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Hi Cavers, Just wanted to acknowledge you initial seven individuals for accepting the invitation and/or locating the group and joining before being invited. Thank you! Resto Director Brian is pleased that we've established this new conduit for exchanging info and sharing our thoughts. As for me (Caver Gary), I was pleased to help dust lint from walls in Main Cave Saturday morning along with Ranger Rick, Gene, Theresa C and Jon + Theresa B. In the afternoon, I was joined by Mason and Ian to complete the (visible from the platform) graffiti removal from Sand Cave. What a great sense of accomplishment, following the 2-3 years we've been working on that one! I'm sure we'd all love to hear quick anecdotes from any of you about what your work crew accomplished at the Mar. Resto weekend --do tell!
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What a great weekend, great weather, great fun, and What A Cave! On Sunday 6 of us went down Cleveland Ave to divert some water that was creating a slip hazard. With the word that Rick wanted the water to go in a direction that was up hill we had to abandon our trenching work. I studied the puddle and dripping water for a moment and determined that a maddox was the appropriate tool for the job. After asking someone to hold my beer, I took a couple of swings and was able to allow the water to be diverted. To the person who held my beer I want it back! Thanks Gary for getting this communication tool set up. Gene.
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Hello to the MACAresto cavers, especially those who just signed-up! current subscribers: JonathanA, RoyV, TeresaB, Sue and Tim, Gene, PaulaC, KenDj, Larry Matiz, Brian Lantz, AuroraC, EverettP, Dave Seng, RichK, KenA, PamS, Rick Toomey, GaryG and BrianH It's nice that we have this new chat group to exchange messages and pleasantries, which certainly builds our group camaraderie and sense of caver fellowship. That last part (fellowship) is an element of the NSS Mission Statement: "The National Speleological Society (NSS) is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the scientific study of caves and karst; protecting caves and their natural contents through conservation, ownership, stewardship, and public education; and promoting responsible cave exploration and fellowship among those interested in caves." Not to get too political, but in case you hadn't noticed, the NSS recently put into writing a couple common sense items, a Code of Conduct and an Anti-Harassment Policy. All MACAresto cavers already are aware that when we are guests of the NPS, we exhibit good behavior and there's never any talk of politics. It's very 'common sense,' but the NSS Member Code of Conduct (which also is encouraged for all Internal Organizations) states that we always show respect, kindness and courtesy. The new Anti-Harassment Policy reminds us of things that are not allowed: offensive verbal comments or physical actions related to age, physique, disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation. No threats or antagonistic statements, no unwanted behavior or words, no inappropriate physical contact, stalking or unwelcome attention. For more info, go to caves.org Board of Governors policy manual. Whew... got that out of the way! Lastly, in 2005, a plaque was presented to the MACAresto cavers in gratitude from the NPS. Has anyone seen this plaque or know where it hangs? (A photo is attached) -Gary :)
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Mar. 2021 Resto Report
MACAresto March 2021 Report Brian Hunsaker, Director On Saturday, March 6th, we had 20 participants which we split into three groups, two in the cave and one working outside. Participants of the groups rotated work throughout the day to enjoy multiple activities and areas of the cave. Our first in-cave group worked on lint collection. Utilizing paintbrushes, soft-bristled brooms and dustpans, the group collected lint from the flooring and walls. In the morning, the group worked from Giant¡¯s Coffin to Dante¡¯s Gateway just before the wooden bowl room. In the afternoon, that group worked in Sparks Avenue. It was noted that while the floor of Sparks Avenue is concrete, enough dust and mud are covering it to cause additional dust to be raised in this area. Additional sweeping or cleaning of the mud and dust to bring this back to concrete may help control some of the dust that is being kicked into the air in this area. During the day, approximately 10 pounds of lint was removed. Our second in-cave group returned to the now-familiar rock work in Bandit¡¯s Hall. During the day, the group managed to almost finish the task of separating the rock and concrete. They also sorted and emptied bags of limestone left from previous work on concrete and rock separation. I