USA January 10-14, 2011—12th Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes And the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst. St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Web site: www.pela.com/sinkhole2011.htm or e-mail: [email protected] April 1-3, 2011—Texas Speleological Association (TSA) annual Spring Convention held at Fort Clark Springs, Brackettville, TX. The annual Spring Convention features presentations from cavers about developments in cave sciences, project updates, national and international exploration, and more. The TSA Spring convention is a great time to come together with family and friends to enjoy group meals, presentations, the map & photo salon, business meetings, and your favorite Aaron Atz speleovendors. For more info contact Ellie at Allison and Andrew Dubois in the Pothole Section downstream of the Mountain Room in (509) 899-0007 or email [email protected] Binkley in 2001 April 16-23, 2011—Cave Rescue Operations and Management Seminar, Guajataca Boy Scout Camp, San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. The seminar provides approximately 100 hours of instruction in cave rescue over eight days. Its classes are physically strenuous and participants must be in good physical health. Students should be prepared to work in difficult situations, both above Everton Dave and below ground. www.caves.org/commission/ ncrc/national/2011seminar/seminar2011.htm REGISTRATION (includes meals lodging) $548.00. Please register ONLINE as it is much easier. May 13-15, 2011 — Western Region Speleo- Ed Seminar, Three Rivers, California.Held at Lodgepole Campground in Sequoia Natl. Park. For information: www.caves.org/region/western May 13-15, 2011—Mid-Appalachian Region (MAR) spring meet at Shade Gap Fire Department Fair Grounds, Shade Gap, PA., hosted by Franklin County Grotto. email: [email protected] There will be caving, band, food and vendor. May 26-30, 2011—Memorial Day Weekend: 40th Kentucky Speleofest hosted by The Louisville Grotto at the Lone Star Preserve, Bonnieville, KY.. Come and be sure to bring old pictures, stories and help us celebrate 40 years of wonderful caving memories with old and new friends. We will have a food vendor, on Rope 1, camping, warm showers, howdy party with DJ, banquet, band, kayaking, hiking, cave social and all caving will be based on the newest information from the Ky Fish and Wildlife. Lots of childrens activities. More info: contact [email protected]. June 16-19, 2011—Greater Cincinnati Grotto is hosting Karst-O-Rama at the Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Mt.Vernon, KY. Website: http:// karstorama.com/ July 18-22, 2011—NSS Convention in Glenwood Springs, Colorado June 25-29, 2012—NSS Convention in the Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia October 3 – 7, 2011—National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, Zermatt Resort, Midway, Utah. Web site: http://www.nckms. org/2011/ For more information contact Camille_ [email protected] or [email protected]. INTERNATIONAL July 21-28, 2013—16th International Congress of Speleology, Brno, Czech Republic. Web site: www.speleo2013.com Send items for the calendar to davebunnell@ comcast.net at least 6 weeks before desired month of publication (i.e., by March 15 for the May issue). Pat Mudd in Geeding’s Dome, Binkley Cave, Indiana 2 NSS NewS, February 2011 POSTMASTERS OR MEMBERS: Send address changes to National Speleological NSS News Society, 2813 Cave Ave., Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. February 2011 NSS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Volume 69 Number 2 Gordon Birkhimer 2807 Hogan Court Falls Church, VA 22043 (703) 573-4653 [email protected] Administrative VP Operations VP Geary Schindel Indiana Wm Shrewsbury 11310 Whisper Dawn st 124 4th Ave NW San Antonio, TX 78230 The 51 Year Under the Sinkhole Plain Largo, FL 33770 210-479-2151 [email protected] [email protected] After the Book: the Rejuvenation of the Exploration of the Binkley- 727-424-2901 Blowing Hole Cave System. Part One............................................ 4 Secretary/Treasurer Executive VP Peri Frantz Gary Roberson and Dave Everton John LaMar Cole 16345 Englewood Ave. 1196 Millcreek Dr Los Gatos, CA 95032-4621 Lexington KY 40517-2984 (home) 408-356-8506 859-245-3383 Cave Science [email protected] [email protected] Notes On The Geology And Meteorology of Sites Infected With National Speleological Society Office White-Nose Syndrome Before July 2010 in the Southeastern 2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431 Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX (256)851-9241 United States ............................................................................. 15 e-mail: [email protected]; web: www.caves.org Christopher S. Swezey and Christopher P. Garrity Please contact the office for address changes or back issues. NSS NEWS EDITOR Society News Dave Bunnell Box 879 Celebrating our Success in Serving our Science Mission: The Angels Camp, CA 95222 [email protected] Journal of Cave and Karst Studies .............................................. 