texascavers Digest 15 Oct 2011 22:03:57 -0000 Issue 1412
Topics (messages 18806 through 18822):
Related to ranch gates
18806 by: dlocklear01.gmail.com
Forty-Nine and Counting
18807 by: Association for Mexican Cave Studies
Re: ranch gates
18808 by: David
a new LED flashlight
18809 by: David
18821 by: George-Paul Richmann
Need Someone to Transport Shirts to TCR
18810 by: Chris Vreeland
NSS Award Nominations Sought
18811 by: R D Milhollin
Re: Oct 27 Hot Science - Cool Talks: Astronauts, Robots & Rocks!
18812 by: Geary Schindel
TCR - be alert!
18813 by: Heather Tucek
18814 by: Andy Gluesenkamp
18815 by: tbsamsel.verizon.net
18817 by: Fritz Holt
a cool caver-type project
18816 by: Mixon Bill
search back on for alleged missing caver in Indiana
18818 by: David
18820 by: SGentry177.aol.com
Extreme cave fish with âalienâ appetites :
18819 by: JerryAtkin.aol.com
Christi Burrell at TCR
18822 by: Mike Burrell
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
--- Begin Message ---
Walmart has a heavy-duty combination lock that uses a 4 letter code. This
could be temporarily used at ranch gates for specific trips, or maybe for the
gate at the cave.
The code could be, "CAVE" or "BATS." or your favorite 4-letter word.
The brand name is WordLock.
***Wouldn't work on gates were you can't see the letters.***
Price $ 13.97 plus tax.
David Locklear
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Greetings Cavers,
The AMCS is pleased to note that we have now been exploring caves in
Mexico for forty-nine years. We are now in the planning stage for the
50th Anniversary next year and the staff for the next NSS Convention
is very willing to help with whatever ideas we come up with.
Suggestions have been made for an AMCS Night at the campground and a
session devoted to the great explorations of the past. There are also
new publications in the works.
Of course we need to celebrate next year in Texas at the TxOldTimers,
so please drop by the AMCS table this weekend and we will bring
together our ideas.
See You There,
Terry Raines
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
http://wordlock.com/_images/comm_discus.jpg
This padlock is slightly larger than the typical round key locks that are
sold at retail stores.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The light in the link below could be used to clip on to your chest harness
for extra light or for an emergency
light on a long ascent, or a pitch with rebelays.
http://www.drywallzone.com/images/product_images/catalogm06.jpg
It has a rugged metal clip and a bright yellow switch, and the light shines
90 degrees.
Only cost about $ 10 at Batteries Plus.
2 of these lights could be easily duct-taped together to give you even more
light,
while you are on rope.
On a related note,
Batteries Plus also carries a Remington LED headlamp, claiming 150 lumens.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91JnhcsdzwL._AA1500_.jpg
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Cheap LED lights are not novel or new.
I really want to stay tied into the Texas community via Cave Text. This is
only possible if I don't need to delete five of your emails a day that are
only tangentially related to caving. OT emails are fine as the exception,
but when they become the rule (and happen many times per a day) the list
serve suffers. Same goes for the GHG list serve.
Actually, I think a new rule, for you personally, would be to have 10 emails
per every actual caving trip(underground....not TCR type stuff). I would
put up with more of your emails if I knew you were actually getting
underground. For example, you would need to go caving every weekend for
the next ten years to get you to even. If you were to do that, I am sure
your emails would be much more interesting, and most importantly, pertinent
to the caving community.
Cheers,
GP
On Fri, Oct 14, 2011 at 1:26 AM, David <dlocklea...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The light in the link below could be used to clip on to your chest harness
> for extra light or for an emergency
> light on a long ascent, or a pitch with rebelays.
>
> http://www.drywallzone.com/images/product_images/catalogm06.jpg
>
> It has a rugged metal clip and a bright yellow switch, and the light shines
> 90 degrees.
>
> Only cost about $ 10 at Batteries Plus.
>
> 2 of these lights could be easily duct-taped together to give you even more
> light,
> while you are on rope.
>
>
> On a related note,
>
> Batteries Plus also carries a Remington LED headlamp, claiming 150 lumens.
>
> http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91JnhcsdzwL._AA1500_.jpg
>
--
George-Paul Richmann
(513) 490-3100
gprichm...@gmail.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi all,
I'm hoping to find someone leaving Austin for TCR this afternoon
(friday) for TCR that has room for a couple boxes of T-shirts & can
pick them up from my work in east Austin. I'm not sure I'm going to be
out there until some time Saturday, if I make it. I'd hate to leave
y'all shirtless if I get stuck in town.
