Post by Sharon Faulkner on Jan 4, 2006 13:19:19 GMT -5
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) is made up of all NSS organizations (grottos and surveys) in the Southeastern portion of the United States. The SERA region includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The purpose of SERA is to further the aims of the NSS in the Southeast. www.caves.org/region/sera/
There are five SERA Awards which are given out annually at the SERA Winter Business Meeting (being held on Saturday, February 18, 2006 this year). The SERA Award categories are listed below, with a description of the qualifications for each award. Specific criteria for each award can be found at the links listed below. If you know of a deserving person or persons who should be nominated for one of these awards, now is the time to begin filling out a nomination form. The award nomination forms can be printed from the links listed below.
Francis McKinney Award
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Francis McKinney Award is named in honor of Francis E. McKinney, whose enthusiasm for all aspects of caving was an inspiration for all who knew him. This award recognizes those SERA cavers who have made meritorious contributions to caving in the Southeast. The nominee will have been actively involved in several types of caving, be it mapping, horizontal, vertical, etc. for more than ten years and will have contributed to organized caving by holding grotto or regional office. It is hoped that this award will encourage the recipient toward further accomplishment and contribution. www.caves.org/region/sera/mckinney.htm
Richard Schreiber Award
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Richard Schreiber Award is named in honor of Richard W. Schreiber, who made many contributions to caving in the Southeast from the 1960's through the 1980's. Richard was a natural and enthusiastic teacher, as well as a project leader and mapper, who encouraged many to take a more active role in caving. This award recognizes those SERA cavers of less than ten years experience who have been openly involved with cave projects or studies in the Southeastern United States. This award intends not only to recognize previous accomplishment, but also to encourage future accomplishment and contribution. www.caves.org/region/sera/schreiber.htm
Alexis Harris Conservation Award
The Alexis Harris Conservation award recognizes individuals or groups who have achieved effective cave and karst protection or preservation, while allowing for caver access in the southeastern United States. They might have also protected karst biological resources, historical, or archeological sites associated with caves. This individual or group should be from the southeastern United States or their efforts should have been in the interest of cavers in the southeast. The award intends not only to recognize previous contributions but also to encourage future cooperation and contributions. www.caves.org/region/sera/consrvtn.htm
Larry S. Adams Landowner Appreciation Award
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Larry S. Adams Landowner Appreciation Award is named in honor of Larry Adams, who provided leadership and served in various capacities for SERA and local grottos. Larry organized and helped host several SERA Summer Cave Carnivals and Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Winter Business Meetings; assisted with planning and organizing the 1989 NSS Convention, and served as Nashville Grotto Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Safety and Rescue Committee Chair. Larry was a caver role model for good cave landowner relations. His ability to communicate and establish relationships with landowners provided cavers access to caves with sensitive owner relations. He helped other cavers develop their own landowner relation skills. This award recognizes individuals or groups who are landowners or land managers in the Southeast United States whose efforts have been in the interest of SERA cavers. These people have demonstrated that they care not only about their caves and their property, but about cavers as well. And by their nomination, cavers obviously care about them. The award intends not only to recognize previous contributions but also to encourage future cooperation and contributions. www.caves.org/region/sera/adams.htm
SERA Meritorious Service Award
At the 2001 SERA Winter Business Meeting, The SERA Meritorious Service Award was created. It was felt that the four existing awards are very specific in nature. Therefore this award was created as a more general, non-specific award. The Merit award is simply for meritorious service to the Southeastern caving community. There are no requirements or qualifications. The award is designed to fill in the gaps left by the four primary awards. There is no cash award and it is not framed since there is no way to predict the number awarded.
This award is to be motioned and voted by the governing committee at the SWBM. Therefore no written nominations will be accepted and you must be present at the meeting to nominate. www.caves.org/region/sera/meritsa.htm
If you need additional information or have questions, contact one of the SERA Officers at the following addresses:
Chair Peter "Mudpuppy" Michaud
423-837-7514
BHMmudpup@aol.com
Vice-Chair Brian Roebuck
94 Magnolia Lane
Normandy, TN 37360-9504
(615) 455-8658
solow@charter.net
Secretary-Treasurer Jim Wilbanks
PO Box 34
Rising Fawn, GA 30738-0034
(706) 462-2316
jimgail69@earthlink.net
For more details on the upcoming 2006 SERA Winter Business Meeting see this thread under the Caving Events section: nssmembersforum.proboards28.com/index.cgi?board=US&action=display&thread=1132060724
There are five SERA Awards which are given out annually at the SERA Winter Business Meeting (being held on Saturday, February 18, 2006 this year). The SERA Award categories are listed below, with a description of the qualifications for each award. Specific criteria for each award can be found at the links listed below. If you know of a deserving person or persons who should be nominated for one of these awards, now is the time to begin filling out a nomination form. The award nomination forms can be printed from the links listed below.
