[Texascavers] October issue of the Oztotl Caver
Who would like an electronic copy of the Oztotl Caver sent to them? It's a beauty! This is the newsletter of the DFW Grotto, which some say is the NEW Center of the Caving (or Texas) Universe. Bill - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
texascavers Digest 21 Oct 2008 16:29:59 -0000 Issue 630
texascavers Digest 21 Oct 2008 16:29:59 - Issue 630 Topics (messages 9227 through 9233): Re: [greater_houston_grotto] NSS camping 9227 by: George Veni Re: 15th ICS - abstract deadline coming soon! 9228 by: Mixon Bill ICS camping 9229 by: Gill Ediger 9230 by: George Veni New Section on Deep and Punkin Nature Preserve on TCMA Web Page 9231 by: Geary Schindel Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos 9232 by: Lee H. Skinner October issue of the Oztotl Caver 9233 by: speleosteele.tx.rr.com Administrivia: To subscribe to the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-subscr...@texascavers.com To unsubscribe from the digest, e-mail: texascavers-digest-unsubscr...@texascavers.com To post to the list, e-mail: texascavers@texascavers.com -- ---BeginMessage--- There are six lodging options for the ICS. On campus: 1) Loud campground: located in the vicinity of the pavilion where the Howdy Party, Terminal Syphons Concert, and other evening social events will occur. 2) Quiet campground: Located on the opposite side of the Schreiner University campus. Both campgrounds are only a 1-5 minute walk from the sessions. Portable toilets, caver-built showers, and toilets and showers in the campus gymnasium will be available for the campgrounds. Combined, the on campus campgrounds total 27 acres. 3) Dormitories: Two beds in one air conditioned room. In three of the four dorm buildings, two rooms share one bathroom. In the fourth building (and last to be filled), 10 rooms share one large communal bathroom. 4) Apartments: Two bedrooms per apartments, with one bed per bedroom and one private bathroom per bedroom. They have a communal area plus a kitchen, but no utensils or cooking supplies. Off campus: 5) A diverse group of hotels and motels. 6) Kerrville-Schreiner Park: This is the park where TSA convention was held last spring and will likely occur again next spring. The ICS has reserved the area near the Guadalupe River, the same area where the TSA Convention occurred. Reservations for this area will be only for the ICS until 31 March 2009, after which any unreserved spots will be available to the general public. Key reasons to camp here are if you want direct access to the river, have an RV (not allowed in the Schreiner University campgrounds) or pets (also not allowed at Schreiner). Keep in mind that pets must not be left unaccompanied. If you bring a pet to Kerrville, bring friends or family members so at least someone can stay with the pet at the park. Another option is to coordinate among cavers coming with pets and rotate pet-sitting duties among a larger group. If you've made reservations at the park but were not aware that this area is reserved for the ICS, call the park to change your reservation to that area if needed and desired. Details on lodging options and all other aspects of the ICS are posted on the ICS website: www.ics2009.us. Maps of on-campus camping are currently being drafted and will be posted as soon as they are ready. Select Accommodations, 7th from the bottom of the menu on the left side of the website's pages, for more information, including the exact campsite numbers reserved for the ICS at Kerrville-Schreiner Park. George -Original Message- From: Sheryl Rieck [mailto:shri...@cableone.net] Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 9:09 AM To: speleoste...@tx.rr.com; germa...@aol.com Cc: Texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Fwd: [greater_houston_grotto] NSS camping I guess because I didn't know there was a campsite at the convention? More info, please? Sheryl -Original Message- From: speleoste...@tx.rr.com [mailto:speleoste...@tx.rr.com] Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 9:23 AM To: germa...@aol.com Cc: Texascavers@texascavers.com Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: [greater_houston_grotto] NSS camping Why not camp at the convention site? The noise will be caver noise, music to the ears of a caver. Bill germa...@aol.com wrote: Don't delay - make your reservations today for the NSS/ICS - it's just a few months away! I just made reservations for Kerrville Schriener park for the NSS convention July 18-26. They have 53 sites left. Just thought I would share that info. -Original Message- From: Sheryl Rieck shri...@cableone.net To: greater_houston_gro...@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 19 Oct 2008 8:50 am Subject: [greater_houston_grotto] NSS camping I just made reservations for Kerrville Schriener park for the NSS convention July 18-26. They have 53 sites left. Just thought I would share that info. Sheryl There is no reason that the universe should be designed for our convenience. John D.
