[Texascavers] Nevada Barr's Blind Descent
I don't know how many of you are mystery fiction fans, but Nevada Barr is one of the best and probably the only one in her specific genre--mysteries taking place in National Parks. In 1993, she published Track of the Cat, the first of fourteen novels with Anna Pigeon, a park ranger, as her protagonist. This novel took place in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, her second posting with the Park Service. In 1998, she published Blind Descent, her sixth in the series, which took place in a highly disguised Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns NP: Blind Descent, the sixth in the Anna Pigeon series, is set in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Lechuguilla, the cave the action takes place in has been largely fictionalized both for plot and because, to preserve it, the NPS has closed the cave to visitors. Blind Descent was nominated for an Anthony Award. Dale Pate was her escort through the Park. The book, a tense murder mystery, was excellent and provided me with more than a couple of empathetic moments (flashes of claustrophobia). All of her books are good. As another federal employee and former Carlsbad Caverns employee, I can tell by what she says and how she says it that she is NPS. If you like mysteries, you'll like this series--even though they don't take place in caves.
Re: [Texascavers] Nevada Barr's Blind Descent
Yes indeed - a fine tale, and I was amazed that in the whole book I don't think the words spelunker or spelunking appear once! Louise Power wrote: I don't know how many of you are mystery fiction fans, but Nevada Barr is one of the best and probably the only one in her specific genre--mysteries taking place in National Parks. In 1993, she published /Track of the Cat/, the first of fourteen novels with Anna Pigeon, a park ranger, as her protagonist. This novel took place in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, her second posting with the Park Service. In 1998, she published /Blind Descent, /her sixth in the series,/ /which took place in a highly disguised Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns NP: /*Blind Descent*, the sixth in the Anna Pigeon series, is set in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Lechuguilla, the cave the action takes place in has been largely fictionalized both for plot and because, to preserve it, the NPS has closed the cave to visitors. Blind Descent was nominated for an Anthony Award./ Dale Pate was her escort through the Park. The book, a tense murder mystery, was excellent and provided me with more than a couple of empathetic moments (flashes of claustrophobia). All of her books are good. As another federal employee and former Carlsbad Caverns employee, I can tell by what she says and how she says it that she is NPS. If you like mysteries, you'll like this series--even though they don't take place in caves.
Re: [Texascavers] Nevada Barr's Blind Descent
If you liked this one you will like the other park mystery books by Nevada Barr. Quinta In 1998, she published Blind Descent, her sixth in the series, which took place in a highly disguised Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Caverns NP: Blind Descent, the sixth in the Anna Pigeon series, is set in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Lechuguilla, the cave the action takes place in has been largely fictionalized both for plot and because, to preserve it, the NPS has closed the cave to visitors. Blind Descent was nominated for an Anthony Award.
[ot_caving] CNG
I know this is not a 'fix' and may bring up prices in the short run but It is interesting. Quinta Source - NGV Global Friday, 22 August 2008 00:00 USA, Texas The Texas General Land Office is expanding eligibility for their Natural Gas Vehicle Initiative Grant Program to include private fleets in urban counties. Street sweepers, forklifts, buses and garbage trucks that run on diesel are expensive and dirty, Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson said. This grant program helps convert these fleets to clean-burning natural gas, which is produced right here in Texas, costs less and even earns money for public education. The Land Office grant program has already drawn the attention of public entities, like the cities of Dallas and Austin, both of which have made applications. The goal of opening up the grant program to private fleets is to ensure that private companies doing contract work for public entities won't be cut out, Patterson said. Patterson said the biggest hurdle in switching to natural gas is the lack of natural gas stations at every corner. But once a network of CNG [compressed natural gas] stations is developed, as in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the savings can really start to add up, Patterson said. Dallas alone now has a fleet of more than 1,200 CNG vehicles. The NGV grant program, provided to the Land Office through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, will be open in 34 counties in areas specified by the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan to meet air quality program goals. This $5 million grant program also is a step toward achieving President Bush's goal of reducing U.S. gasoline usage by 20 percent in the next 10 years. Eligible public partners in the Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Tyler, Longview and Baytown areas also will be able to save money by purchasing natural gas for their fleets from the Texas General Land Office's State Energy Marketing Program. Proceeds from that program are earmarked for the Permanent School Fund.
[Texascavers] Putting cave maps into Google Map..
