The Second National Cave and Karst Conservancies Forum 2006 Informationby: John Pearson
July 29, 2006
September 20—22, 2006
Lewisburg, West Virginia
The Northeastern Cave Conservancy and the West Virginia Cave Conservancy, along with the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium is pleased to announce the preliminary agenda for this Forum.
We have been fortunate enough to have Jay Anderson president of the Australian Speleological Federation present our Keynote Address.
There has been an overwhelming support of sponsorship for this event, which will allow us to help raise funds that are always needed to keep our organizations running.
Registration will open at the Brier Inn on Wednesday, September 20th from 4 to 8 p.m. From 8 to 11 p.m, the Battlefield Area Troglodyte Society (BATS) will be the host of the evening’s Howdy Party at the Friars Hill Room. Ops, I mean the first cracker barrel session. They will be serving your favorite beverages along with a nice selection of finger foods. The session will kick off the forum by allowing participants to discuss what’s important in their world of cave and karst conservation.
Thursday morning beginning at 8:30 in the River Oak Room (upstairs in the Brier Inn), John Pearson, one of the managers of Bubble Cave LLC, will welcome the participants. There will be the Keynote address by Jay Anderson followed by introductions of all the participating conservancies. Each conservancy will have five minutes to introduce its organization and to present matters of critical concern.
Front Royal Grotto will be the host for the morning snacks, donuts, and coffee during the mid-morning break.
The first session will be a discussion of the value of volunteers by Vince Kappler. Conservancies run on volunteers, especially cavers. Of all the land and nature conservancies out there, cavers donate more time, labor, expertise, and their own money to cave conservation. Volunteer Value is what makes your conservancy run.
The second session will begin after lunch. “Insurance—Where Do We Stand?” will be a discussion panel moderated by Peter Youngbaer of the Northeastern Cave Conservancy. Invited panel members will present information and participate in a discussion of the state of insurance for cave and karst conservancies. Audience participation will be one of the features of the session.
Tri-State Grotto will be the host of the afternoon cheese and crackers, along with other finger food and drinks.
The third session concerns managing conservancy lands with consideration for bat populations. Jim “Crash” Kennedy of Bat Conservation International will present sound practices that protect every caver’s favorite creature.
Thursday evening, The West Virginia Association for Cave Studies will be hosting the second cracker barrel session. These informational sessions have been quite thought-provoking and this session will be the same. There will be moderated discussions of topics from the floor that are of particular concern.
Friday morning, the fourth session will begin at 8:15 a.m. That session is entitled “You Are On The Board Now . . . What Next?” Bob Addis, the President of the Northeastern Cave Conservancy will be leading a session that will focus on defining job responsibilities and the expectations for the assorted roles that volunteers play in conservancies. There are many board positions, all of them important for an organization to run smoothly.
Did I mention a break and more food? Okay, this time our friends from Franklin County Grotto will be hosting the goodies.
The fifth session will be Revisiting Management Plans. Thom Engel of the Northeastern Cave Conservancy will take a follow up look at the development and review of various management plans.
After lunch, submitted papers will be presented. Right now we have the following papers, with more to follow soon:
Mike Walsh of the Texas Cave Conservancy: Twelve Years of Cave Conservation and Management
Emily Davis, Northeastern Cave Conservancy and John Sagandorf, Howe Caverns: Mutually Beneficial Cooperation Between Conservancies and Commercial Caves.
Pat Seiser: Cave Stewardship Specialist and Researcher, National Cave and Karst Research Institute. The Exploration Component of a Cave Management Plan.
So, as you can see, we have lots of topics of concern for conservancies across the nation. Now we should think of this on an international level.
The VPI Cave Club will be hosting the fall Virginia Region cave regional in nearby Glen Lyn, Virginia, after the Forum, so plan on bringing your gear and enjoying what it is all about.
www.wvcc.net/newsitem.asp?id=142