Thanks! Chris 512-289-3510.
Work is
Amplifier 800 Interchange blvd. Suite 102 78721
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
[Forwarded post, originally by Scott Fee]
NSS Award Nominations Sought
NSS Award Nominations
Once again, it is time to nominate that deserving member of your
grotto, section, or region for an NSS award to be presented at the
2012 Convention. Please submit nominations to the appropriate award
sub chair by November 15, 2011. All of the award information is in
one handy spot, check out the NSS Web Page at this URL:
http://www.caves.org/committee/award/ . You can submit your
nominations in writing or via e-mail, for the following awards:
WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD
One Outstanding Service Award is given each year to a member of the
NSS for outstanding service to speleology and the NSS. Life
Membership is conferred upon receipt of this award. This and the
Honorary Membership (below) constitute the Society's highest awards.
Send nominations to Bill Mixon.
HONORARY MEMBERSHIP
One Honorary Membership is given each year to one person, not
necessarily an NSS member, for outstanding contributions to the field
of speleology. The award confers life membership to the Society. Send
nominations to Bill Mixon
LEW BICKING AWARD*
The Lew Bicking Award recognizes dedication to the thorough
exploration and mapping of a cave or a group of caves. The award may
be given to an individual, or to a pair of cavers who, through
specific joint actions, qualify equally for the award based on the
exploration they have done together. Candidates must have been NSS
members for at least the past two years. A cash award accompanies
this recognition. Send nominations to Bill Steele.
SCIENCE AWARD*
The Science Award is given each year to recognize one or a pair of
NSS members who, through specific joint actions, qualify equally for
the award based on outstanding dedication to the scientific study of
caves. Candidates must have been NSS members for at least the past
two years. Send nominations to Dr. Kathy Lavoie.
SPELEAN ARTS & LETTERS AWARD*
One Spelean Arts and Letters Award is given annually to recognize one
or a pair of NSS members who, through specific joint actions qualify
equally for the award, over time has advanced spelean arts and
letters by significant artistic expression, management, or criticism.
Candidates must have been NSS members for at least the past two
years. Send nominations to Linda Starr.
VICTOR A. SCHMIDT CONSERVATION AWARD*
The Victor A. Schmidt Conservation Award is given annually to an
individual or a pair of NSS members who, through specific joint
actions qualify equally for the award through his, her, or their
actions and has demonstrated an outstanding dedication to the cause
of cave conservation. Candidates must have been NSS members for at
least the past two years. Send nominations to Bob Vandeventer.
FELLOW OF THE SOCIETY
Recipients are members who, over a number of years, have exemplified
by their actions their dedication to the goals of the Society or to
the Society itself. Recipients must have been members in good
standing of the Society for at least two years immediately prior to
their names being submitted as candidates. Send nominations to Mike Hood.
CERTIFICATE OF MERIT
Certificates may be given to individuals, jointly to no more than
three individuals, or to organizations. (NSS Membership is not
required.) A maximum of three Certificates of Merit may be awarded
each year for specific, recent accomplishments in cave exploration,
study, conservation, or for accomplishments which further other goals
of the NSS. Send nominations to Gary Moss.
PETER M. HAUER SPELEAN HISTORY AWARD
This award includes a cash award to be given to an individual or
group of individuals engaged in an outstanding spelean history
research project. Send nominations to Carolyn Cronk.
JAMES G. MITCHELL AWARD
This award includes a cash award for the best scientific paper
presented at the Convention by a member (or mem-bers) of the Society
age 25 or younger. For consideration contact Mike Backe.
*The Awards Committee shall give preference to candidates who have
not received the Outstanding Service Award or Honorary Membership.
Comments and suggestions on the nomination process and operation of
the Awards Committee are always welcome. Please write Scott Fee,
Awards Committee Chairman.
http://www.caves.org/committee/award/ has hyperlinks to email all NSS
Awards Committee Members.
Scott Fee
Awards Committee Chairman
scott...@bellsouth.net
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Maybe this would be a good opportunity to ask about exploring caves on Mars.
Geary
From: Banner, Jay L [mailto:ban...@jsg.utexas.edu]
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 7:09 AM
Subject: Oct 27 Hot Science - Cool Talks: Astronauts, Robots & Rocks!