would estimate that approximately two more days of work, depending on crew size, should finish up this project. The group working outside continued our efforts at graffiti removal at the entrance shelter of Sand Cave. With two groups of three people each, one working in the morning and the other in the afternoon, we were able to make a significant impact on the orange paint that was visible from the visitor¡¯s walkway. Most of this paint was either completely or partially burned off, leaving the graffiti in a much less obvious state. For the paint that was burned, additional trips with plastic brushes and water may be necessary to remove the charred paint. On Sunday, March 7th, 13 participants returned to the cave for several objectives accessible via the elevator entrance. Splitting into two groups, the following tasks were tackled: One of the groups worked first on removing the remains of beetle experiments from Marion Avenue. This consisted of breaking up old wood frames and bagging them for removal. They also scooped up the white sand that was placed inside these frames and placed them into additional bags for removal. After finishing the work on this project, the group proceeded further from the entrance down Marion Avenue and worked on restoring the disturbance to the ground made from sediment research that had been conducted in this area. The other group proceeded from the elevator entrance down Cleveland Avenue to assess and remedy water that was running across the path and creating a potential slip hazard. The water was entering the cave via a drill hole and collecting in a small rock pool that had been created to contain the water. This pool, now overflowing, was causing the water to run downhill across the main path. After discussing several options on how to possibly channel the water, it was determined that this would not work as the water would need to travel uphill. After further study, it was determined that this area of the path was built on top of breakdown that had been filled in with sediment to form the path. From this, it was concluded that we could create a passage in the bottom of the pool to let the water drain into this breakdown and under the path. Using a mattock tool with a pick, a small hole was created in the bottom of the pool, allowing the water to successfully drain. Sand harvested from the beetle project was then used to provide traction on the wet spots while the area dried. - end of report -
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Award plague
The plaque was awarded at the 2005 summer camp to commemorate the hard work of hundreds of volunteers at the conclusion of the Echo River bridge project. At the time we had no secure storage area like we have now, and Maple Springs was a shared facility and sometimes things disappeared from there. The plaque was given to Rick Olson to be placed in the MaCa archives/curated collections and is stored there along with the Vargo tools and the Echo River bridge model. Two other awards given to the camp are also kept by the park: the 2006 NSS Group Conservation Award that Preston Forsythe accepted for the camp at the NSS convention that year, and the Annual Earth Day Award presented to the camp by the Kentucky Environmental Quality Commission, Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet, Commonwealth of Kentucky.
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May Camp Registration Link
Almost time! For what you ask? May Restoration Camp signup of course. There appear to be some issues with restoremammoth.com so for those that don't have it. Here is the link! Hope to see you all there. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/148698885369 Brian
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August Restoration Camp
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Resto Cavers, it¡¯s time for a return to normal (or as normal as a group of cavers can ever be)! What better way to do that than by spending a week at Mammoth Cave doing what we love with the people we love to do it with. I don¡¯t know about you but I say let's do this, onward to August camp! The application is now available at restoremammoth.com and will be emailed to the new IO group. Like the ill-fated 2020 camp, you can once again electronically send funds (for those that are check adverse). It is my understanding that we will once again be at Hamilton Valley for the entire camp. Given how things are progressing I am extremely hopeful that the camp will be able to function with no COVID restrictions. I will keep everyone up to date with the guidance provided by the park and CRF. I have spoken to Bonnie and I am hopeful that we will have a t-shirt for camp and there are still plans to create the shirt for the camp that never was. Love you all and see you in August, it¡¯s gonna be great!