I haven't tried this, but the guy who did this shows how to put a map of a UK cave (Swildon's Hole)into GoogleMap. Dunno if this is easy or not.. T. http://www.bdcc.co.uk/GoogleCrunch/Crunch.htm http://home.infionline.net/~tbsamsel/ - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[ot_caving] LNG
More on change over. Quinta Market Developments Source - NGV Global Thursday, 21 August 2008 00:00 USA Canada CleanAir Logix of Oakland, California has ordered 9 Kenworth T800 heavy-duty liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks, featuring Westport Innovations' High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) technology, for deployment at the Port of Oakland. The Port will use the trucks for hauling containers to and from the seaport. Said Bob Cross, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of CleanAir Logix. We specialize in environmentally responsible logistics solutions, and these Kenworth trucks featuring the Westport ISX G engine fit the bill for this application and our corporate mission to provide practical and commercially viable alternative-fuel based solutions. We are pleased to see Westport's product going into operation in another busy California port, added Michael Gallagher, President Chief Operating Officer of Westport Innovations. The environmental and economic benefits of clean, low-carbon, and domestic LNG are leading more and more truck fleets to consider LNG trucks. The Westport ISX G and LNG fuel system on the Kenworth T800 provides operators with a robust, high performance package that addresses those needs. Based on the Cummins ISX diesel engine with cooled EGR, the Westport's ISX G LNG version of the engine offers the same horsepower, torque, and efficiency as the base diesel engine it is replacing. The Westport LNG fuel system comprises LNG fuel tanks, proprietary Westport fuel injectors, cryogenic fuel pumps and associated electronic components to facilitate robust performance. The Westport LNG system is 2007 EPA and CARB certified to 0.8g/bhp-hr NOx and 0.01g/bhp-hr PM.
Re: [ot_caving] LNG
Many people run their trucks on LNG here in Mexico my father was one of those, its indeed a cleaner fuel and doesnt hurt the earth as much as gas but prices went up and it ended costing more to operate a vehicle on LNG than regular gas, plus it messes your fuel injectors in the long run. LNG does not pack the same BTU than gas, let alone diesel so it also hurts your fuel efficiency, with the price of LNG nowadays here, it is cheaper to operate a gas or diesel vehicle, and personally Im not yet into saving the earth, I'm more into saving my wallet but thats just me. my 0.002 pesos (0.02 dollars) Nico On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 6:37 AM, qui...@clearwire.net wrote: More on change over. Quinta Market Developments Source - NGV Global Thursday, 21 August 2008 00:00 USA Canada CleanAir Logix of Oakland, California has ordered 9 Kenworth T800 heavy-duty liquefied natural gas (LNG) trucks, featuring Westport Innovations' High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) technology, for deployment at the Port of Oakland. The Port will use the trucks for hauling containers to and from the seaport. Said Bob Cross, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of CleanAir Logix. We specialize in environmentally responsible logistics solutions, and these Kenworth trucks featuring the Westport ISX G engine fit the bill for this application and our corporate mission to provide practical and commercially viable alternative-fuel based solutions. We are pleased to see Westport's product going into operation in another busy California port, added Michael Gallagher, President Chief Operating Officer of Westport Innovations. The environmental and economic benefits of clean, low-carbon, and domestic LNG are leading more and more truck fleets to consider LNG trucks. The Westport ISX G and LNG fuel system on the Kenworth T800 provides operators with a robust, high performance package that addresses those needs. Based on the Cummins ISX diesel engine with cooled EGR, the Westport's ISX G LNG version of the engine offers the same horsepower, torque, and efficiency as the base diesel engine it is replacing. The Westport LNG fuel system comprises LNG fuel tanks, proprietary Westport fuel injectors, cryogenic fuel pumps and associated electronic components to facilitate robust performance. The Westport LNG system is 2007 EPA and CARB certified to 0.8g/bhp-hr NOx and 0.01g/bhp-hr PM.
[Texascavers] upcoming Colorado Bend State Park project
The weekend of September 12-14 marks the start of a new project season at Colorado Bend State Park (CBSP) in San Saba County, Texas. This TSA-sponsored Project is helping document information on the caves and karst of the Park to aid in management and future research. Currently there are approximately known 200 caves in the Park, but we find a new one every couple of trips or so. The Project is open to all cavers, dues-paying TSA members or not (although we STRONGLY urge you to join and support your state-wide caving organization!). Cavers of all experience levels are welcome, as there are a wide variety of caves at the Park and a large number of tasks to be done. There will be a specific set of objectives for this weekend, so make sure you see me and sign up for a team upon arrival. We will be camping in the plush Cavers Camp, at the end of the first dirt road (right-hand turn) IMMEDIATELY inside the Park entrance gate. Easy to find, even in the dark! Bring your own camping gear, including water, food, and a means to prepare it. There MAY be a group fire if there is no county-wide burn ban. Please camp in the grassy areas BEFORE you get to the campfire area. Feel free to drive right up to whatever spot you pick. There are a lot of nice ones a little further back in the trees if you like your privacy. All cavers should come prepared to work. Project weekend are not for tourist trips. We have a variety of tasks to be accomplished, including mapping, writing narrative descriptions, photodocumentation, digging, and biologizing. Bring your own gear, including vertical gear if you are vertically competent and plan to do any of the vertical caves in the Park. There is no need to sign up in advance, just show up at Caver Camp before 9 a.m. on Saturday (at the latest). I will be there early Friday to make sure everything is organized. Remember that $2 will be collected from every participant as a Project fee, as per TSA policy. There will be no other charges, including Park admission or camping fees. Dogs are tolerated if they are well-behaved and kept under control. Park rules indicate that they are to be on leash at all times. If teams complete their objectives early Saturday, there will be opportunities to swim at Spicewood Springs, and easy 1/2 mile or so walk from the developed area near Park headquarters. If not, plan to stay awhile Sunday and just relax! Let me know if there are specific questions. Otherwise, I hope to see you there! Jim Crash Kennedy TSA-CBSP Project Coordinator
[ot_caving] Protecting structures from wildfire
Earlier this summer there was some discussion on how to protect one of the field houses from wildfire. I offered some suggestions based on my experience over the past few years. Today I found an article online which may answer a lot of questions. In it there is also a link on how to landscape around structures. I'm not talking English garden landscaping, but what kind of plants might keep a fire from encroaching on the house. Hope this will be helpful to those who were doing the work. http://realestate.msn.com/improve/Article2.aspx?cp-documentid=9645212GT1=35000
[NMCAVER] Fw: Bats Take Turns 'Shutting Up' When Flying in Groups
Hi, Just received an interesting article on bat communication. Please post on the website. Thanks, Lee Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 1:30 PM Subject: Bats Take Turns 'Shutting Up' When Flying in Groups http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,410661,00.htmlhttp://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,410661,00.html ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
[Texascavers] Bat Communication
From NMCaver: Bats Take Turns 'Shutting Up' When Flying in Groups: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,410661,00.html Mark Minton
[Texascavers] another hollywood cave movie ?
http://www.joblo.com/arrow/index.php?id=13553
[ot_caving] Alaska oil
About Open CRS American taxpayers spend over $100 million a year to fund the Congressional Research Service, a think tank that provides reports to members of Congress on a variety of topics relevant to current political events. Yet, these reports are not made available to the public in a way that they can be easily obtained. A project of the Center for Democracy Technology through the cooperation of several organizations and collectors of CRS Reports, Open CRS provides citizens access to CRS Reports already in the public domain and encourages Congress to provide public access to all CRS Reports. RL34547 Possible Federal Revenue from Oil Development of ANWR and Nearby Areas June 23, 2008 Download Locations: Open CRS (User submitted) Summary: Recent high petroleum prices, and the related economic burden on consumers and energy-intensive industries, has raised the issue of stimulating domestic supplies of crude oil. One possible source is the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), which is estimated to contain significant quantities of oil and gas. Interest in developing the ANWR oil resources has also focused on the revenues that the federal government could collect should exploration and development be successful. Some observers have suggested using such revenues for purposes such as providing relief to petroleum consumers, further subsidizing energy conservation measures, or reducing federal budget deficits. However, current federal law prohibits the production of oil and gas in ANWR. Federal revenues would consist primarily of corporate income taxes on profits earned by oil producers from the production and sale of ANWR oil. As landowner, the federal government would also collect royalties from such production on federal lands, which are included in the estimates. If producers were able to recover 10.3 billion barrels of oil over the life of the properties -- the United States Geological Survey has estimated there is a 50-50 chance that the ANWR coastal plain contains at least this amount of oil -- and if oil prices are $125/barrel, then the federal government might be able to collect $191 billion in revenues over the production period, estimated to be at least 30 years once production commences. This estimate consists of nearly $132 billion in federal corporate income taxes, and about nearly $59 billion in federal royalties. These estimates are subject to major limitations. Estimates of technologically recoverable oil used in this report include the resources from the federal lands, and assume the availability of resources in Native lands in the Refuge and offshore state lands. The Alaska Statehood Act would allot 90% of gross royalties to the state and 10% to the federal government. The federal government would collect revenues from bonus bids from federal leases, and rents on undeveloped leases. These are not estimated separately by CRS. Independent estimates by the Congressional Budget Office for President Bush's FY2009 budget proposal show estimated bonus bid revenues of $6 billion between FY2011 and FY2018. Finally, income tax revenues