[Texascavers] Bexar Grotto meetings are moving!

[Bennett Lee via Texascavers]

The Bexar Grotto has been meeting at the Chester's at 281 and Thousand Oaks for 
about 20 years (maybe more). We've had a full house numerous times. However, 
recently, we've even been overcapacity a few times (max is 56). Even when we're 
not at capacity, it's been so crowded that we can't move and consequently can't 
socialize and meet the new members. So, at the last meeting we voted, and...

Effective immediately, the BEXAR GROTTO MEETINGS ARE MOVING to the Chester's at 
410 and N New Braunfels Ave (between Broadway and Nacogdoches, not far from 
Robber Baron Cave). This Chester's meeting room seats 108, has the requisite 
projector screen, an open area in the front where we can mingle, and, of 
course, Chester's delicious hamburgers and wide assortment of beer.

We are on the calendar at the new Chester's, but we are still waiting on final 
confirmation while they work out the transfer internally. I'll send out status 
and reminders before the next meeting, which is on Monday, March 14.

The new Chester's address is:
1006 NE Interstate 410 Loop
San Antonio, TX 78209

Here's a map of the location:
https://goo.gl/maps/ZHJUqYyWeb12

--Bennett
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Re: [Texascavers] Honey Creek Cave Road Repair Project

[Don Arburn via Texascavers]

Texas Cavers Reunion will commit a hundred. It'll cost Texas Cavers a bit extra 
at TCR, just a tad.


--Don

> On Feb 24, 2016, at 7:29 PM, Robert B via Texascavers 
>  wrote:
> 
> To Texas Cavers
> 
> The following is a request for financial donations for a project to repair 
> the well shaft road at Honey Creek Cave. This is not a request for volunteers.
> 
> The road to the Honey Creek well shaft is in need of repairs after many years 
> of use, neglect and damage from last years rain during a major caver event.
> 
> As Texas Cavers directly benefit from access to the cave, and any efforts at 
> maintaining good landowner relations may enhance our continued access, we 
> feel repairing the road is in our best interest.
> 
> As such, on the weekend of March 5&6 repairs will begin. Equipment and labor 
> is being donated to this effort but there will be significant out of pocket 
> expenses. Two (2) bobcat type skidsteers, a backhoe and a large capacity dump 
> trailer are being donated. Equipment operators are volunteering their time. 
> However, this group feels their out of pocket costs such as diesel and 
> equipment hauling costs should be compensated by Texas Cavers. The necessary 
> heavy duty trucks and trailers to haul the skidsteers and backhoe are not 
> being donated.
> Initial estimates of out of pocket costs = $1500. 
> 
> Mr. Arron Wertheim has agreed to be the Project Manager. He has contacted the 
> landowner to work out road repair details and permission. He has also agreed 
> to incur the up front costs himself, with the understanding that Texas Cavers 
> will make reasonable 'not to exceed' commitments (donations) from which he 
> will be compensated.
> 
> We are requesting funds from TSA, TCMA, all Texas Grottoes and individual 
> Texas Cavers.
> Funding shall be made in the form of a 'not to exceed' financial commitment. 
> Upon project completion those donating shall be informed of their exact 
> amount to be paid based upon actual expenses. Actual funds will be paid 
> directly to Arron Wertheim after project completion.
> 
> Should you feel this is a worthy cause please email me directly (off 
> Texascavers Listserve) with your committed donation. Robert Bisset 
> (chair...@cavetexas.org). 
> 
> Note: The Bexar Grotto has agreed to fund $500 with another $500 should 
> fundraising efforts fall short. 
> 
> Thanks
> Robert Bisset - TSA Chairman
> chair...@cavetexas.org
> ___
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> http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/
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Re: [Texascavers] Tapui TED talk

[Bill Steele via Texascavers]

Mi amiga Alma, este e-mail se trata de la charla en TED sobre las cuevas por el 
hombre italiano.