On Thursday October 27, ESI's Hot Science - Cool Talks Outreach Series will be
hosting an evening of astronauts, robots, and rocks! Come hear UT-Austin
geologist Dr. Mark Helper talk about his collaborations with NASA roboticists
and share stories about training astronauts for geological field work on other
planets. And come early participate in our science festival, featuring
interactive learning activities for all ages. Check out
http://youtu.be/WsjKv3y5-mY for a video preview now!
We hope you can join us!
Astronauts, Robots and Rocks: Preparing for Geological Planetary Exploration
Featuring Dr. Mark Helper
Thursday, October 27th
All-Ages Science Festival from 5:30 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.
Lecture begins @ 7:00 p.m.
Welch Hall, UT-Austin Campus
(map<http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/wel.html>)
Can't make it to campus for the event? Check out the live webcast and ask Dr.
Helper questions with the rest of the crowd online at http://bitly.com/piPLuY.
Feel free to contact us at e...@esi.utexas.edu<mailto:e...@esi.utexas.edu> with
questions, or visit the Hot Science Cool Talks website at
www.HotScienceCoolTalks.org<http://www.HotScienceCoolTalks.org> for more
information. And we hope to see you there!
-------------------------------------
Environmental Science Institute | The University of Texas at Austin | 1
University Station C9000 | Austin, TX 78712 | Tel: (512) 471-5847 | Fax:
(512) 232-1913 | e...@esi.utexas.edu<mailto:e...@esi.utexas.edu> |
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
For those of you heading to TCR this weekend.. The temperatures have been
perfect for snake activity, so be watchful of where you step, especially if
you go anywhere off-trail!!
--
Go find out!
-Heather Tuček
UT Grotto
NSS 59660
(512) 773-1348
trog...@cavechat.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I never leave home without my tongs and sack. Considering Murphy's Law, that
pretty much guarantees that there will be no snake sightings at TCR.
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 14, 2011, at 9:15 AM, Heather Tucek <trog...@cavechat.org> wrote:
> For those of you heading to TCR this weekend.. The temperatures have been
> perfect for snake activity, so be watchful of where you step, especially if
> you go anywhere off-trail!!
>
>
> --
> Go find out!
> -Heather Tuček
> UT Grotto
> NSS 59660
> (512) 773-1348
> trog...@cavechat.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Tastes like chicken.
Oct 14, 2011 09:40:40 AM, andrew_gluesenk...@yahoo.com wrote:
I never leave home without my tongs and sack. Considering Murphy's Law, that pretty much guarantees that there will be no snake sightings at TCR.
Sent from my iPhone
For those of you heading to TCR this weekend.. The temperatures have been perfect for snake activity, so be watchful of where you step, especially if you go anywhere off-trail!!
--
Go find out!
-Heather Tuček
UT Grotto
NSS 59660
(512) 773-1348
trog...@cavechat.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Always use a light at night. In this weather they can be out day or night.
________________________________
From: Andy Gluesenkamp [mailto:andrew_gluesenk...@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 9:39 AM
To: Heather Tucek
Cc: Texas Cavers
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] TCR - be alert!
I never leave home without my tongs and sack. Considering Murphy's Law, that
pretty much guarantees that there will be no snake sightings at TCR.
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 14, 2011, at 9:15 AM, Heather Tucek
<trog...@cavechat.org<mailto:trog...@cavechat.org>> wrote:
For those of you heading to TCR this weekend.. The temperatures have been
perfect for snake activity, so be watchful of where you step, especially if you
go anywhere off-trail!!
--
Go find out!
-Heather Tuček
UT Grotto
NSS 59660
(512) 773-1348
<mailto:trog...@cavechat.org>trog...@cavechat.org<mailto:trog...@cavechat.org>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Mike Pugliese called my attention to this:
http://www.jaccuzzi.ch/html/affichjacc_264_e.html
Makes the hot and cold tubs at the TCR look simple in comparison. I
suppose I shouldn't be giving Pete ideas... -- Mixon
----------------------------------------
I believe there are
15,747,724,136,275,002,577,605,653,961,181,555,
468,044,717,914,527,116,709,366,231,425,076,185,
631,031,296 protons in the universe and the same number of electrons.—
Sir Arthur Eddington
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: bmi...@alumni.uchicago.edu
AMCS: edi...@amcs-pubs.org or sa...@amcs-pubs.org
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
For those of you not following this story, Kevin Eve has been missing now over 2
weeks. Some still think he may be stuck in a cave near his abandoned vehicle.
The note below was published by a local paper there:
They’ve ended ground searches by large groups of volunteers and
have turned to a more “site-specific”
approach, sending small teams of experienced spelunkers to scour
for hidden, alternate access points
to caves and recheck previously searched subterranean locations in the
Harrison-Crawford Forest, said Jim Hash, a conservation officer
from Harrison County.
“Cavers have a way of looking at the land differently than the rest of us.
They’re going to look for different clues,” he said.
Another article there, suggested that cavers don't have any GPS
locations recorded on lots of caves
in that area of the forest. [ I got the impression at the Indiana
NSS Convention,
that lots of cavers there knew where lots of caves were in the area,
but the problem was that there were
so many caves. ]
This message below was announced back on October 5th, but there appears to be a
new call out for experienced cave explorers to join the hunt for Kevin Eve.
In desperate need of more cavers that know the area.
There are only a few out there searching, and there are so many
caves in the area
that even the Department of Natural Resources don't know about.
If you or anyone you
know are cavers, and can assist in the search even if only for a
short time, please call
the Indiana Conservation Officers at:
812-837-9536.
Here is a link to a map with a couple of places to meet up with other cavers:
http://i780.photobucket.com/albums/yy81/saralee1209/Kevin%20Eve%20-%20Missing%2010-1-11/GoogleMaps-Kevin2.jpg
If you look at the layout of the roads on that map, it would make
since that if he is lost in a cave, that it was near
his car. For example, there doesn't seem to be any reason to look
north of the interstate or east of Wyandotte Road,
etc.
Below are the Google map coordinates,
38.241837,-86.310031
for the approximate area where his car was found ( I have't found the
exact coordinates ).
You can click on a satellite image, and zoom in and look at the
terrain. After looking at that image, my theory is that
he walked nearly perpendicular to the road either going southeast or
northwest. Meaning drawing a circle around
the car, may not be the best way to narrow down the search. So if
it is northeast, it can't be too far, or he would have
been better off to park on Becker Road. And going southeast leads
to 4,000 feet of hiking thru forest, before he would
have been better off to park along Wyandotte Road. The coordinates
below seem like a good area to search for a small
cave entrance:
38.239132,-86.305289
based on the "guess" that he walked perpendicular to the road from the
1st coordinates above.
David Locklear
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
David
Don't rely on what the news reports say. Yes we have/are looking East and
North from where his car was found. We have looked in 50 caves and are still
searching caves and every hole,sink, depression and possible dig in a very
large circle. Yes, we have locations.
Steve
Steve Gentry
NSS 25136
One of the many caves in the search.
I GoodSearch for American Cave Conservation Association. Raise money for
your favorite charity or school just by searching the Internet with
GoodSearch - www.goodsearch.com - powered by Yahoo!
_http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=908162_
(http://www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=842245)
Take nothing but pictures, kill nothing but time, leave nothing but
footprints
In a message dated 10/15/2011 2:28:01 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
dlocklea...@gmail.com writes:
For those of you not following this story, Kevin Eve has been missing now
over 2
weeks. Some still think he may be stuck in a cave near his abandoned
vehicle.
The note below was published by a local paper there:
They’ve ended ground searches by large groups of volunteers and
have turned to a more “site-specific”
approach, sending small teams of experienced spelunkers to scour
for hidden, alternate access points
to caves and recheck previously searched subterranean locations in the
Harrison-Crawford Forest, said Jim Hash, a conservation officer
from Harrison County.
“Cavers have a way of looking at the land differently than the rest of us.
They’re going to look for different clues,” he said.
Another article there, suggested that cavers don't have any GPS
locations recorded on lots of caves
in that area of the forest. [ I got the impression at the Indiana
NSS Convention,
that lots of cavers there knew where lots of caves were in the area,
but the problem was that there were
so many caves. ]
This message below was announced back on October 5th, but there appears to
be a
new call out for experienced cave explorers to join the hunt for Kevin Eve.
In desperate need of more cavers that know the area.
There are only a few out there searching, and there are so many
caves in the area
that even the Department of Natural Resources don't know about.
If you or anyone you
know are cavers, and can assist in the search even if only for a
short time, please call
the Indiana Conservation Officers at:
812-837-9536.