28 Louise D. Hose Please include “NSS News” in your subject line when e-mailing material to help me sort it from the spam. Thanks! Questions about submitting features and photos? Please see the style and submission guidelines:on the NSS web site: www.caves.org/pub/nssnews/style.html ADVERTISING Complete advertising information, including ad costs, deadlines, and Underground Update ....................26 News and Notes ............................29 guidelines for preparation, are on the NSS wesite at: www.caves. org/pub/nssnews/ads.html Payment info, contact: President’s Message ....................27 Reading .........................................30 Advertising Accountant: Society News ................................27 Classified Ads ...............................31 Bert Ashbrook 107 Avonbrook Road, Wallingford, PA 19086 (610) 627-2378 evenings [email protected] DEPARTMENT EDITORS Conservation neWsletter revieW Front cover: Rand Heazlitt at the Teardrop in the Upper Flood Route in the South Jim & Val Hildreth-Werker Kim Gentry Branch of Binkley Cave, Indiana. Photo by Dave Everton. PO Box 207 110 Beechwood Lane Hillsboro, NM 88042-0207 Mt. Washington, KY 40047 (575) 895-5050 [email protected] Back cover [email protected] Right: Kevin White and John Harris outside the main entrance to Binkley Cave, spelean spotlight in the Media Indiana. Photo by Dave Everton. Ron Zuber Bill Klimack [email protected] 23 Monet Bend Place Left: Rafting up the Virgin River in then-newly-opened Baelz Section of Binkley safety & teChniques The Woodlands, TX 77382 Cave 1970. Photo by Dave Des Marais. [email protected] Aaron Bird (281)-362-5001 [email protected] Bottom: Kevin Smith in Big Orange Country in the Baelz section of Binkley Cave, Indiana. Photo by Dave Everton. Deadline: Ads, articles and announcements should be sent to the editor by the 15th of the month, six weeks before the month of issue (e.g., material for the March issue needs to be in by January 15). The NSS News (ISSN 0027-7010) is published monthly with This issue contains a lengthy piece on WNS-infected sites in the Southeastern the Members Manual and American Caving Accidents published as U.S. Normally when I get a science submission with two full News pages of refer- additional issues by the National Speleological Society, Inc, 2813 Cave Ave, Huntsville, AL 35810-4431. Periodicals Postage Paid at Huntsville, ences alone, I figure it is more appropriate to submit it to the Journal. But since Al and additional mailing offices. Tel: (256)852-1300; FAX (256)851- things can take a year of more before getting published there once submitted, I agreed 9241, e-mail: [email protected], web: www.caves.org Regular membership in the NSS is $40 per year. See http://caves. to publish it given the importance of getting the data out quickly. I do not want to org/info/membertypes.shtml for descriptions of other membership generally encourage people to publish scientific work in the News, lets keep such categories. Subscriptions to the NSS News are $27 per year; individual copies are $3.00 each. Contact the Huntsville office for membership things for the Journal. applications, subscriptions, orders, or for replacement of issues missing On another note, the normal Conservation issue is being delayed from March or damaged in the mail. Moving? Please report changes of address to the office promptly or online at: www.caves.org/info/changeinfo.shtml to April this year, allowing more time for the editors to gather articles and to be able to run Part 2 of the Binkley article. Coming up in May, our first-ever special issue Copyright ©2011 by the National Speleological Society, Inc. devoted to caving in Alaska, and in June, exploration in New York’s Thunderhole. NSS NewS, February 2011 3 The 51st Year Under the Sinkhole Plain: After the Book—the Rejuvenation of the Exploration of the Binkley- Blowing Hole Cave System, Part One Gary Roberson and Dave Everton Background & Early Exploration The modern exploration of the Binkley Landmark and Cave Country Canoes into George Jaegers and I were sitting well Cave System had begun in 1958 as the first regional recreation areas, other aging ISS back in the crowd of over 1,000 cavers project of the newly-formed Bloomington members were busy building businesses at the closing banquet of the 2007 NSS Indiana Grotto. The next year (2008) would or broadening their horizons beyond cave Convention in Indiana, which was being held mark the 50th anniversary of mapping and exploring. However, in the second half of the in the Marengo Underground Warehouse - surveying in the cave, so I decided the book 1990s, the local ISS contingent (now enter- formerly a limestone rock quarry. That far should be titled “Fifty Years Under the ing their 50s) set to work attempting to dig back from the platform, the voices from the Sinkhole Plain.” In 2007, Binkley Cave and blast upstream around the breakdown speakers reverberating off the walls of the was just over 22 miles in length and nearby at the base of the historic Binkley entrance. tunnel combined with the shouts of noisy Blowing Hole Cave had nearly two miles of This would become the last burst of activity as children playing in the back of the huge underground rivers mapped.