2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

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2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Ernie Coffman » Mar 4, 2009 3:51 pm

What's really funny, Andy, is that someone before me wrote about the NSS/ICS Convention and the WNS problem back east; thus, I guess Barbara has figured out how to transfer that person's message, for I figured since I was writing to the folks in the 2009 NSS/ICS Convention link, I was at the right place. Thus, with all due thoughts, Andy, I was in the right area and shouldn't have to move anything. Thanks for your kind thoughts, though. :doh:

I don't have a clue as to why WNS was mentioned along with the ICS/Convention section, but it was; and, Barb figured out what to do, so thank you much! :woohoo:

Trying a little harder, but...not my problem. :boxing:
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby wyandottecaver » Mar 4, 2009 5:31 pm

WNS was mentioned because until very very recently there was no mention of it on the ICS website despite field camps and excursions in WNS states. This was before a dedicated WNS sub-forum was created
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2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Ernie Coffman » Mar 4, 2009 5:45 pm

Maybe it's about time that they take another look at NOT going caving in those states...unfortunately, for sure, but...could create quite a problem if something major were to take place, especially with the International folks coming in. Better to make those decisions now, than to face them in July. Looking at what is in the Bats section, there's a whole slug of info coming out of those states and me thinks cavers should be the first to step up and say, "No more caving in those states until scientific studies prove one way or the other on what's happening with our little friends." :off topic: slightly, but I was dragged into this because of someone else, thanks but no thanks. :argue:
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby wyandottecaver » Mar 4, 2009 6:04 pm

The ICS has sent a letter to trip leaders basically emphasizing the serious nature of WNS. I have also initiated discussions with several folks and agencies regarding the NY camp in particular, though the VA camp is now also an issue. Personally I would urge folks to contact the ICS and the respective trip leaders and express their concerns.
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Cheryl Jones » Apr 14, 2009 10:58 pm

Over 1,000 cavers have registered for the International Congress! :kewl: :clap:

The local and large states of Texas and California have the most attendees, followed by ......Virginia! :banana: Hey WV, you've got a lot of catching up to do! :wink:

Go here to see the number of attendees by state.

Cavers from 47 other countries have registered so far for the Congress! Go here to see the numbers by country. Believe it or not, more cavers have signed up from France, than from our good neighbor Canada, but only by a few. Yo, Canada! Come on down! :waving:


It's going to be terrific (and a lot of caving on offer)! This is the one event not to miss in the US this decade, and possibly the next. If there is anyway possible you can swing it, make plans and get registered.:cofee: http://www.ics2009.us/welcome.html

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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby NZcaver » May 15, 2009 5:07 pm

Somebody help me out here. :doh: I'm looking on the ICS website, but I can't seem to find the program in calendar format which shows all the events for the week. You know, like we usually have at convention. I assume it must be there somewhere? :shrug:

Hey Scott - I see you're doing a "what's in your cave pack" workshop. :kewl:
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Scott McCrea » May 15, 2009 6:46 pm

NZcaver wrote:Hey Scott - I see you're doing a "what's in your cave pack" workshop. :kewl:

:banana: :woohoo: :bananabat: A good, old-fashioned cave pack shakedown. I hope to see everyone there. Saturday afternoon, July 25. Check the guidebook for location.

BTW, I'm still looking for a "non-US" co-host. If you are going to be there and like gear, let me know. I'll buy you an ice cream sandwich. :big grin:
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby NZcaver » May 15, 2009 6:55 pm

Scott McCrea wrote:A good, old-fashioned cave pack shakedown.

:clap: Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) some of us who are flying will be aiming to travel light, I imagine. But I still plan to bring the basics, including my cave pack. I'll try to get underground at least once or twice. What caving clothes are people wearing down there? I won't be dragging my suit with me, so I'm thinking nylon or cotton cargo pants and maybe an UnderArmor-style shirt?

