 Co. Rd 250 1628 Edmondson Rd. 8333 US Hwy 31 110 Co. Rd. 1386 Cullman, AL 35057 Hanceville, AL 35077 Hanceville, AL 35077 Falkville, AL 35622 (256) 287-9770 (256) 595-2548 by carrier pigeon only (256) 739-0811 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Secretary: Treasurer: Safety: Webmaster Sharon Clayton Tracy Calvert Scott Murphy Kuenn Drake Front Cover: Walker County Fire 1628 Edmondson Rd. 123 Co. Rd. 250 156 Mount Tabor Road 100 Co. Rd. 1386 and Rescue Staging Area – Ellison’s Hanceville, AL 35077 Cullman, AL 35057 Hartselle, AL 35640 Falkville, AL 35622 Cave Rescue (256)352-0235 (256)287-9770 (256) 531-3230 (256) 739-6915 . [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Photo by: Troy Fuqua June 2013 Cullman Grotto Flowstone including giving him an in-cave massive new 1,500-acre, 3,800-home ECHO))))) CHAMBER blood transfusion, before, using a subdivision directly next to the cave number of techniques, hauling him to reserve. the surface from a depth of more than Caver Rescued from 800 feet. The summer home to an estimated 20 Georgia’s Ellison’s Cave million Mexican Free-tailed Bats, In critical condition, Kempf was then Bracken Cave is the largest known May 29, 2013 / Georgia immediately flown to by Life Force concentration of mammals. Located helicopter to Erlanger Medical in southern Comal County, Texas, 20 Center in Chattanooga where he is minutes outside the city of San recovering. Antonio, the cave and 697 undeveloped acres around it are “Dwight’s fall was a fluke but also owned by Bat Conservation turned out to be an example of how International. everything works the way it’s supposed to. Without them and the Their concern, aside from putting rescue/medical teams, Dwight would 10,000 people on land that lies within not have made it out alive.” -- Jill the sensitive Edwards Aquifer- Kempf, Dwight Kempf’s wife. recharge zone, an area that is a Details continue to emerge about the critical foraging area for the bats, is rescue of a caver from inside Ellison’s cave in Georgia’s Walker that this development would put Georgia’s Ellison’s Cave earlier this County is known for it’s vertical people and bats in a situation where week. pitches, which include the two they would surely come into conflict. deepest pits in the United States, the Caver Dwight Kempf, 54, was part 179 meter (586 foot) deep Fantastic Adult bats that love buildings will of an experienced group of four and 134 meter (440 foot) deep surely cause headaches for home- Pennsylvanian cavers who were Incredible. owners, while juvenile bats will no exploring the cave this past Sunday, doubt be attracted to insects May 26th, when he fell and seriously gathering around the lights of these injured himself. homes. In the end, someone or their pet will surely come into contact After the initial fall of about 9 meters with a sick bat, contract rabies and (30 feet), he hit some rocks before raise problems for the bats, those continuing to fall another 9 to 12 Development Threatens threats to public safety. meters (30 to 40 feet). By the time he World’s Largest Population finally came to a stop he had broken of Bats It seems that Texas law leaves little his left femur and fractured the base May 17, 2013 / Texas legal recourse for the environmental of his skull. issues, and the only hopes to stop the process from going ahead is to make While two of the cavers went down it a significant public and media to the unresponsive Kempf to issue. administer first aid to try to stop the bleeding from the obvious leg In an effort to do just that, Andrew wound, the third member of the Walker the Executive Director of Bat group began the two and a half hour Conservation International sent out a trip out of the cave to alert the plea to try to drum up support. authorities. They’re looking for folks to come Once the cave rescue was initiated Mexican Free-Tail Bats Emerging From out and show support on Wednesday, around 6:30 pm, over 100 rescuers the Bracken Bat Cave Photo by Daniel May 22nd when they present their from across the region descended on Spiess/flickr concerns to San Antonio’s City the cave. Due to the difficulty of the Council during a public meeting at rescue and the skill level required, If a developer has his way, the bats City Hall. experts from Alabama and Tennessee of Bracken Cave, the world’s largest were brought in to assist. population of bats, will be flying Anyone who can’t make the meeting over a new subdivision. is urged to call, write and email the Over the next 22 hours the crews Mayor, City Council and Planning worked first to stabilize Kempf, San Antonio developer Brad Galo of Galo Properties has proposed a Commission to tell them that the 2 June 2013 Cullman Grotto Flowstone proposed subdivision is an year left to finish this re-build and demolishing the home a few days incompatible use that is sure to put get the NSS moved into our new later after it was deemed too people and bats into conflict. headquarters. dangerous to continue the search for the missing man. Sign the online petition Come join the fun and help the NSS. There is indoor and outdoor camping Seffner, a suburb of Tampa is part of For more information, email available. Contact me if you need an area dubbed “sinkhole alley”. In [email protected] or call 512 additional information. fact, the area accounts for two-thirds 367-9721 x19. of all the sinkhole-related insurance Maureen Handler NSS Headquarters claims in Florida, a state where Volunteer Coordinator 423-605-5569 sinkholes are already a common [email protected] occurrence. NSS Headquarter Work Weekends By: Maureen Handler (Sewanee, Tennessee) [email protected] Two More Seffner Homes Fall Prey to Killer Sinkhole May 26, 2013 / Florida TAG Calendar June 3 Grotto Meeting L&N Train Depot, Arnold St 7:30p . We have finally scheduled some of June 8 the NSS Headquarters work Grotto Trip weekends to begin the rebuild of the TBA facility. Almost all of the 'de- The House under Which the Sinkhole construction' work has been Opened Screengrab via USA Today June 13-16 completed. Thanks to the nearly 100 SERA Summer Cave Carnival volunteers who worked through the Nearly three months after Jeff Bush Cumberland Caverns, TN winter and spring to accomplish this! was killed when a sinkhole opened Hosted by Central Alabama Grotto up under his home, two neighboring Our first need is to build a new block homes have now been demolished. July 13-20 wall mechanical room. We will begin VBATS El Cap Trip this work on Friday June 21 and will The two homes, both condemned Yosemite National Park, CA work through Monday June 24. We shortly after the demolition of Bush REALLY need a couple of people home, were torn down this past July 20-28 who are experienced block layers Wednesday. Cullman Grotto Cavation (finished block work), as well as lots Canyoneering in Southern Utah of other people to help move blocks On Thursday February 28th, 2013 at to the masons, mix and carry mortar around 11:00pm, 36-year-old Bush August 5-9 and clean up the finished work. It was asleep in his bedroom when the NSS 2013 Convention will take 4 - 6 people to lift the ground opened up beneath his Shippensburg, PA concrete door lintels into the place on Seffner home and swallowed him the block wall. In addition, we still . have to finish stripping the flooring He was last heard calling for help as out of the future archive/library area.

View Full Text

Details

  • File Type
    pdf
  • Upload Time
    -
  • Content Languages
    English
  • Upload User
    Anonymous/Not logged-in
  • File Pages
    13 Page
  • File Size
    -

Download

Channel Download Status
Express Download Enable

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

  • Not to be reproduced or distributed without explicit permission.
  • Not used for commercial purposes outside of approved use cases.
  • Not used to infringe on the rights of the original creators.
  • If you believe any content infringes your copyright, please contact us immediately.

Support

For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, please contact us