> On Feb 24, 2016, at 7:50 PM, Mixon Bill via Texascavers 
>  wrote:
> 
> That TED talk is mainly about the Tapuis in Venezuela and the discovery of 
> one of the largest caves in those quartzite mountains. Very nice. The 
> speaker, Francesco Sauro, is a member of the Italian group La Venta, which 
> explores caves all over the world, supported, I gather, by resulting 
> articles, films, and books. They have been active in Mexico, and the AMCS 
> sells several of their books. See 
> http://www.mexicancaves.org/other/otherpubs.html
> 
> Sauro is one of the authors of a nice article in the September 2013 NSS News 
> about the same Tapui and cave that are featured in the TED talk. 
> https://caves.org/nss-business/publications/NSS_News/2013/September_13.pdf
> Some of the photos in it are the same as ones in the talk. If you aren't an 
> NSS member, you're SOL.
> 
> A number of Mexico and other articles by members of the La Venta group are at
> http://www.laventa.it/en/pubblicazioni
> The last five articles there are about the Tapuis. Much of this material is 
> in Italian, however.
> 
> A nice coffee-table book about the environment of Tapuis, including the 
> extensive caves, is Marek Audy's "Brány do Ztraceného Svĕta," no doubt 
> difficult to find in the US. But a PDF of the book is at 
> http://audy.speleo.cz/bocas.pdf, worth browsing for the photos, even though 
> their resolution is poor in the PDF.
> 
> An excellent and free PDF in English is "Venezuelan Tepuis: Their Caves and 
> Biota," available at 
> http://www.academia.edu/3462814/Venezuelan_tepui_their_caves_and_biota
> My review of that is in the same NSS News. If you don't want to log in to 
> download the PDF of the book, you can read it by just scrolling down on that 
> page.
> 
> --Mixon
> 
> Q: Why is the universe here?
> A: Where else could it be?
> 
> You may "reply" to the address this message
> (unless it's a TexasCavers list post)
> came from, but for long-term use, save:
> Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
> AMCS: a...@mexicancaves.org or sa...@mexicancaves.org
> 
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[Texascavers] Tapui TED talk

[Mixon Bill via Texascavers]

That TED talk is mainly about the Tapuis in Venezuela and the discovery of one 
of the largest caves in those quartzite mountains. Very nice. The speaker, 
Francesco Sauro, is a member of the Italian group La Venta, which explores 
caves all over the world, supported, I gather, by resulting articles, films, 
and books. They have been active in Mexico, and the AMCS sells several of their 
books. See 
http://www.mexicancaves.org/other/otherpubs.html

Sauro is one of the authors of a nice article in the September 2013 NSS News 
about the same Tapui and cave that are featured in the TED talk. 
https://caves.org/nss-business/publications/NSS_News/2013/September_13.pdf
Some of the photos in it are the same as ones in the talk. If you aren't an NSS 
member, you're SOL.

A number of Mexico and other articles by members of the La Venta group are at
http://www.laventa.it/en/pubblicazioni
The last five articles there are about the Tapuis. Much of this material is in 
Italian, however.

A nice coffee-table book about the environment of Tapuis, including the 
extensive caves, is Marek Audy's "Brány do Ztraceného Svĕta," no doubt 
difficult to find in the US. But a PDF of the book is at 
http://audy.speleo.cz/bocas.pdf, worth browsing for the photos, even though 
their resolution is poor in the PDF.

An excellent and free PDF in English is "Venezuelan Tepuis: Their Caves and 
Biota," available at 
http://www.academia.edu/3462814/Venezuelan_tepui_their_caves_and_biota
My review of that is in the same NSS News. If you don't want to log in to 
download the PDF of the book, you can read it by just scrolling down on that 
page.

--Mixon

Q: Why is the universe here?
A: Where else could it be?

You may "reply" to the address this message
(unless it's a TexasCavers list post)
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: a...@mexicancaves.org or sa...@mexicancaves.org

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Re: [Texascavers] Honey Creek Cave Road Repair Project

[Joe Ranzau via Texascavers]

Rob and Texas Cavers -

Many thanks to everyone for this effort.  I'll make a personal donation of
$100 should it be needed.

Two questions, why isn't a group like the TSA taking care of the total
cost?  They have ample funds and this type of thing seems right up their
alley...

The other is how we keep this from happening?  Several folks advocated
aborting the last trip to keep this damage from happening but were
overruled.  I've personally operated heavy equipment at least twice fixing
the road after similar but less severe incidents.  I know Kurt and many
other have as well.  I recall something about the definition of insanity
but well, yea...

Any way, my point is why are we passing the hat when this can just be
solved.