Or there's the option of caving with the Randy Gandy Club. :yikes: :tonguecheek:
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2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Ernie Coffman » May 17, 2009 12:34 am

Hey there NZ, here's the scoop from George Veni, chair of the NSS/ICS convention:

"On the ICS website, midway down the menu on the left side of the page is the option “Program and Schedule”. Selecting that gives you three options. The General Information options opens some text which links to the schedule. The direct address is: http://www.ics2009.us/weeklysched.pdf. The final detailed schedule should be posted in early June and more prominently."

Hope this helps you see about the program and schedules. :tonguecheek:
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby NZcaver » May 17, 2009 12:58 am

Thanks, Ernie! :goodjob:

I followed the directions and found it this time. The obscure link must have been hiding from me before. :doh:
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby NZcaver » May 20, 2009 3:45 pm

Here's an update on pre and post ICS trips from George Veni (dated May 20):

Dear Friends,

Last month we sadly announced that we needed to cancel and re-examine all of the trips for the 15th International Congress of Speleology (ICS) because of White Nose Syndrome (WNS), the mysterious condition that has recently killed about a half millions bats in the U.S. We hoped to send you news about the trips a couple of weeks ago, but arranging some of the details was more complicated than expected. Here is the final news on the Pre and Post-ICS trips:

Confirmed Trips, Full
01: Coast-to-Coast Eastern Segment
02: Coast-to-Coast Western Segment
85: Cenote Karst of the Yucatan Peninsula
88: Giant Caves of Northern Mexico

Confirmed Trips, Space Available*
03: Texas Bat Caves
31: Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
41: Black Hills, South Dakota
51: Science in Southeastern New Mexico
53: Caving in the Guadalupe Mountains (post-Congress)
55: Lilburn Cave, California (only 2 slots still open!)
71: Cave Management in New York
86: Deep Pits of Mexico
* The numbers of seats available for some trips in may be different from the total trip size originally announced

Canceled
04: Endangered Species, Endangered Caves
33: Cumberland Plateau (TAG)
34: Tectonic Pseudokarst of North Carolina
37: Caves and Karst of Virginia
52: Caving in the Guadalupe Mountains (pre-Congress)
56: Cave the Sierra Nevada, California
58: Big Island Hawaii
59: Southeast Alaska
81: Caving with the Maya
82: Caves of the Bahamas

I encourage you to register for the available trips soon before they fill. Some of the trips may experience minor changes because of WNS. If you are concerned, please contact the trip leaders as listed on our website at http://www.ics2009.us. As reminder, to do our best to prevent the spread of WNS in the US and to other countries, all caving equipment and clothing will need to be decontaminated after each caving trip. The decontamination procedures will be announced and posted on our website within 2 weeks.

Today is exactly 2 months until the 15th ICS begins. Today our pre-registration exceeded the total number of people who attended the 8th ICS, the previous ICS held in the US in 1981. I look forward to seeing many more registrations in the coming weeks. Remember, the price of registration increases on June 1st so register now and register for the great field trips that will be held before the ICS, after the ICS, and on Wednesday during the ICS.

George

George Veni, Ph.D.
Chairman, 15th International Congress of Speleology
Adjunct Secretary, International Union of Speleology
Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby NZcaver » May 20, 2009 3:50 pm

And here's an update on trips during the ICS (dated May 7):

Dear Friends,

Last month I sadly announced that White Nose Syndrome, which has recently killed about half million bats in the U.S., has forced the organizers of the 15th International Congress of Speleology (ICS) to reevaluate its field trips. It is important that we do not accidentally spread this problem farther and into other countries. With this message I will update you on the Wednesday trips. I am happy to report we have not cancelled any Wednesday trips other than reported earlier.

