PUBLISHED BY THE OREGON GROTTO OF THE NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY Volume 17. Numberl2 Page 170 The Speleograph, Vol. 17, no. 12 COVER: Jim Wolff aids Becky Taylor as she descends a ladder Into the first room in Battle Creek Cave #1 In Northern California. (From a slide by Rick Pope) THE SPELEOGRAPH is a monthly publication of the OREGON GROTTO (a local chapter) of the NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. GUANOTES Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of either of the above organizations. THE SPELEOGRAPH is distributed free of charge to Oregon Grotto members and is exchanged for the publications of other organizations with interests similar to those of the Oregon Grotto. I guess that this is an editorial goodbye, as this SUBSCRIPTIONS: $6.00/year, plus $2.00/year if mailed will be our last issue as Editors of The outside the U.S. Speleograph. Charlie and Jo Larson have gotten EDITORS: itchy fingers and want it back, so we're letting it Becky Taylor go. We certainly have enjoyed it, though! Rick Pope Many thanks to everyone who helped make PLEASE SEND EXCHANGE PUBLICATIONS TO: 1981's publishing year a sucess. We wish you all a great holiday and New Year! Oregon Grotto Library 13402 N.E. Clark Road Rick & Becky Vancouver, Washington 98665 OREGON GROTTO OFRCERS: Chairman VIce-Chalrman Patty Silver Rick Pope 912 N.W. 50th Street 3539 S.W. Nevada Ct. Vancouver, WA 98663 Portland, OR 97219 (206)693-3600 (503) 244-0908 Secretary Treasurer Becky Taylor Donald W. Denbo 3539 S.W. Nevada Ct. 433 N.W.6th #3 Portland, OR 97219 Corvallis, OR 97330 NEW MEMBERS (503) 244-0908 (503)757-8358 Don and Helen Krehbiei EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: 7000 N.E. 219th Street Clara LaMarche (503) 282-1808 Battleground, Washington 98604 Jo Larson (206)573-2161 (206)687-2452 Steve Poulson (206)693-4402 Roger Silver (206)693-3600 Dave Smith (206) 254-6511 Randall Larson 10767 Jowacha Boulevard Grotto Storekeeper: Trip Coordinator: Space 177 Rick Pope Dave Smith Spring Valley, California 92078 3539 S.W. Nevada Ct. 8912 N.E. 80th Street Portland, OR 97219 Vancouver, WA 98662 (503) 244-0908 (206) 254-6511 Work:(503) 641-4141 Ext. 109 Program Coordinator Clara LaMarche CHANGE OF ADDRESS OREGON GROTTO PRESS: 3963 N.E. 14th Portland, OR Roger H. Silver, Pressman 282-1808(Home) Mary White & Patricia Haiiiday Patty Silver, Assistant 241-7228(Office) 902 N.W. 87th Street Vancouver, Washington 98665 Grotto meetings are no longer being held at The Oregon Museum of Science and industry (206) 574-0993 (OMSi). Until further notice, meetings will be held at the Southwest Washington Research Unit, 1918 N.E. 78th Street, Vancouver, WA. See directions on the calendar. Have a program? Contact our orotto Program Coordinator COPYRIGHT 1981, Oregon Grotto of the National Speleological Society. Clara LaMarche Page 171 December. W81 FEBRUARY MARCH J A N LJ A P Y I f- M 0 E f-"' r' s t^T'WT" F~ s" M Y" w' T' f "s i M r T F s 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 r 2 3'4 5 "s" 3 4 i ■ 1 2 ! 3 4 5 6 7 S 9 1 / 8 9 10 11 12 13 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 13: 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 iO 11 12 13 14 15 161 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 . 1 :s ?f. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23; Calendar 28 28 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 L... 31 December 18 - Oregon Grotto General Meeting - January 15 - Oregon Grotto General Meeting, 7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Washington Research 7:30 p.m. at the Southwest Washington Research Unit, 1918 N.E. 78th Street, Vancouver, Unit, Vancouver, Washington. See directions Washington. Heading north on Interstate 5, take under December meeting. the 78th street exit and head east Va mile on 78th. June 27 - July 3 1982 NSS Convention, Bend, You will come over Hwy 99. The facility is on the Oregon. right, directly across from the Grover Electric Building. Look for a cyclone fence. Parking in the Treasurer's Report rear. Agenda: Election of Officers for 1982. Slide program on the Marble Mountains and Shasta RE-INSTATED: Bruce Grant Cavers by Donald Denbo. Jack Grant December 31 - Oregon Grotto New Year's Party - DROPPED: at the home of Roger and Patty Silver, 912 N.W. Devines 50th Street, Vancouver, Washington. Keg will be provided, but bring your own snacks and other PAST DUE: Bernie Czop liquid refreshment. Call (206) 693-3600 for Dave & Grace Jones directions. Steve McCarroll January (?) - Oregon Grotto Executive Steve Urman Committee Meeting - at the home of whoever DUE DECEMBER: survives the New Year's Party. Call an officer Erwin Sweighoefer for further details. Alice Knapp 3. The Executive Committee shall mail ELECTIONS COMING ballots to the eligible Voting Members in reasonable time for a mailed return to any Executive Committee member prior to the December General meeting. A. Who may vote; Any Voting Member of the 4. The counting of votes shall take place at Oregon Grotto (See Constitution, Article III, E). the December General meeting, using the ballots received by mail, and those ballots B. Who may be elected: Any member of the submitted in person at the December Oregon Grotto who is eligible to vote in Grotto meeting. elections, and who is an NSS member. 