[ot_caving] Desert encroachment
I thought some might like to know about this. Quinta Other approaches are being used to halt soil erosion and desert encroachment on cropland. Algeria, trying to halt the northward advance of the Sahara Desert, announced in December 2000 that it was concentrating its orchards and vineyards in the southern part of the country, hoping that these perennial plantings will halt the desertification of its cropland. In July 2005, the Moroccan government, responding to severe drought, announced that it was allocating $778 million to cancel farmers' debts and to convert cereal-planted areas into less vulnerable olive and fruit orchards. Sub-Saharan Africa faces a similar situation, with the desert moving southward all across the Sahel, from Senegal on the west coast to Djibouti on the east coast. Countries are concerned about the growing displacement of people as grasslands and croplands turn to desert. As a result, the African Union has launched the Green Wall Sahara Initiative. This plan, originally proposed by Olusegun Obasanjo when he was President of Nigeria, calls for the planting of 300 million trees on 3 million hectares of land, in a long band stretching across Africa. Senegal, which is currently losing 50,000 hectares of productive land each year, would anchor the green wall on the western end. Senegal's Environment Minister Modou Fada Diagne says, Instead of waiting for the desert to come to us, we need to attack it. China is likewise planting a belt of trees to protect land from the expanding Gobi Desert. This green wall, a modern version of the Great Wall, is projected to reach some 4,480 kilometers (2,800 miles) in length, stretching from outer Beijing through Inner Mongolia. In addition to its Great Green Wall, China is paying farmers in the threatened provinces to plant their cropland in trees. The goal is to plant trees on 10 million hectares of grainland, easily one tenth of China's current grainland area.
[Texascavers] Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos
See the National Geographic article about Xe Bang Fai River Cave at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/photogalleries/river-caves-photos/index.html/ The photos are great! Lee Skinner - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
RE: [Texascavers] Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos
Wow! Very impressive. I just wish they'd put in pictures of the 10 spiders and the cubical cave pearls. Maybe those will go in the published article. Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:17:30 -0600 From: skin...@thuntek.net To: nmca...@caver.net; texascavers@texascavers.com; cavedigg...@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Texascavers] Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos See the National Geographic article about Xe Bang Fai River Cave at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/photogalleries/river-caves-photos/index.html/ The photos are great! Lee Skinner - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
[Texascavers] Re: Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos
I think someone forgot their gloves... http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/photogalleries/river-caves-photos/index.html/photo5.html Simon -- Forwarded message -- From: Lee H. Skinner skin...@thuntek.net To: nmcaver list nmca...@caver.net, texascavers list texascavers@texascavers.com, Cave Diggers cavedigg...@yahoogroups.com Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:17:30 -0600 Subject: Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos See the National Geographic article about Xe Bang Fai River Cave at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/photogalleries/river-caves-photos/index.html/ The photos are great! Lee Skinner - Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com
RE: [Texascavers] Gigantic River Cave Revealed in Laos
There will be no photos of the 10-inch spiders since no one would voluneteer hands or any other body parts for scale. pk - 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] a practical LED flashlight
I have noticed recently a trend of cavers saying their LED lights are Locklear-Approved. To set the record straight, I have not yet formally approved, rated, certified, nor validated any LED light. However, as of today, I will put my stamp of approval on the following LED mini-flashlight: It is called the LED Pocket Light. It is sold under the Eddie Bauer brand name at Target stores. You will find it in the section where they sell leatherman like tools, or other Eddie Bauer gadgets. It is imported from China by Coast Products out of Portland. This light would be considered a pen-light, so it might be overlooked by cavers shopping for a maglite or a a small flashlight. I say it is a very practical tool. A good one for the glove box.A good one for reading a map.A good one to carry in your pocket on a short evening hike. It is ideally suited for a full-trip thru Airman's Cave.With a good set of batteries you should be able to reach the Poetry Room, and return without ever changing the batteries. ( disclaimer: I have only been to the area just before Sherwood Forest ) The lamp is rugged and can be easily rigged to be drop proof, with a six inch piece of 5/8 diameter vinyl tubing ( sold at hardware stores ) which will fit tightly around it. I have 4 minor complaints about the light: First, is that it is not water-proof enough to take it into a cave like Honeycreek Cave. You could put it inside something, but it would be better to just use a cheap waterproof flashlight. Second, the switch is cheezy. Third, the switch does not dim, or boost the light. Fourth, it only comes in a dull silver color. The good points are that it is readily available, inexpensive ( $ 13 ), the light last nearly 100 hours ( supposedly ), and the light pattern is good, and it fits comfortably in hand and pocket, and could easily be rigged to the side of a caving helmet. I could NOT find this product on the web. The Eddie Bauer number is EB7004CP. It is cylinder shaped, smaller than a cigar, and uses 2 AAA batteries. It resembles the photo below, but twice the size: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VuNCT90NL._SS500_.jpg In summary, I recommend that on your next visit to Target, that you purchase this light, and keep it in your car for road-trips. David Locklear
[Texascavers] Caves in November National Geographic
Lee Skinner said: See the National Geographic article about Xe Bang Fai River Cave at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/photogalleries/river-caves-photos/index.html/ I just got my hard-cover November issue of National Geographic magazine in the mail today, and it has another article on the Naica mine's Cueva de los Cristales with its giant gypsum crystals. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/crystal-giants/shea-text There is also an advertisement for IBM inside the front cover featuring a two-page spread of an unidentified Paleolithic art cave in Europe, probably Lascaux. See http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/. Mark Minton
