News

Issues for the 2012 Congress of Grottos

sfbcadministrator

Howdy!

Here is the current list of issues that will be discussed at the Congress of Grottos during the NSS Convention.

As you know, in this congress the issues are discussed as grottos, not as each individual present at the meeting, so it’s important that our delegate(s) knows where we, as SFBC, stand in these issues.

If you have any comments or questions, or if you think that the SFBC should submit a motion, you can reach Alan, Gail McCoy, Ray Beach, Gale Beach, Jim Lakner or me:

Alan: bluepenguinpictures@gmail.com
Gail: tom.mathey@sbcglobal.net
Ray and Gale Beach: rjr3922@sbcglobal.net
Jim Lakner: jlakner@schaferlabs.com
Fofo: gonza142@msu.edu

Take care,

– Fofo

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Motion:

The Southeastern Regional Association of the NSS moves:

All NSS publications that are scanned and made available online shall only be for NSS members and made available for printing.

Motion:

The Baltimore Grotto moves:

Newsletters shall be stored on an archival storage system.

Background: Old newsletters are mimeographed and are becoming unreadable. Others may be deteriorating. If those are preserved, they could be put on the NSS website in the future for research and reader enjoyment. Cave locations would need to be redacted before posting.

Motion:

The Battlefield Area Troglodyte Society (BATS) Grotto moves:

The NSS shall institute a grotto development program as described below.

Goal: To strengthen individual grottos, the NSS grotto system, and the positive effect that grottos have on the world of caves and caving.

Purpose: To provide a structure that encourages grottos to strive to improve their effectiveness and value to cavers, caves, the caving community, and the public, and for the NSS and its members to be able to recognize outstanding grottos. Background: Chief complaints from new visitors to grottos, whether existing or potential NSS members, concern the poor reception they received upon visiting a grotto, the lack of training and programs offered, the difficulty in being invited on caving trips, and encountering a cliquish culture within a grotto, thus indicating a lack of openness to newcomers. Additionally, regions have had a difficult time persuading grottos to host regional meetings and participate in projects and in finding individuals to volunteer for various jobs. This proposed Grotto Development Program is an effort to provide grottos with guidance in ways they might change their culture and practices to help the grotto grow and thrive, contribute to the overall caving community, and promote the future of caving and the NSS.

Details about this plan can be found here:

Click to access BATS_Motion_for_2012_COG.pdf

Presentation/Discussion:

Dean Wiseman, NSS PR Chair has requested time to talk with the Congress.

May 2012 Members Meeting

sfbcadministrator

Hi All,

Please join us, Tuesday May 22, at 7:30 pm at our usual spot in the Menlo Park USGS campus for our monthly members meeting. For those who need directions, you can find detailed instructions at: www.caves.org/grotto/sfbc/information.html#where

As usual, for the pre-meeting dinner you can find some Grotto members at Jeffrey’s Hamburgers (888 El Camino Real, Menlo Park): http://tinyurl.com/2syjef

For the post-meeting socializing, we will swarm the Oasis (241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park): http://tinyurl.com/ydppbd9

Tracy Audisio will be presenting “Evolution underground: Cave arthropods of California and the Pacific Northwest”. Her talk will provide an introduction to the evolution of cave obligate animals and an overview of arthropods frequently encountered in caves. The talk will conclude with current cave spider research and exciting new discoveries in California and the Pacific Northwest.

Tracy is a graduate student studying cave spiders in a joint program between the California Academy of Sciences and San Francisco State University. Tracy began caving with the Stanislaus Speleological Society in 2004, and is affiliated with the Cave Research Foundation and serves on the Advisory Board for the Western Cave Conservancy.

A special request Peri Frantz, the chair of the upcoming BOG (Board of Governors) meeting in 2013, “If possible, can members interested in volunteering their time and home to accommodate hosting individuals for the BOG meeting in 2013 please tell Peri at the meeting your home location, time availability, and number of people you can host.” – Thank You.

Aside from the usual Oasis gathering, a post meeting activity is scheduled, which will require a sneaking suit, as a precelebration of Will Heltsley’s birthday. If you are interested, please contact Alan directly.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting.

What will be discussed at the upcoming Western Region meeting

sfbcadministrator

Howdy!

These are the business items that are listed for the upcoming Western
Region meeting and a very brief summary. Please check them out, and you
can let Peri Frantz know your opinions or concerns, since she will be
representing the grotto at the meeting.

Thank you!

– Fofo

——————————

*** Old Business
– New Melones Reservoir Project
The park wants a document with all the cave locations. Maintaining the
locations protected should be the highest priority. The Western Region
was to have a meeting with the park.

– Providence Mountains State Recreation Area MOU

– Possible Merger of the Western Region and the Northwest Caving
Association (NCA)
The Northwest Caving Association was going to evaluate merging with the
Western Region. If they decide to do so, the Western Region should
explore the proposal and decide if it’s beneficial to the region.

– Bylaws Updates
The current bylaws need an update, and Neil Marchington worked on them,
taking into account the NSS IO requirements.

– Name of the Publication
It was proposed that the name “The California Caver” doesn’t adequately
represent the region. But some people consider that the name “The
California Caver” carries historic significance and it should be kept.
Possible new names are being requested.

– Life Member Category
It was proposed to establish a “life” membership category for the region.

– Quorum Updates
For a meeting to be official it needs to have a quorum, and a simple
majority is needed.

