Jerry, Thanks! I really appreciate your thoughtful response and the information. Some of these steps I've been pursuing, but others are good insights that I haven't. Sometimes, this issue just really frustrates me. It's good to know that other people feel this way, too. However, it's sad to learn that this has been an ongoing issue for such a long time. Most everybody that I have met & caved with in our grotto and in the Texas caving community so far have been really solid people who are enthusiastic about caving and open to helping those around them enjoy the sport. I've learned from talking with some of these people though that there is an undercurrent of frustration with some of the seeming cliquish or closed off nature of cave access sometimes which discourages pursuit of the sport. Since I have come to really love caving, I hate to see people get discouraged, because of some sort of systemic problem. Anyways...Hopefully, with the continued awesome work of organizations like TCMA, etc... and behind the scenes work of individual cavers who are talking with landowners, more of these Texas caves can be opened up to the Texas caving community at large via grotto trips, etc...
Sincerely, Scott Cogburn Greater Houston Grotto Treasurer Sent from my iPhone > On Jun 12, 2016, at 4:06 AM, Jerry via Texascavers > <texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote: > > Scott, > > You are not alone; this has been an issue for decades. To find out about > Texas caves in general, I suggest getting the guidebook "The Caves and Karst > of Texas" which is available for $15 to TSA and NSS members from the Texas > Speleological Survey. Other county-specific publications on Texas caves are > available for free download from the TSS website. > > To go caving, you have several options: > 1.) Participate in TSA, TCMA, and TSS projects which are advertised on the > various Facebook pages and the TexasCavers listserve. > 2.) Get the elder members of your grotto to coordinate more trips for the > members > 3.) Mingle with folks at the TSA Convention and TCR that are involved with > caving in areas and caves that you are interested in > 4.) Directly ask specific cave landowner contacts for a trip. > > You probably will have to get out of your comfort zone a bit to get things > moving, but your interest and motivation will win the hearts and minds of > your fellow cavers. > > Jerry Atkinson > Texas Speleological Survey > > -----Original Message----- > From: Scott C via Texascavers <texascavers@texascavers.com> > To: texascavers <texascavers@texascavers.com> > Sent: Sat, Jun 11, 2016 12:18 pm > Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Fwd: Powell’s Cave Gate Project Needs Your Help : > > Carl, > > Very interesting article :) Thanks! Sounds like a cool cave I and others in > our grotto would love to explore! > > I might be wrong in this, but it seems like to me there might be a number of > these types of cool caves. Caves that were very popular in past years, but > for some reason or another, currently, a lot of newer cavers never here about > them anymore or don't seem to have access. I completely understand the issue > of landowner relations that you brought up in your article. It's just kind of > sad to me that more grotto members don't have access or knowledge of a lot of > these caves. I really hope that we can move to increase knowledge and access > to these awesome caves. I'd love to explore them, and I know a lot of other > newer cavers would as well. I mean we regularly here about and plan trips to > Robber Baron, Whirlpool, Logan's, Airman's, now O-9 Well, and Deep & Punkin' > which are awesome! However, the same small slate of caves kind of get stale > after a while. But then Midnight and others are right there in Carta Valley, > and the majority of us can't get into them. Only a small group with special > access visits them. That also happens with Perry Water Cave, and a number of > other caves in Texas. However, when we take our yearly grotto trip up to TAG, > even though we're total outsiders, we can get permits and visit tons of > outstanding caves! I just wish that here in our home state it didn't feel so > restricted, and like some sort of back-channel type of system for individuals > or grottos to visit all the terrific caves our state has to offer. Thanks. > > Are you going to be at NSS this year? I'd like to check out your book. > > Sincerely, > > Scott Cogburn > Greater Houston Grotto > Treasurer > > > On Saturday, June 11, 2016 12:44 PM, Scott C via Texascavers > <texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote: > > > Carl, > > Thanks so much for the link! I'll check it out :) > > Cheers, > > Scott Cogburn > Greater Houston Grotto > Treasurer > > > On Saturday, June 11, 2016 12:08 PM, Marvin and Lisa via Texascavers > <texascavers@texascavers.com> wrote: > > > Jerry, > > I plan to make a motion at tommorrow’s grotto meeting to help fund this. > > Marvin > > From: Texascavers [mailto:texascavers-boun...@texascavers.com] On Behalf Of > Jerryatkin via Texascavers > Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2016 6:29 AM > To: texascavers@texascavers.com > Subject: [Texascavers] Fwd: Powell’s Cave Gate Project Needs Your Help : > > Just a reminder that the gate still needs funding. > > Jerry. > > Sent from my iPad > > Begin forwarded message: > From: Jerry <jerryat...@aol.com> > Date: June 9, 2016 at 3:21:56 AM MDT > To: Texascavers@texascavers.com > Subject: Powell’s Cave Gate Project Needs Your Help : > Powell’s Cave Gate Project Needs Your Help > > Powell’s Cave is the second longest cave in Texas, with 26.1 km of surveyed > passage. Treasure hunters dug the historic entrance open in the early 1900s > and it is now stabilized with a concrete culvert installed by volunteer > cavers in the late 1990s. The cave is used as a roost by a large colony of > Cave Myotis (Myotis velifer). Recently, during a scheduled visit to the cave, > it was discovered that trespassers had entered the cave and vandalized it, > leaving cans, bottles, and other miscellaneous trash in the cave. > Unfortunately, this also included spray-painting graffiti on the cave walls > in the Crevice Passage (see attached photos). > > Concerns about protecting the integrity of the cave as well as the vulnerable > bat colony (estimated at about 10,000 individuals) have led to the decision > to install an above ground, bat-friendly, cupola-style gate, similar to the > one recently built for Ezell’s Cave in Hays County. Jim Kennedy of Kennedy > Above/Under Ground LLC has been contracted to build the gate and it is hoped > that it will be completed sometime in the next month or so. > > As part of the agreement with the landowner, cavers will be paying for the > labor and ancillary costs of the gate construction, while the landowner will > pay for the materials. This was done to support continuing landowner > relations and demonstrate our commitment to the protection and stewardship of > the cave. We need to raise approximately $3300 to cover our end of the deal. > > If you are interested in helping the project, please consider a cash pledge > to help in alleviating the costs. Powell’s Cave has been an important part of > Texas caving for more than 50 years, and hopefully will be open to > recreational caving and research for many years to come. If all goes well, > there will be clean up and restoration trips in the future that folks can > volunteer for. Any and all donations of time and money are greatly > appreciated. > > Pledges can be sent to: > > Gerald Atkinson – Powell’s Cave Liaison > jerryat...@aol.com > > If you have any questions, please email me. Thanks ! > > Photos courtesy of Arron Wertheim (May 2016) > > > > _______________________________________________ > Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com/ > Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers > > > > _______________________________________________ > Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com/ > Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers > > > _______________________________________________ Texascavers mailing list | > http://texascavers.com Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers > _______________________________________________ > Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com > Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: > http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ > http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers
_______________________________________________ Texascavers mailing list | http://texascavers.com Texascavers@texascavers.com | Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/texascavers@texascavers.com/ http://lists.texascavers.com/listinfo/texascavers
