National Cave and Karst Management Symposium Oct. 8-12

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National Cave and Karst Management Symposium Oct. 8-12

Postby Teresa » Aug 18, 2007 6:54 pm

This is a totally *unofficial* invitation for you to visit http://www.nckms.org, and get in on a really neat Agency-Caver-Show Cave Management week-long educational and field trip event.

The NCKMS is being jointly sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy.

Where? Suburban St. Louis, at the Powder Valley Nature Center and the Viking-Holiday Inn.

What? Sessions, vendors, field trips, networking in the halls and on the buses, with all sorts of cave management professionals, cave management volunteers and cavers. More cave knowledge and experience convenes at one time at the NCKMS than in most meetings after the meeting. And food. Did I mention much of the food for the week is included?

Wednesday is the traditional field trip day for the NCKMS. This year, we will be presenting the karst and cave filled Meramec State Park near Sullivan. A combination of surface and sub-surface trips will be offered-- and it's all included in the event price.

Who are we missing? YOU! All you need is an interest in caves (you're here reading this) and cave management (yes--we WANT both the pros and the wannabees--one week at the NCKMS is worth at least of year of sitting in a stuffy parks, rec, or natural resources classroom, and it's a whole lot more fun).

Yes, you need to sign up. And yes, registration FOR THE WEEK is less than filling a double tank Suburban at $3.00/gallon. Yes, you need a place to stay -- (That's why we have the hotel.)

http://www.nckms.org. Check it out!
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Postby Cheryl Jones » Aug 19, 2007 11:19 am

Many thanks Teresa! Well put.

When: October 8-12.

It's going to be an outstanding symposium -- the hosts have some great plans and field trip lined up, time slots allowed for paper sessions are already full, and since the symposium is in the center of the country, a good and varied attendance is expected. On the 2007 NCKMS Web page, click on "sessions" to see the titles of papers and the presenters' names.

Scholarships are available, with preference given to students and those presenting papers. http://www.nckms.org/scholar.html

To those who have never attended: This is not a stuffy event! But it is the best opportunity to meet others involved in all areas of cave management from around the country, and learn about the latest developments and concepts, and share ideas. Network, form partnerships, make new friends. Cave conservancies should consider sending at least one representative.

Thanks to Symposium chairman Bill Elliott (recipient of the 2007 NSS Honorary Member award!) and his team, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy for hosting the NCKMS. :patriotic:

Cheryl
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Postby Teresa » Aug 31, 2007 5:04 pm

NCKMS UPDATE:

The deadline for early (cheap) preregistration for the National Cave and Karst Management Symposium has been extended to September 30 per Bill Elliott. (See note on NCKMS Registration page).

So, if you decided not to come because you needed to pay for a Labor Day party -- fear not!!

All pre-registration is being conducted online. However, if you would like to attend the conference, and have persistent difficulty with the online signup (or the Internet keeps eating your credit card), please contact one of the principals listed at http://www.nckms2007.org/.

We want you there, even if you need to pay with a poke of gold-containing cave dust mailed in a box, with an accompanying application written by an Ozark cavefish!

The website again is http://www.nckms2007.org/.
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Postby Cheryl Jones » Sep 5, 2007 5:55 pm

The latest revised schedule for the National Cave & Karst Management Symposium has been posted. NCKMS will be held in St. Louis, Oct. 8-12, 2007.

Please see http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/sponsored_sit ... sched.html

Please register at http://www.nckms2007.org/

You now have until Oct. 1 to register at the low price of $120, which includes all sessions, field trip and several meals. You may
buy a day pass if you only want to attend part time. A separate Thurs. night banquet ticket is available for those who
want only that event, including our speaker Dr. Blaine Schubert!

New details about the field trip are posted. And please note the following:

Caves in Crisis: A Photo Exhibit

When: Month of October, 2007
Where: Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center, 11715 Cragwold Road, Kirkwood, MO 63122 (St. Louis), (314) 301-1500, http://mdc.mo.gov/areas/cnc/powder/
Further information: (314) 301-1500 or William R. Elliott, Missouri Department of Conservation, (573) 522-4115 ext. 3194, Bill.Elliott@mdc.mo.gov

This educational exhibit will contrast the beauty of caves and their wildlife to the vandalism that occurs there too often. Some of the top cave photographers have contributed their photos for this exhibit: David Bunnell, Jim Huckins, Rickard Walk, William R. Elliott, Michael Carter, Eugene Vale and others. Visitors will see how cavers try to restore damaged caves by scrubbing graffiti and repairing damaged cave formations. Conservationists team up with landowners to protect important caves with rugged cave gates. Hundreds of hours were spent on these conservation projects, and the public is becoming interested in the methods that were developed. The best protection for caves is an informed public, which we hope will result from this exhibit. Free admission to the public, open 8:00 AM-5:00 PM all week.

During October Powder Valley will also exhibit free videos about caves on the weekends, during the regularly scheduled video hours of 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. Included is the new "Caves: Life Beneath the Forest" about cave life in Hoosier National Forest, Indiana. No reservations required.