– SFBC Hosting BOG Meeting
Peri Frantz is looking for people to help with organizing the meeting,
and she would like people from across the region attending the meeting
not just from the Bay area.

– Membership Drive

*** New Business
– Revision to the Region’s NCRC Scholarship

– Matching donation to the NSS Headquarters

– Wilderness First Aid Course

– Nominations for Next Region Officers
Elections for offices will be held at the Regional. If you would like to
be nominated, please let us know!

May 2012 Executive Committee Meeting

sfbcadministrator

Hi all,

Tuesday, May 8, we will hold the Grotto’s Executive Committee meeting, at the Sweet Tomatoes, 1210 Kifer Road, Sunnyvale, CA. For directions, check http://g.co/maps/8m9x8


View Larger Map

 

For those coupon lovers, http://garden-fresh.s3.amazonaws.com/emails/may2012/coupons-houston-050312.html

Please note the address change.  As part of our “green” initiative, we hope to reduce our carbon footprint by driving less. Therefore we polled the Exec Committee to find a median location that would serve this purpose. As with all new locations, we do not know if Sweet Tomatoes can accommodate 10+ individuals. However, historical figures show that <10 attend so we should be fine. In the event we are not, we will attempt to utilize Costco’s food court and take advantage of the $1.99 pizza combo deal. I hope it does not come down to that even though a part of me wants that .99 churro and yogurt mixed berry parfait.

We will meet between 6 and 6:15 pm to eat, and the meeting will start at about 7:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, and if you are interested please fill out the form below to let us know you are coming or to cast your comment on what we should discuss.

Please don’t email directly.

Thanks and see you all there.

April 2012 Members Meeting

sfbcadministrator

Hi All,

Please join us, Tuesday April 24, at 7:30 pm at our usual spot in the Menlo Park USGS campus for our monthly members meeting. For those who need directions, you can find detailed instructions at: www.caves.org/grotto/sfbc/information.html#where

As usual, for the pre-meeting dinner you can find some Grotto members at Jeffrey’s Hamburgers (888 El Camino Real, Menlo Park): http://tinyurl.com/2syjef

For the post-meeting socializing, we will swarm the Oasis (241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park): http://tinyurl.com/ydppbd9

Bruce Rogers and Beej Jorgensen will conduct a lively presentation on cave mapping and survey that may include some audience participation. This presentation will serve as an introduction and go hand in hand with the upcoming cave mapping and survey trip over the coming weekend on April 28 at the Pinnacles National Monument.

A special request Peri Frantz, the chair of the upcoming BOG (Board of Governors) meeting in 2013, “If possible, can members interested in volunteering their time and home to accommodate hosting individuals for the BOG meeting in 2013 please tell Peri at the meeting your home location, time availability, and number of people you can host.” – Thank You.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting.

Speleo-Ed Deadline

sfbcadministrator

Speleo-Ed is less than a month away now. Come learn about caves and have a blast with friends new and old. We have a great biology track and cave survey track this year, plus some trips to area caves. This event is going to be awesome.

We are just over a week away from the May 1st registration deadline. Register now to save a few bucks and make our job organizing the event easier. Early registration is especially important to those folks wanting food as we cannot promise you meals after that date.

Go to the Western Region website at http://www.caves.org/region/western/meeting.html to get the registration form and mail it in today!

April 2012 Executive Committee Meeting

sfbcadministrator

Hi all,

Tuesday, April 10, we will hold the Grotto’s Executive Committee meeting, at the Fresh Taste Mandarin Kitchen, 2107 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. For directions, check http://tinyurl.com/yg38ujr.


View Larger Map

We will meet between 6 and 6:15 pm to eat, and the meeting will start at about 7:00 pm.Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, but please fill out this form if you are interested in coming, to include you in the reservation. Please don’t email directly.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Speleo-Ed Announcement

sfbcadministrator

Speleo-Ed registration is now open. We have a great line up of programs, sessions, and events. This year is going to be a blast. Come join cavers from all over the western US as we learn more about caves. This is also a great opportunity to meet other cavers from all over. Come join us in Bend for a great time!

The deadline for registration is May 1st, after which the cost goes up. Please get your registration in ASAP. It really helps us plan and work out the meal service!

Check out the link below for the registration package which has a lot more info!

http://www.caves.org/region/western/meeting.html

March 2012 Members Meeting

sfbcadministrator

Hi All,

Please join us, Tuesday March 27, at 7:30 pm at our usual spot in the Menlo Park USGS campus for our monthly members meeting. For those who need directions, you can find detailed instructions at: www.caves.org/grotto/sfbc/information.html#where

As usual, for the pre-meeting dinner you can find some Grotto members at Jeffrey’s Hamburgers (888 El Camino Real, Menlo Park): http://tinyurl.com/2syjef

For the post-meeting socializing, we will swarm the Oasis (241 El Camino Real, Menlo Park): http://tinyurl.com/ydppbd9

Alan Chern will give a short presentation on the recent changes during the first quarter in FY2012, namely the addition of mediawiki and will dive into tutorial on how to utilize this new feature as well as how to edit and add new pages.

Many thanks to Pam Bowman for her hard work in helping with getting the wiki set up.

A special request Peri Frantz, who wishes to chair the upcoming BOG (Board of Governors) meeting in 2013, “If you have any suggestions on possible locations on where to hold the meeting, please come with ideas to the meeting. The current scheduled dates are 3/13/2013 or 3/23/2013. The location should be large enough to hold an assembly with a horseshoe shaped desks and audience for roughly 50 people.”

Looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting.