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Post by jonsdigs on Jun 13, 2011 21:05:02 GMT -5
Forest Service eases cave restrictions for conventionScott Condon Post Independent Glenwood Springs, Colorado June, 11 2011 Ban aims to protect bats from diseaseWhat would a convention of cavers be without caves? The U.S. Forest Service granted special permission Friday for the National Speleological Society to visit 17 caves in the White River National Forest during its conference July 18-21 in Glenwood Springs. The caves and old mines in the White River and other national forests throughout the five-state Rocky Mountain Region have been off limits since July to prevent the spread of white nose syndrome. The disease has killed more than 1 million bats in the eastern half of the U.S. in the last three years. It hasn't been detected in Colorado yet. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 18, 2011 13:32:32 GMT -5
Raytec installs Infra Red illuminators in the most remote bat cavesPublished on 18 January 2011 Raytec IR illuminators have been deployed deep in the remote bat caves of the Mulu National Park, Borneo Infra Red CCTV cameras capture high quality images inside the bat caves where there is no scope for natural light In possibly the world's most remote installation, Raytec IR illuminators have been deployed deep in the remote bat caves of the Mulu National Park, Borneo, in a specialist eco surveillance project directed by Charles Tomas, CEO and Principal Security Adviser of CTG Security Matrix. The IR lights capture high quality images of the jungle wildlife in absolute darkness in the network of underground chambers, providing covert surveillance without disturbing the unspoilt habitat. The images are then transmitted to a visitor information centre, located 3km from the caves, with fibre-optic cabling linking the two sites across the most challenging jungle terrain. The unique CCTV system, purpose built and installed by Australian Integrated Security, demanded the most high performance and rugged equipment to deliver premium image quality within such a harsh environment. Full StoryI wonder how they power it? -J
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Post by jonsdigs on Jan 15, 2011 21:28:49 GMT -5
Even if somebody found it, do you think they would have told? I wouldn't think so. ;D
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 15, 2010 13:35:23 GMT -5
Cave owners, cavers, DNR reach pact on batsPierce County Herald December 15 2010 Wisconsin cave owners and recreational cavers breathed a sigh of relief Dec. 8 when they and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reached a tentative agreement on how the stakeholders and state plan to manage caves and bats. Wisconsin cave owners and recreational cavers breathed a sigh of relief Dec. 8 when they and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reached a tentative agreement on how the stakeholders and state plan to manage caves and bats. At the monthly meeting of the Natural Resources Board (NRB), a substantially modified set of revised and amended emergency rules was passed, designed to slow the spread of White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fatal malady attacking only hibernating bats. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 13, 2010 2:58:52 GMT -5
Prospectors smell gold in Bau cavesMon, Dec 13, 2010 New Straits Times (Singapore) BAU, Malaysia - Gold mining is coming back to life here, the former gold producing district in Sarawak long ago. A check at some mining areas near the mountain at Taiton, 7km from the town centre here, showed that tunnels had been dug at several caves to mine for the precious metal. There were also makeshift ladders installed at some of the caves. At the entrance of another cave, there was a makeshift altar where joss sticks and paper money were burnt to appease spirits inside the caves. There were also muddied boots and gloves, polystyrene boxes and empty mineral water bottles strewn at various spots. A man in his 20s, when met in the area, said he was trying his luck at gold mining. Full StoryThis must really trash caves. However, I can visualize a stream cave being rich for gold panning. -J
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 11, 2010 1:23:58 GMT -5
Rescue in cave near RockhamptonThe Morning Bulletin Rockhampton (Australia) 11th December 2010 2pm: A caver has been hurt at Mt Etna Caves National Park and a rescue operation is underway. Details are sketchy but is believed paramedics and fire fighter rescue crews have located and stabilised the patient where he was injured in a cave 24km north of Rockhampton. The time estimated to carry the patient through the cave to the surface is 30 minutes. The emergency service teams had to use a 4WD to access the area. At least 10 civilians are currently outside the cave. Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Dec 6, 2010 0:55:35 GMT -5
Laser Scanning Mushpot CaveThe American Surveyor Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010 Written by David McIntire, LSIT The formal purpose of the project was to acquire 3D digital imagery of Mushpot Cave, a lava tube cave and one of the most heavily visited and highly interpreted cultural and geologic features at the National Park Service's Lava Beds National Monument (LABE). The imagery would be collected using 3D laser scanning technology, made possible by Portland, Oregon-based David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA). The accuracy and detail of this imagery would allow LABE to provide a means by which those physically unable to access the caves would be able to virtually explore the cave, personnel to monitor the effect of visitation on the site, and compare subsequent imagery for structural movement from tectonic activity. Full TextA 3.380Mb PDF of this article as it appeared in the magazine—complete with images