from the secondary feedback effects would also increase as a result of the stimulus to general economic activity. However, these revenues are not included here due to the difficulty in estimation over the projection time horizon. RS22928 Oil Development on Federal Lands and the Outer Continental Shelf August 06, 2008 Download Locations: Open CRS (User submitted) Summary: Over the past year, crude oil prices have nearly doubled, reaching record levels. Proposals before Congress include a number of legislative initiatives to increase domestic oil production. These proposals have fallen into two broad categories: (1) to open areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) which are currently under leasing moratoria; and (2) to encourage companies holding oil and gas leases to diligently develop leases to bring them into production. Two bills were introduced that would have denied new leases to those lessees who were not developing their leases or producing oil or gas (H.R. 6251 and H.R. 6515). The two bills, including similar provisions, were introduced under suspension of the rules in the House and both failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds support. Comparable legislation has been introduced in the Senate (S. 3239). There are also several proposals to lift the congressional OCS moratoria (e.g., H.R. 6418, H.R. 6529, and S. 3126, S. 3202), including an amendment to the FY2009 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriation bill. Proponents of these initiatives argue that promising areas should be open for exploration to maximize domestic oil production as quickly as possible. However, there are long lead times and often numerous considerations and constraints in getting federal oil and gas leases from the lease sale into production. Many leases
[NMCAVER] SWR Regional Labor Day Weekend
Hello All, Sandia Grotto members have been working hard on this weekend's regional in the Sandia Ski Resort. We have more projects and trips planned than we probably have people coming to attend. Please join us for the weekend. Print this email out and take with you. We have camping at the north end of the Ski Resort lower parking lot arranged. Direction signs will be out starting at 4PM Friday. There is a gate to the lower ski lodge and the camping area that closes about 6PM each night. The gate will be locked. We will have our lock on the gate. The combination is 2402. Cell phone numbers if there are any problems: Kevin Lorms (Sandia Pres.) 505-205-9090 Ray Keeler (Sandia Grotto VP) 623-523-1760 A pot luck dinner is set for Saturday evening. Bring food to share. Elevation is about 8000 feet so it will be cool/chilly at night (which will be a nice relief) The lodge within short walking distance will be open for food each day from 10AM-3PM. The ski lift will be open from 9AM to 4PM for those who want to ride to the top. The Ski Resort will rent mountain bikes if you want to ride to the top and bike down. We have a special use permit for the event. Two porta jons are being rented. Kevin is bringing a keg and five gallons of margaritas. The beer and margaritas will be $1 per glass to help pay for the porta jons. CAVES: We have trips planned to (and permission for) the following caves in the Sandia Mountains. Trip sign ups will be after the SWR meeting Saturday morning. Yup, we have leaders. Sandia Cave - is a 454 foot long, dry, phreatic cave. There are no pits. The cave is a national natural landmark. It was the subject of an extensive archeological dig circa 1939. A spiral stair case was installed to allow public access. Guano Cave - The cave has a large opening that is easily seen from the road and is located about ½ mile north of Sandia Cave. The cave has a large entrance room and about 125 feet of passages. Soot covers the ceiling in the entrance room. There is recent litter in this room that needs to be removed. Davis Cave - is a small, two room cave and was the subject of an archeological dig circa 1939. Marmot Cave - was referenced in the original proposal as Tee Pee Cave. The Hibben report (1939) referenced Marmot Cave and we believe these are the same cave. The Marmot Cave name will be used in the future. The Cave is a single, walking passage about 30 feet long. The joint controlled passage continues as a very narrow crawlway. Embudo Cave - is located on the Ski Resort property. The cave is a large, single room and currently has a solid steel door that seals the entrance. A hand crank is needed to open a covering that allows access to the lock. The Forest Service has both the crank and the key. We need to GPS the entrance. The forest service is having trouble locating the key so no trip this weekend. We will be looking at the upcoming effort to convert the gate to restore the entrance as a bat habitat. Cat Track Cave - is on the Ski Resort property. The entrance can be seen from the ski lift and it is not far from one of the towers. It is joint controlled with several hundred feet of passage and needs a map created. A currently unnamed cave is also located on the Ski Resort property. An employee will be showing us the location during the weekend. The cave is reported to be a narrow fissure with two rope pitches. Cooper Ellis Cave - is on private property nearby - The cave contains several hundred feet of joint controlled passages. We need a GPS and a map created. Lake Cave - Small Cave with a permanent pool. We have the GPS on this. GPS's on three other karst features. ADDITIONALLY: We have written permission from the Zia Indian Nation to visit Alabaster Cave (aka el Diablo) AND the 14 caves in the area. Alabaster is horizontal, most of the others are vertical. We hope to see you this weekend. Ray ___ NMCAVER mailing list nmca...@caver.net http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
[ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV
This may help oil but will it help the economy? The air quality - some help. Quinta Source - NGV Global Tuesday, 26 August 2008 05:06 USA, California Two national truckload carriers have signed letters of intent to participate in the port of Los Angeles' Clean Trucks Plan. The two, Swift Transportation Co. and Knight Transportation, both based in Phoenix, plan to begin drayage operations at L.A. in October, the port said in a statement late Thursday. While the number of trucks they will operate in the market is still to be determined, port officials expect that, collectively, their pool of trucks will exceed 2,000. The trucks will meet 2007 federal diesel emissions standards using a mix of clean diesel and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled trucks, the port's statement said. It's a big deal, a major breakthrough, said John Husing, a California-based economist and a logistics and supply chain expert who was called on to evaluate the port's truck replacement plan. Paul Bingham, managing director of trade and transportation markets for economic research firm Global Insight, said, These are both well-known, national trucking companies. They are very serious players.