The following trips are cancelled:
Wednesday trip WD-108: Land and Bat Habitat Restoration
Wednesday trip WD-110: Powell’s Cave
Wednesday trip WD-120: Fredericksburg, Peaches, and History
Wednesday trip WD-122: River Walk and Shopping in San Antonio
Wednesday trip WD-123: San Marcos Prime Shopping Center
Wednesday trip WD-124: Schlitterbahn Waterpark resort
Wednesday trip WD-126: YO Ranch


The following trips are guaranteed to occur and there is room on most for you to continue to register:
WD-101: Bats, Bridges, and Cave Preserves
WD-102: Birds, Rivers, and Bats
WD-103: Canoeing, Kayaking, and Tubing the Guadalupe River
WD-104: Challenges in Urban Cave Management
WD-105: Endangered Species/Endangered Caves
WD-106: Karst Hydrogeology of the Edwards Aquifer
WD-107: Kickapoo Cavern and the Devil’s Sinkhole (filled)
WD-109: Paleontology of Caves of the Edwards Plateau
WD-111: Granitic Pseudokarst of Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
WD-112: Recharge and Discharge Features of the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers
WD-113: Rock art at Seminole Canyon State Park
WD-121: Historic Spanish Missions trail
WD-125: Sea World San Antonio

I will soon send news on the final status of the pre-ICS and post-ICS trips.

We look forward to seeing you soon in Kerrville,

George

George Veni, Ph.D.
Chairman, 15th International Congress of Speleology
Adjunct Secretary, International Union of Speleology
Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Cheryl Jones » May 28, 2009 11:47 pm

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, on Monday, 1 June, the price of registration for the 15th International Congress of Speleology (ICS) will increase. My new information for you is that ICS registration will close one week later on Monday, 8 June. After that date, registration will only be accepted in Kerrville at the ICS.

We currently have 1,129 people registered from 49 countries and 45 U.S. states (we hope to see people in Delaware, Idaho, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Rhode Island register soon!). If you haven't yet registered, you can register on-line at https://secure.concentric.com/ics2009.us/register/ and visit our website, http://www.ics2009.us , for more information.

George

George Veni, Ph.D.
Chairman, 15th International Congress of Speleology
Adjunct Secretary, International Union of Speleology
Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute
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2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby dlocklear01 » Jun 21, 2009 12:13 pm

There is a Twitter site for cavers coming to Kerrville.

It is set up so that anybody can log on to the same page as if the person where a group.

Username: KerrCaveNews

Password: Kerrville

You can post short tweets related to:

1. Meeting up with other cavers.
2. Announcing lost items.
3. Announcing birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
4. Telling people where you are camped.
5. Selling or trading cave gear, books, etc.
6. Asking for help, or directions.
7. Asking for a ride or offering a ride.
8. Anything related to helping other twitters at ICS
communicate.

The only official rules are:

1. please don't change the password.
2. no foul language
3. log off after you post your tweet.

Please pass the word around about this to people
who have wi-fi gadgets and portable internet
service.

Anyone can be a "follower" even if you are not coming to Kerrville.
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Re: 2009 ICS/NSS Convention--Kerrville, TX

Postby Fifi » Jun 21, 2009 2:00 pm

dlocklear01 wrote:There is a Twitter site for cavers coming to Kerrville.

It is set up so that anybody can log on to the same page as if the person where a group.

Username: KerrCaveNews

Password: Kerrville

You can post short tweets related to:

1. Meeting up with other cavers.
2. Announcing lost items.
3. Announcing birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
4. Telling people where you are camped.
5. Selling or trading cave gear, books, etc.
6. Asking for help, or directions.
7. Asking for a ride or offering a ride.
8. Anything related to helping other twitters at ICS
communicate.

The only official rules are:

1. please don't change the password.
2. no foul language
3. log off after you post your tweet.

Please pass the word around about this to people
who have wi-fi gadgets and portable internet
service.

Anyone can be a "follower" even if you are not coming to Kerrville.


Wouldn't you be better off encouraging people to add the tag #ics to ics related twits? I can't see cavers not changing the password :) Also, by using the tag, you can easily see who posted the information.

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