Francis McKinney Award
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Francis McKinney Award is named in honor of Francis E. McKinney, whose enthusiasm for all aspects of caving was an inspiration for all who knew him. This award recognizes those SERA cavers who have made meritorious contributions to caving in the Southeast. The nominee will have been actively involved in several types of caving, be it mapping, horizontal, vertical, etc. for more than ten years and will have contributed to organized caving by holding grotto or regional office. It is hoped that this award will encourage the recipient toward further accomplishment and contribution. www.caves.org/region/sera/mckinney.htm
Richard Schreiber Award
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Richard Schreiber Award is named in honor of Richard W. Schreiber, who made many contributions to caving in the Southeast from the 1960's through the 1980's. Richard was a natural and enthusiastic teacher, as well as a project leader and mapper, who encouraged many to take a more active role in caving. This award recognizes those SERA cavers of less than ten years experience who have been openly involved with cave projects or studies in the Southeastern United States. This award intends not only to recognize previous accomplishment, but also to encourage future accomplishment and contribution. www.caves.org/region/sera/schreiber.htm
Alexis Harris Conservation Award
The Alexis Harris Conservation award recognizes individuals or groups who have achieved effective cave and karst protection or preservation, while allowing for caver access in the southeastern United States. They might have also protected karst biological resources, historical, or archeological sites associated with caves. This individual or group should be from the southeastern United States or their efforts should have been in the interest of cavers in the southeast. The award intends not only to recognize previous contributions but also to encourage future cooperation and contributions. www.caves.org/region/sera/consrvtn.htm
Larry S. Adams Landowner Appreciation Award
The Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Larry S. Adams Landowner Appreciation Award is named in honor of Larry Adams, who provided leadership and served in various capacities for SERA and local grottos. Larry organized and helped host several SERA Summer Cave Carnivals and Southeastern Regional Association (SERA) Winter Business Meetings; assisted with planning and organizing the 1989 NSS Convention, and served as Nashville Grotto Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Safety and Rescue Committee Chair. Larry was a caver role model for good cave landowner relations. His ability to communicate and establish relationships with landowners provided cavers access to caves with sensitive owner relations. He helped other cavers develop their own landowner relation skills. This award recognizes individuals or groups who are landowners or land managers in the Southeast United States whose efforts have been in the interest of SERA cavers. These people have demonstrated that they care not only about their caves and their property, but about cavers as well. And by their nomination, cavers obviously care about them. The award intends not only to recognize previous contributions but also to encourage future cooperation and contributions. www.caves.org/region/sera/adams.htm
SERA Meritorious Service Award
At the 2001 SERA Winter Business Meeting, The SERA Meritorious Service Award was created. It was felt that the four existing awards are very specific in nature. Therefore this award was created as a more general, non-specific award. The Merit award is simply for meritorious service to the Southeastern caving community. There are no requirements or qualifications. The award is designed to fill in the gaps left by the four primary awards. There is no cash award and it is not framed since there is no way to predict the number awarded.
This award is to be motioned and voted by the governing committee at the SWBM. Therefore no written nominations will be accepted and you must be present at the meeting to nominate. www.caves.org/region/sera/meritsa.htm
If you need additional information or have questions, contact one of the SERA Officers at the following addresses:
Chair Peter "Mudpuppy" Michaud
423-837-7514
BHMmudpup@aol.com
Vice-Chair Brian Roebuck
94 Magnolia Lane
Normandy, TN 37360-9504
(615) 455-8658
solow@charter.net
Secretary-Treasurer Jim Wilbanks
PO Box 34
Rising Fawn, GA 30738-0034
(706) 462-2316
jimgail69@earthlink.net
For more details on the upcoming 2006 SERA Winter Business Meeting see this thread under the Caving Events section: nssmembersforum.proboards28.com/index.cgi?board=US&action=display&thread=1132060724