Here is a link to a map with a couple of places to meet up with other
cavers:
http://i780.photob
ucket.com/albums/yy81/saralee1209/Kevin%20Eve%20-%20Missing%2010-1-11/GoogleMaps-Kevin2.jpg
If you look at the layout of the roads on that map, it would make
since that if he is lost in a cave, that it was near
his car. For example, there doesn't seem to be any reason to look
north of the interstate or east of Wyandotte Road,
etc.
Below are the Google map coordinates,
38.241837,-86.310031
for the approximate area where his car was found ( I have't found the
exact coordinates ).
You can click on a satellite image, and zoom in and look at the
terrain. After looking at that image, my theory is that
he walked nearly perpendicular to the road either going southeast or
northwest. Meaning drawing a circle around
the car, may not be the best way to narrow down the search. So if
it is northeast, it can't be too far, or he would have
been better off to park on Becker Road. And going southeast leads
to 4,000 feet of hiking thru forest, before he would
have been better off to park along Wyandotte Road. The coordinates
below seem like a good area to search for a small
cave entrance:
38.239132,-86.305289
based on the "guess" that he walked perpendicular to the road from the
1st coordinates above.
David Locklear
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Extreme cave fish with ‘alien’ appetites
TEXAS A&M (US) — Could life exist on planets less hospitable than our own?
Scientists studying a tiny Mexican fish say it’s quite possible.
The fish we study are extremophiles, meaning they are adapted to life at
the edge of biological tolerance,” says Katherine Roach, a graduate student
at _Texas A&M University_
(http://agrilife.org/today/2011/10/04/texas-am-scientists-study-mexican-fish-with-an-‘alien’
-appetite/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AgrilifeToday+(AgriLife+Today))
in the
wildlife and fisheries sciences department.
Roach, together with Kirk Winemiller and collaborator Michael Tobler,
recently authored a paper on the fish published in the journal _Ecology._
(http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/11-0276.1?prevSearch=[AllField:+Poecil
ia+mexicana]+and+[Contrib:+Roach]&searchHistoryKey=) The small fish they
studied is Poecilia mexicana found in the Cueva del Azufre or the “cave of
sulfur” located in Tabasco state, Mexico.
_Read the original study_
(http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1890/11-0276.1?prevSearch=[AllField:+Poecilia+mexicana]+and+[Contrib:+Roach]&searchHist
oryKey=)
The small (about 2.5 inches at maturity), almost blind fish live in total
darkness swimming in oxygen-starved water with hydrogen sulfide
concentrations so toxic they would kill most other life forms, according to
Roach.
“Our research shows that organic carbon produced by sulfur bacteria
oxidizing dissolved hydrogen sulfide, a process called chemoautotrophy, is the
main food source for the fish,” Roach says. “Though it is known that simpler
life forms flourish by feeding through this process, ours is the first
study to actually document a fish, a true vertebrate, directly receiving its
sustenance through bacteria performing chemoautotrophy.
“Their ecosystem in the cave is basically self-sustaining without much
input from plants at the surface. As a result, our research has implications
for discovering life outside the earth. If these complex vertebrates can
thrive on sulfur bacteria, why couldn’t similar, more evolutionary derived
organisms be supported by chemoautotrophic bacteria on other moons or planets
such as Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons? It may not be altogether impossible.”
Roach explains that most of the earth’s ecosystems have food chains
supported by organic carbon produced from the fixation of atmospheric carbon
dioxide by plants using sunlight. These, in turn, release breathable oxygen
into
the atmosphere.
Roach says another study in Movile Cave in Romania a few years ago examined
a population of macroinvertebrates that have been isolated in the cave for
some 5.5 million years, which also feed on chemoautotrophic bacteria. She
says that study generated enough public interest to warrant its own
_Wikipedia page_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movile%20Cave) and notes that
author E.O. Wilson highlights this case study in his book The Future of Life.
“What makes our study so exciting is that we’re the first to actually
document a fish, a relatively large and complex vertebrate, that is able to
thrive by being solely supported by chemoautotrophic-processed hydrogen
sulfide bacteria,” Roach says.
_http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/extreme-cave-fish-with-%E2%80%98
alien%E2%80%99-appetites/_
(http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/extreme-cave-fish-with-‘alien’-appetites/)
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Is there a phone blackout at TCR?
I can't seem to get thru to anyone I know by phone. If you see my wife
Christi. please have her call me.
Mike Burrell
--- End Message ---