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I'll bet most of us have been at the Historic Entrance on a couple early mornings when the temperature and humidity were such that a fog formed over the sink: Interestingly, last Sunday, conditions caused that fog to be sucked all the way down to the Rotunda Room, and a local TV station made the phenomenon into a brief news item: MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. (WKRN) ¨C A group of visitors at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky got to see a rare sight on Sunday when a thick cloud of fog formed underground in the Rotunda at Mammoth Cave. Molly Schroer, the Public Information Officer at Mammoth Cave National Park, says this rare phenomenon only happens when conditions are exactly right, and it doesn¡¯t last long. ¡°It was only in there a short time, about 10 minutes. And then the cold cave air came in and dissipated it and it went away,¡± she said. Caves have their own natural airflows, and in the summer you usually have cool cave air pushing out of the entrance. But on Sunday, that airflow reversed. ¡°It was a nice warm summer day; a storm came through that dropped the temperature, lowered the pressure, and instead of pushing air out, the air got sucked into the cave,¡± Schroer said. (screen shot from the trail as you enter the Rotunda Room)
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Sensitive Philippine cave needs support for on-line petition
Hi Elron and Agapito, In receiving your email message this morning (below), I can assume that your strategy is to contact as many caving organizations as possible and ask them to exert a public outcry against the quarrying that is happening at Pinagrealan Cave. You've probably sent the same message to all the NSS grottos listed on www.caves.org, as well as caving organizations throughout Europe and anywhere else you can find. I assume you've sent your message to the National Speleological Society, which is the parent organization of all the local grottos (like mine). On behalf of local cavers in and around the major U.S. city of Chicago, we sympathize with your plight. On behalf of all U.S. cavers and members of the NSS, who are dedicated to "the preservation of caves and their natural contents" (--our mission statement), we sympathize with your struggle. It saddens us that political corruption has allowed a local official to disregard quarrying bans, change the name of the company and continue doing damage that threatens your sensitive cave. You are correct in assuming that there's not much we in the U.S. can do except to voice our opposition, exert public pressure and let your authorities know that cave conservation and preserving endangered species is vitally important. I have read the Geologist Reports and Cave Law PDFs that you sent. I also read House Resolution 1916, the Philippine bill to halt quarrying at the cave (all of which are attached here for the sake of others to whom I'm forwarding my response), all of which convinced me to sign your on-line petition. www.heritageprotection.org/petition/ I urge all other concerned U.S. cavers to consider doing the same by visiting www.heritageprotection.org/petition/, adding your name and submitting a comment similar to mine: "On behalf of all cave explorers and conservationists in the United States, we strongly oppose the quarrying that's currently being allowed at Pinagrealan Cave. We urge the national government and local authorities to enforce House Resolution 1916 and immediately halt the quarrying, as required by law. The international community is watching, and we sincerely hope that officials will heed the pressure of cave conservationists, world-wide." Elron, I hope this helps! Please keep me posted on the status of what happens. sincerely, -Gary :) Gary Gibula Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto, founder and chair National Speleological Society 36288RL PS - To all my caver friends who are BCC'd on this message: I usually do not distribute and bother my friends with stuff like this. But I've done the legwork, checked out the injustice that's happening here, and take into account that Elron took the time to petition everyone with a well-thought, well-worded argument on behalf of cave conservation. Please consider clicking the link and signing the online petition. Easy to do. -----Original Message----- From: Elron Garcia <info@...> To: garygibula@... <garygibula@...> Sent: Mon, Jun 28, 2021 1:30 pm Subject: Re: Cave Protection Assistance Request Gary Gibula Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto - URGENT Hello Gary Thank you so much. I was lucky to hear today that Philippines Congress has a Resolution which will be read at the end of July to ask for an investigation into this matter. The resolution already notes there's damage to the cave ? Of course - public pressure is always important in countries where corruption is the norm. That's why the more people who can sign the petition and support us the better - so they won't cover it up. Thank you so much again. Agapito Almada and Elron Garcia From: garygibula@... <garygibula@...> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2021 9:37 PM To: Elron Garcia <info@...> Subject: Re: Cave Protection Assistance Request Gary Gibula Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto - URGENT Thank you for the message, Elron. I'm off to do some research this morning at the Field Museum of Natural History, in downtown Chicago, and I will respond in more detail later today. best, -Gary -----Original Message----- From: Pinagrealan Cave Association <admin@...> To: Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto Gary Gibula
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2021 Old Timers Reunion information
-----Original Message----- From: Robert Hoke <bobhoke1@...> To: garygibula@... Sent: Fri, Jul 16, 2021 12:37 am Subject: 2021 Old Timers Reunion information Dear grotto leader, You are receiving this message because you are listed as a contact for the Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto in the NSS database. Your email address was used with NSS permission. The attached PDF file contains information about the 2021 Old Timers Reunion. We are sending this information to all NSS grottos that are likely to have members attending OTR. The same PDF file is also on the OTR Web site at https://otr.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/71st-Annual-Old-Timers-Reunion-v1.0.pdf Please disseminate this information within your grotto so that everyone is aware of the latest OTR information. Feel free to print the file and include it in your newsletter or distribute it at meetings. You can also post it on your website or send it to your grotto's email list if you wish. If you have any questions about OTR please contact the OTR chair, David "Shack" Shackelford at otr2021@.... Bob Hoke OTR Propaganda Department 93
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Mask Policy for Mammoth Cave National Park
Hello resto family, for those coming to our weeklong camp next week there has been an update. Most of you are aware of the updated guidelines presented by the CDC. Today Mammoth Cave National Park has made the announcement linked below. What this means for us is that while on Park property we will be required to wear masks when indoors and in the cave. This will include Maple Springs where we will be staying. I know the thought of having a camp without the need for masks was an attractive one, but in the interest of keeping the camp safe and being good representatives of the National Park we must all do our part. https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm https://www.facebook.com/MammothCaveNPS/photos/a.869019336449951/4525135197504995/ Brian
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2021 Field Camp photos
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108 various photos that I shot from the week-long 2021 Mammoth Cave Restoration Field Camp may be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zl0kbg0yq5m68in/AACHXUZfZFOxjXXUSlMpJDL9a?dl=0 (feel free to download, repost and use as you see fit!) -Gary :)
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Aug 2021 MACA Resto Camp photos - Coach Cave
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Hello, Here's a link to the pictures I took last Monday & Tuesday while we were working in Coach Cave https://www.dropbox.com/sh/joxv8sezmf3omm5/AABX0zUaqELZlWjbe1j4-3WXa?dl=0 I hope you enjoy them - Deborah Nelson
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Summer Employee Newsletter
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-----Original Message----- From: Ballard, Chelsea S <Chelsea_Ballard@...> To: NPS MACA All Employees <MACA_All_Employees@...> Cc: pamsaberton@... <pamsaberton@...>; garygibula@... <garygibula@...> Sent: Wed, Aug 11, 2021 11:33 am Subject: Summer Employee Newsletter Hello! I have attached the summer employee newsletter! Thanks to everyone who submitted articles or photos for this publication. For the fall edition there is a quick turn around with the deadline for photos and article submissions being on September 1st! Please know that we would like to see submissions from each division, let me know how I can help! I hope you enjoy this publication. Thanks, Chelsea Ballard Division of Interpretation Mammoth Cave National Park
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RFC 2021 photo link
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Hopefully this works for all the pic's I took last week. If it doesn't please let me know and I'll try to figure out why. -Ken https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u6yhlwzwcoxhd81/AAAqyKJVNn-QiOptxiu9oe4Ia?dl=0