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Post by jonsdigs on Nov 8, 2010 8:08:10 GMT -5
Artificial cave proposed to protect bats from fungal diseaseConservation group seeks to win grant money to fund projectBy Morgan Simmons Knoxville News Sentinel November 7, 2010 A fast-spreading epidemic that has killed more than 1 million bats across the northeastern U.S. has prompted an unusual proposal from one of Tennessee's leading environmental organizations. The Tennessee chapter of The Nature Conservancy would like to build an artificial cave to safeguard hibernating bats from white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has experts predicting regional extinction for at least one common bat species - the little brown bat - within the next two decades. To fund the cave, The Nature Conservancy has entered its proposal in the Pepsi Refresh online grant competition, a monthly contest for ideas that positively affect communities. If the idea garners enough public votes, Pepsi will award The Nature Conservancy $250,000 to build and outfit the artificial cave. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Oct 12, 2010 11:16:47 GMT -5
Cave explorer found dead after dramatic eight-day search FRANCE 24 10/12/2010 An experienced potholer has been found dead underground in southern France eight days after he went missing. Cave explorer Eric Establie, 45, who was on a mission to map the Ardeche Gorges underground tunnel complex, was found at the end of a dramatic rescue operation on Monday. British rescue divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton, called in from Wales, found his body 780 metres from the mouth of the cave and 70 metres beyond a rock fall that had blocked his exit. More
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Post by jonsdigs on Oct 11, 2010 10:30:32 GMT -5
Desperate search for missing potholer goes onRadio France Internationale 11 October 2010 Teams searching underground gorges in the South of France believe an experienced potholer who has been missing for more than a week is still alive. Eric Establie disappeared while exploring the underground gorges in Ardèche after a rock fall a week ago Saturday. Two British divers have been trying to reach Establie, who was last heard from this weekend. Rescuers think he could be safe in an air pocket which is just above an underground river nearly 200 meters beneath the surface. Using special equipment, rescuers were able to detect rocks being hit inside the caves Saturday night, which they are certain was Establie. More
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Post by jonsdigs on Oct 8, 2010 10:25:22 GMT -5
Toujours à la recherche du spéléologue (Translated)By Europe1(France) 8 October 2010 © MAXPPPRescuers continue to clear the sink hole to find the caver.Still no trace of the caver, missing since Sunday in an underground gallery of the Gorges of Ardeche. Research continues on Friday to try to find Eric Establie. Rescuers are focused on clearing a natural chimney, on the plateau overlooking the gorge, and below which could be the caver. Rescuers remain hopeful Since Thursday morning, the cavers take turns around the clock to clear the rocks blocking the sink hole. Rescuers hope to reach and Eric Establie, which they estimate could take refuge 200 meters underground, in a pocket of air in the submerged gallery Labastide-de-Virac, behind a landslide. Once they have cleared the outlet, rescuers plan to explore to the cave below. More (in French)
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Post by jonsdigs on Oct 8, 2010 9:47:04 GMT -5
German Cat Caves: Katzenhohle By Gendy Alimurung Fri., Oct. 8 2010 LA Weekly Photo via DaWandaIt looks like a hollowed-out baked potato, but it's actually a German cat cave. More
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Post by jonsdigs on Sept 15, 2010 22:08:26 GMT -5
Sheriff: Drug Spotters Living In Ariz. CavesDeputies Find Illegal Immigrant In Sawtooth Mountain CaveKPHO Phoenix, AZ September 15, 2010 PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. -- An Arizona sheriff said illegal immigrants have been living in caves and operating as drug spotters. Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said deputies recently found communications equipment, a supply of food and binoculars in a cave near Sawtooth Mountain in Silverbell. A Silverbell resident was flying his private plane in July near the mountain when he spotted an individual standing near a cave at Wild Cat Peak. Babeau said when deputies checked out the cave, they found a man was living there illegally. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Sept 15, 2010 21:54:45 GMT -5
Mexican Religious Rite Has Created Super Poison-Tolerant Cave FishDiscover by Eliza Strickland September 15th, 2010 Any culture’s religious ceremonies can seem strange to outsiders: For example, take the indigenous Zoque people of southern Mexico. To ask their gods for bountiful rains during the growing season they head to a sulfur cave where molly fish swim in the subterranean lake. They then toss in leaf bundles that contain a paste made from the mashed-up root of the Barbasco plant, which has a powerful anesthetic effect. In lab experiments they compared molly fish from the ritual cave to others from an area upstream that had never swam in poisoned water, and found that the cave fish had a much higher tolerance for the Barbasco toxin. Study coauthor Mark Tobler of Texas A&M University told New Scientist the results show that within the ritual cave, evolution has selected for fish that can survive the poison. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Sept 14, 2010 21:10:38 GMT -5