Joe

On Wed, Feb 24, 2016 at 8:29 PM, Robert B via Texascavers <
texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote:

> To Texas Cavers
>
> The following is a request for financial donations for a project to repair
> the well shaft road at Honey Creek Cave. This is not a request for
> volunteers.
>
> The road to the Honey Creek well shaft is in need of repairs after many
> years of use, neglect and damage from last years rain during a major caver
> event.
>
> As Texas Cavers directly benefit from access to the cave, and any efforts
> at maintaining good landowner relations may enhance our continued access,
> we feel repairing the road is in our best interest.
>
> As such, on the weekend of March 5&6 repairs will begin. Equipment and
> labor is being donated to this effort but there will be significant out of
> pocket expenses. Two (2) bobcat type skidsteers, a backhoe and a large
> capacity dump trailer are being donated. Equipment operators are
> volunteering their time. However, this group feels their out of pocket
> costs such as diesel and equipment hauling costs should be compensated by
> Texas Cavers. The necessary heavy duty trucks and trailers to haul the
> skidsteers and backhoe are not being donated.
> Initial estimates of out of pocket costs = $1500.
>
> Mr. Arron Wertheim has agreed to be the Project Manager. He has contacted
> the landowner to work out road repair details and permission. He has also
> agreed to incur the up front costs himself, with the understanding that
> Texas Cavers will make reasonable 'not to exceed' commitments (donations)
> from which he will be compensated.
>
> We are requesting funds from TSA, TCMA, all Texas Grottoes and individual
> Texas Cavers.
> Funding shall be made in the form of a 'not to exceed' financial
> commitment. Upon project completion those donating shall be informed of
> their exact amount to be paid based upon actual expenses. Actual funds
> will be paid directly to Arron Wertheim after project completion.
>
> Should you feel this is a worthy cause please email me directly (off
> Texascavers Listserve) with your committed donation. Robert Bisset (
> chair...@cavetexas.org).
>
> Note: The Bexar Grotto has agreed to fund $500 with another $500 should
> fundraising efforts fall short.
>
> Thanks
> Robert Bisset - TSA Chairman
> chair...@cavetexas.org
>
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> http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/
> http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers
>
>
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[Texascavers] Honey Creek Cave Road Repair Project

[Robert B via Texascavers]

To Texas Cavers

The following is a request for financial donations for a project to repair
the well shaft road at Honey Creek Cave. This is not a request for
volunteers.

The road to the Honey Creek well shaft is in need of repairs after many
years of use, neglect and damage from last years rain during a major caver
event.

As Texas Cavers directly benefit from access to the cave, and any efforts
at maintaining good landowner relations may enhance our continued access,
we feel repairing the road is in our best interest.

As such, on the weekend of March 5&6 repairs will begin. Equipment and
labor is being donated to this effort but there will be significant out of
pocket expenses. Two (2) bobcat type skidsteers, a backhoe and a large
capacity dump trailer are being donated. Equipment operators are
volunteering their time. However, this group feels their out of pocket
costs such as diesel and equipment hauling costs should be compensated by
Texas Cavers. The necessary heavy duty trucks and trailers to haul the
skidsteers and backhoe are not being donated.
Initial estimates of out of pocket costs = $1500.

Mr. Arron Wertheim has agreed to be the Project Manager. He has contacted
the landowner to work out road repair details and permission. He has also
agreed to incur the up front costs himself, with the understanding that
Texas Cavers will make reasonable 'not to exceed' commitments (donations)
from which he will be compensated.

We are requesting funds from TSA, TCMA, all Texas Grottoes and individual
Texas Cavers.
Funding shall be made in the form of a 'not to exceed' financial
commitment. Upon project completion those donating shall be informed of
their exact amount to be paid based upon actual expenses. Actual funds will
be paid directly to Arron Wertheim after project completion.

Should you feel this is a worthy cause please email me directly (off
Texascavers Listserve) with your committed donation. Robert Bisset (
chair...@cavetexas.org).

Note: The Bexar Grotto has agreed to fund $500 with another $500 should
fundraising efforts fall short.

Thanks
Robert Bisset - TSA Chairman
chair...@cavetexas.org
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[Texascavers] Excellent cave video

[Lee H. Skinner via Texascavers]

 Deep Under the Earth's Surface, Discovering Beauty and Science |
 Francesco Sauro | TED Talks


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYFH0D-jyqc

Lee Skinner
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