This exhibit will coincide with the National Cave & Karst Management Symposium, October 8-12, at the nearby Holiday Inn Southwest/Viking Conference Center. After October, the exhibit may travel to other nature centers or venues on request.


William R. Elliott, Ph.D.
Cave Biologist
Missouri Department of Conservation
Resource Science Division
P.O. Box 180 (2901 W. Truman Blvd.)
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180
phone 573/522-4115 ext. 3194
FAX 573/526-5582
Bill.Elliott@mdc.mo.gov
http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/sponsored_sit ... peleology/
Chair, National Cave & Karst Management Symposium, 2007, St. Louis
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Postby Cheryl Jones » Oct 30, 2007 10:06 am

I've been negligent in not reporting back earlier on the NCKMS. It was an outstanding event, and the hosts did a terrific job. :wtg:

Last I heard, attendance was over 180 -- including representatives from cave conservancies, cave management associations, and other cave conservation, research, and management organizations, federal and state agency staff, scientists, university students and professors, and those who work in the environmental science field. The presentations were varied and interesting, Because of the great set-up in the hotel, having lunches set up on site, and of course the "hospitality suite," there was a lot of networking, brainstorming, planning for collaboration, and just friendly talking, between sessions and into the night, which are important goals of the symposiums.

The all-day field trip was a nice and interesting mixture of roadside geology, wild caving and half-wild caving in Meremac State Park, and special tours of Meremac Caverns (a private, historic show cave) with three experts on Meremac's geology, history, and survey. Dinner followed in the cave, generously hosted by Meremac's owners.

One evening we visited the Power Valley Nature Center for a program and panel session on caves that was open to the public., followed by a reception.

Many thanks the hosts Missouri Department of Conservation and the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy, and a special thank you to all of the volunteers who organized such a professional and successful symposium. Specifically I'd like to thank co-chairs Bill Elliott and Jim Kaufmann who did an outstanding job organizing and hosting; Alicia Lewis who seemed to be everywhere making sure things ran smoothly; Eugene Vale who was in charge of the dual projectors and ensuring that the visual presentations during the sessions went without off without a hitch; and Jo Schaper who gave the geology commentary on the filed trip and was in charge of the day's activities. I know there were many other people involved and without them the symposium would not have happened or been a success. :patriotic: :thanks:

Watch for the NCKMS Proceedings to read the papers presented, which will be available at the NSS Bookstore and Speleobooks (as are Proceedings of past symposiums)

The next NCKMS will be the 2nd International CKMS in 2009, held over three days of the 2009 International Congress of the UIS in Kerrville, TX.

Cheryl
Chairman
NCKMS Steering Committee
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Postby Cheryl Jones » Oct 30, 2007 10:56 pm

Review of the event from symposium chairman Bill Elliott: (go here for pictures.)

The National Cave & Karst Management Symposium was held October 8-12, 2007 at the Holiday Inn SW & Viking Conference Center, St. Louis, Missouri.

On Monday there was an Illinois Karst trip led by Philip Moss, and two workshops given by Bat Conservation International's Jim Kennedy and Project Underground's Carol Zokaites. In the evening we had a welcome party with hors d'oeuvres and free beer from Schlafly.

On Tuesday the main sessions began with a keynote address by Director John Hoskins of Missouri Department of Conservation. Paper sessions were punctuated with ample breaks and refreshments. Sponsors had exhibits in the lobby, and Speleobooks brought a complete store. Lunch was served in the lobby. Tuesday afternoon concluded with Cave Management by Cavers and a panel discussion. On Tuesday evening we bused to Missouri Department of Conservation’s beautiful Powder Valley Nature Center, where we held a free public event, including the Caves in Crisis photo exhibit and a speaker panel, followed by refreshments in the lobby, which included a "cave cake."

On Wednesday we took a bus trip to Meramec State Park, with geology narratives, walking tours of Fisher Cave, caving at Mushroom Cave, karst geology tours in the Hamilton Valley, hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, then a tour of commercial Meramec Caverns with experts, followed by a dinner in the cave and a slide show about the restoration of nearby Bat Cave #1. The photo below is from the 2000 Natural Areas field trip to Fisher Cave.

We had a full day of sessions on Thursday, ending with a special showing of the video Caves: Life Beneath the Forest, presented by Kriste Lindberg from Indiana. There was a big poster session, then a banquet that evening with a wonderful speaker, Dr. Blaine Schubert, East Tennessee State University, who spoke on "Cave and Karst Paleontology in North America."

Friday concluded with an Urban Karst session and an afternoon Urban Karst field trip, led by Dr. Bob Criss, Washington University, to points around St. Louis, which sits on a karst that has been generally poorly managed for 200 years. We visited various sinkholes and the entrance of Cliff Cave, ending up at the Mississippi River.

William R. Elliott, cave biologist
Missouri Department of Conservation
Resource Science Division
P.O. Box 180
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180
573-522-4115 ext. 3194
Elliott@mdc.mo.gov
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