5. The candidates receiving a plurality of C. Election Procedure: votes are elected. In the event of a tie, it is 1. Nominations for officers may be made the responsiblity of the Executive by any member eligible to vote in a Grotto Committee to cast the deciding vote. election: 6. The election results are to be announced a. In person at the November General at the December General meeting. meeting. b. In writing if received by an Executive D. Term of Office: Elected officers will start Committee member prior to the November their term of office on January 1, following the General Meeting. election, and will end their terms on the following December 31. 2. The order of nominations and voting shall be: Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Oregon Grotto By-Laws Secretary, and Treasurer. Section 1. The Speleograph. Vol. 17. no. 12 past" during our trip to the Pine Forest Range of northern Nevada. He told us that pack rats (Neotoma) generally forage within a hundred yards of their den. The pack rats gather all sorts of materials, haul them into the den and pile them up. As the rats defecate and urinate, the pile (or midden) becomes encrusted and compacted into amber rat. Plant "microfossils" in these middens may be preserved for thousands of years. For example, Lanner (1981) mentions pinyon pine needles that are 30,000 years old. We take careful notes and small samples. How old are the middens in Derrick Cave? Only Pete's carbon dating will tell us the answer. We stop at the Civil Defense Shelter. I explain TRANQUILITY SHA TTERED its purpose (Larson and Larson, 1976; Larson, C., Devil's Garden Geologic Area 1977). September 1-3,1981 "Who would want to shelter here? Could anyone even survive?" Temperatures in Derrick by Ellen M. Benedict Cave approach freezing (Benedict, 1977). I once A huge truck thunders by. I peer at my watch spent three days here during a cold rainstorm in the dim light — it is only 4:01 a.m.! WHAT (Garlock, 1977). I shiver at the thought of using ARE CONSTRUCTION TRUCKS DOING THIS this cave as a fallout shelter. We wonder, "How CLOSE TO DERRICK CAVE? I fall back to sleep. anyone could get way out here in time to avoid a Another truck RUMBLES by. I drift in and out of nuclear attack?" sleep as more trucks roar by. Then a road grader Leaving behind such depressing thoughts, we BEEPS about V4 mile away from my sleeping bag explore the main part of Derrick Cave. "What — beep, BEEP, BEEP, beep, beep, BEEP! How beautiful wall, ceiling and floor linings!" can anyone sleep? WHAT IS GOING ON? Deeper into the cave, we see tiny invertebrates "Where are the trucks coming from?" asks one — millipedes, springtails and spiders. I relate of my students as she emerges from her tent at another bit of history about some space age dawn. I am camped with my "Biolta and Volcanic experiments in Derrick Cave (Larson and Larson, Landforms" class from the Malheur Field Station. 1976; Larson, C., 1977). The American Aviation Conrad Hailing, Stacie Hanna, Carolina attempted to detect underground heat sources by Lindstedt and Sally Martin all attend Portland burning fuel oil over railroad rails. The heat was State; Mike Holman, Pacific U.; Anne Johnson, to be detected by aircraft flying over Derrick Cave Oregon State; and Cliff Schimett, Whitman when these materials "burned!" College. "I wonder how many cave-adapted invertebrate "I dreamed that large trucks rolled over my species were wiped out?" tent!" groans Conrad. During the afternoon, we go our separate ways, "That should be a welcome change from some to hike on the surface and the rest of us to dreaming that you are caving all night in your explore additional dark holes. I sit in a small cave tent!" while two students crawl "way back" into tiny "Are the trucks going to wake us up tomorrow passages half filled with packrat pellets. morning? Are they constructing a new I think back over our past three weeks — the powerline?" questions another student.