Undersea Cave Yields One of Oldest Skeletons in AmericasRitually placed in once dry cavern, Mexico skeleton offers clues to first Americans.National Geographic Ker Than September 14, 2010 Photograph courtesy Jerónimo Avilés and Eugenio Acévez The Young Man of Chan Hol lies in a Mexican undersea cave before the bones' removal last month.Apparently laid to rest more than 10,000 years ago in a fiery ritual, one of the oldest skeletons in the Americas has been retrieved from an undersea cave along Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, researchers say. Dating to a time when the now lush region was a near desert, the "Young Man of Chan Hol" may help uncover how the first Americans arrived—and who they were. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Sept 12, 2010 15:30:41 GMT -5
Scientists find drugs that may fight bat diseaseBy MARILYNN MARCHIONE (AP) 9/12/10 BOSTON — Scientists may have found some ways to help the nation's bats, which are being wiped out by a novel fungal disease, an unprecedented wildlife crisis. Lab tests show that several drugs can fight the germ and that some antiseptics might help decontaminate areas where bats live or the shoes and hands of people who visit them, researchers reported at an infectious-diseases conference Sunday. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Jul 22, 2010 15:07:49 GMT -5
Famed local cave diver Wes Skiles dies during diveJuly 22, 2010 Bryan Boukari Alachua County Today Wes Skiles, a well-known cave diver, explorer, cinematographer and director, died Wednesday afternoon while diving off Boynton Beach, Fla. Skiles had reportedly been filming for National Geographic prior to his death, but officials with the company say he had already wrapped-up his work on that project. The cause for Skiles’ death is unknown, but fellow divers in his company at the time of the incident say he had planned to ascend to the surface to get additional film for his camera, but when they later ascended as well, they saw his body on the reef where they had been diving. The divers brought his body to the surface and administered CPR, but he was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Jul 20, 2010 8:40:01 GMT -5
Woman freed after 12-hour ordeal in caveBy Laura Crimaldi Boston Herald Tuesday, July 20, 2010 A Leverett woman who was trapped in a cave for 12 hours was freed early today in a dramatic resuce after chipping away at rock with an air chisel to pry herself loose, authorities said. “She was a major player in her own rescue,” said Terry Dun, spokesman for the Franklin County Incident Management Assistance Team. “She did most of the hard work of chipping away with an air chisel.” The 25-year-old woman, who rescuers did not identify, became trapped in an eight-foot chasm located 30 feet below the surface at about 1 p.m. yesterday while exploring caves with friends off of Rattlesnake Gutter Road. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Jun 1, 2010 22:36:39 GMT -5
Area man's body found in caveTahlequah Daily Press June 1, 2010 By JOSH NEWTON FORT GIBSON — The body of a missing Fort Gibson man was found by authorities in a lake of water inside a cave Tuesday night, south of the Fort Gibson Dam. Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault said it appears Joie Roland, 31, may have drowned in about 10 feet of water inside the cave. Roland was reported missing by his family Monday evening. He'd left his home Sunday to go hiking and explore caves, but had not returned home by Monday afternoon. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on May 7, 2010 20:37:25 GMT -5
Sequoia's Crystal Cave switches on solar-fed lightMay. 07, 2010 By Mark Grossi / The Fresno Bee Popular Crystal Cave -- home to eyeless bugs and spiders with monster jaws -- will be illuminated by the power of the sun starting Saturday. For decades, Sequoia National Park visitors have toured the marble cave under the glare of incandescent lights that have drawn power from a propane generator. On Saturday, when the cave opens for tourist season, the lighting will switch over to solar power fed into a system of light-emitting diodes, known as LEDs, which are stingy in electricity use. It is believed to be the National Park Service's first cave lit by the sun. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Apr 26, 2010 9:07:17 GMT -5
Bat-Killing Fungus Spreading Faster Than Expected, Could Affect AgricultureWPLN News Sunday, April 25th, 2010 By Daniel Potter A fungus that kills bats by the thousand is spreading faster than expected through Tennessee’s caves. White-nose syndrome first turned up a few years ago in a cave in New York, and has since rippled out from one cave to the next, wiping out millions of bats. And in this last few months it’s begun to show up in caves in Middle Tennessee. Full Story
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Post by jonsdigs on Apr 13, 2010 19:03:32 GMT -5
Better article: Historic discovery by NZ caversBy ANDREW BOARD - The Nelson Mail 13/04/2010 DARK DEPTHS: Cavers Kieran McKay, left, Aaron Gillespie and Troy Watson in the Ellis system on Mt Arthur, now the deepest in New Zealand and the first to reach a kilometre in depth. The discovery of the country's first kilometre-deep cave, south of Nelson, has been hailed as the biggest piece of news in the history of New Zealand caving. The team of three cavers has made the connection between two known caves in the Ellis Basin, on Mt Arthur. Its discovery gives New Zealand its first recorded cave deeper than 1000 metres and could rocket it into the top 10 of deepest caves in the world, said expedition leader Kieran McKay, of Waitomo. "It's a huge discovery, the biggest piece of news in the New Zealand caving scene, ever. It has sparked a lot of interest internationally as well, cavers that had dismissed New Zealand for deep caves are already talking about coming out here," he said. A Lot More Info
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