Re: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV
I believe that relying on our own resources as opposed to enriching the treasuries of oil-rich middle eastern countries is a very good idea, economically. -WaV On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 6:38 AM, qui...@clearwire.net wrote: This may help oil but will it help the economy? The air quality - some help. Quinta Source - NGV Global Tuesday, 26 August 2008 05:06 USA, California Two national truckload carriers have signed letters of intent to participate in the port of Los Angeles' Clean Trucks Plan. The two, Swift Transportation Co. and Knight Transportation,
RE: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV
Lift restrictions, drill now and vote for the candidate who shares these beliefs. Coal, wind and sun are OK also. Fritz From: Don Cooper [mailto:wavyca...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:52 PM To: qui...@clearwire.net Cc: o...@texascavers.com Subject: Re: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV I believe that relying on our own resources as opposed to enriching the treasuries of oil-rich middle eastern countries is a very good idea, economically. -WaV On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 6:38 AM, qui...@clearwire.netmailto:qui...@clearwire.net wrote: This may help oil but will it help the economy? The air quality - some help. Quinta Source - NGV Global Tuesday, 26 August 2008 05:06 USA, California Two national truckload carriers have signed letters of intent to participate in the port of Los Angeles' Clean Trucks Plan. The two, Swift Transportation Co. and Knight Transportation,
RE: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV
Don't forget nuclear. Mark From: Fritz Holt [mailto:fh...@townandcountryins.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:16 PM To: Don Cooper; qui...@clearwire.net Cc: o...@texascavers.com Subject: RE: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV Lift restrictions, drill now and vote for the candidate who shares these beliefs. Coal, wind and sun are OK also. Fritz From: Don Cooper [mailto:wavyca...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:52 PM To: qui...@clearwire.net Cc: o...@texascavers.com Subject: Re: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV I believe that relying on our own resources as opposed to enriching the treasuries of oil-rich middle eastern countries is a very good idea, economically. -WaV On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 6:38 AM, qui...@clearwire.net wrote: This may help oil but will it help the economy? The air quality - some help. Quinta Source - NGV Global Tuesday, 26 August 2008 05:06 USA, California Two national truckload carriers have signed letters of intent to participate in the port of Los Angeles' Clean Trucks Plan. The two, Swift Transportation Co. and Knight Transportation,
RE: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV
By all means. An oversight on my part. Fritz From: mark.al...@l-3com.com [mailto:mark.al...@l-3com.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:39 PM To: Fritz Holt; Don Cooper; qui...@clearwire.net Cc: o...@texascavers.com Subject: RE: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV Don't forget nuclear. Mark From: Fritz Holt [mailto:fh...@townandcountryins.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 3:16 PM To: Don Cooper; qui...@clearwire.net Cc: o...@texascavers.com Subject: RE: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV Lift restrictions, drill now and vote for the candidate who shares these beliefs. Coal, wind and sun are OK also. Fritz From: Don Cooper [mailto:wavyca...@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 2:52 PM To: qui...@clearwire.net Cc: o...@texascavers.com Subject: Re: [ot_caving] Yes Calif again NGV I believe that relying on our own resources as opposed to enriching the treasuries of oil-rich middle eastern countries is a very good idea, economically. -WaV On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 6:38 AM, qui...@clearwire.netmailto:qui...@clearwire.net wrote: This may help oil but will it help the economy? The air quality - some help. Quinta Source - NGV Global Tuesday, 26 August 2008 05:06 USA, California Two national truckload carriers have signed letters of intent to participate in the port of Los Angeles' Clean Trucks Plan. The two, Swift Transportation Co. and Knight Transportation,