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Photo links from Wednesday night & Thursday
Hello, I finally made it through some more of my photos from our August camp. Here are 2 links. Please let meknow if they don't work. Dropbox Link for 50 pictures from Wednesday Night Tour Dropbox Link for 44 pictures from Thursday Hopefully it won't take as long to get you the rest off them Thanks, Deb
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MACA Resto Camp Photos - Wed Night & Thursday
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Not sure why the other links didn't work, but I think these do (fingers crossed) Wednesday Night Tour: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e81xs63sx39p2wh/AAChilR66aBItSBf4Xx4_nvDa?dl=0 Thursday: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vc71pv2yotxnbrw/AABTZe2P03Te7SOVTyDgDpXFa?dl=0 Please let me know if you have any issues getting to the pictures. Thanks, Deb
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Persephone, the robot guide, leads visitors in a Greek cave Persephone is the name given to a robot used as a tour guide inside Alistrati Cave, about 84 miles northeast of Thessaloniki, Greece. (Giannis Papanikos/ap ) By Costas Kantouris Associated Press ALISTRATI, Greece ¡ª Persephone is a tour guide in Greece, but perhaps not the type people are used to. Billed as the world¡¯s first robot tour guide inside a cave, Persephone has been welcoming visitors since mid-July to the Alistrati Cave in northern Greece, 84 miles northeast of the city of Thessaloniki. The multilingual robot covers the first 500 feet of the part of the cave that is open to the public. In the remaining 2,400 feet, a human guide takes over. The robot was named Persephone because, according to one version of the ancient Greek myth, it was in a nearby plain that Pluto ¡ª the god of the underworld who was also known as Hades ¡ª abducted Persephone, with the consent of her father Zeus, to take her as his wife. The robot can give its part of the tour in 33 languages and interact at a basic level with visitors in three languages. It can also answer 33 questions, but only in Greek. Nikos Kartalis, the scientific director for the Alistrati site, had the idea of creating the robot when he saw one on TV guiding visitors at an art gallery. Seventeen years later, ¡°we got our funds and the robot guide became a reality,¡± Kartalis said. The robot was built by the National Technology and Research Foundation and cost $139,000. ¡°We already have a 70% increase in visitors compared to last year since we started using¡± the robot, said Kartalis. ¡°People are enthusiastic, especially the children, and people who had visited in the past are coming back to see the robot guide.¡± The robot moves along a walkway, passing through an ornate, colorful landscape of stalactites and stalagmites. These varied formations can reach 50 feet tall and are seen throughout the cave¡¯s nearly 1.6-mile walkway, which is accessible to people with limited mobility. Kartalis said the cave was 3 million years old and was first explored in 1974 by the Hellenic Speleological Society and a team of Austrian speleologists. It opened to visitors in 1998. Persephone, with a white body, black head and two luminous eyes, moves on wheels, guiding visitors to the first three of eight stops along the walkway. The robot begins by saying: ¡°My name is Persephone, I am the daughter of the goddess Demeter and the wife of Pluto, the god of the underworld. I welcome you to my under Earth kingdom, the Alistrati Cave.¡± Many visitors are intrigued by the robot guide. ¡°It was surprising for me. I¡¯ve never experienced such a thing. Actually, honestly, I prefer a live guide, but it¡¯s interesting doing it this way. And I like the pace of the robot. It goes slower, so I can look around,¡± said Patrick Markes, a Czech visitor. Evdokia Karafera is one of the tour guides who partners with the robot. ¡°It is helpful, because it speaks many languages. There¡¯s just a little delay in the touring,¡± she said. ¡°Most find it fascinating, especially the children, and find it interesting that it speaks many languages.¡± -end-
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MACA Resto Camp Photos - Echo Spring & Concrete Chipping
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Hello, I hope everyone's doing well & enjoying summer! Here are two links to some more photos from our August camp. Friday's work at Echo Spring: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/i5vlkweccnvf0fa/AABMaQZqBW1z339HK16gpayQa?dl=0 Wednesday's Concrete Chipping: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b80cdq26jbaw3r5/AABAi-3uq6L48C-CtipnKpWSa?dl=0 Hope you enjoy them! Thanks, Deb Nelson
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Sat 8:39am