KSS QUARTERLY MEETING

January 28, 2007, Carter Caves Crawlathon

 

 

Meeting was called to order at 10:05 A.M.

Preston passed out the KY Geologic Map postcards to everyone.

12 people were in attendance at the start of the meeting. By the end of the meeting there were about 20.

A sign up list was passed around.

Preston Forsythe, President, asked if any person or group wanted to get up to date on dues so they could vote.

Welcome by President. PLF handed out the agenda.

There are 5 Grottoes/Groups that are current in their dues and are eligible to vote. They are:

DUG; CUSS; KGS: COG; WKSS

     Introduction of Officers.

      KSS Mission Statement:To Collect and Preserve Cave and Karst Data

for the Commonwealth of Kentucky,

and

To Foster Communications and Collaboration Between Groups

Interested in the Study of Cave and Karst Resources.

 

President’s report:  We want and need representation from across the state. We are still a young group.  We are a group of volunteers.  KSS Accomplishments: We have 4 quarterly meetings and work sessions almost every 6 weeks. People are invited to stop by for these Sunday paper caving sessions. We have data on 4,437 caves with locations for 3,337 caves. Many thanks to Randy Paylor for all of his time putting this data into the computer.

Vice-President’s report:  Jim Currens told us about 4 data requests. Most of them we had no info that they wanted. The last request, from Caldwell Co, was an oil driller who had intersected a cave in the past and wanted to avoid that, but didn’t submit a formal data request. Jim furnished the driller some useful information.

Secretary’s report:  Anita Spears is our secretary, but she was not at the meeting because of health problems. She would like to continue to be secretary but she is waiting on some test results before she decides if she will be able to do that. Richard Hand will act as secretary when Anita is not available. Shari Forsythe took notes at the meeting. 

Treasurer’s Report:   Jim Greer said the bank balance is $1,464.65.

Our budget is limited but we can make some plans. Don Conover had KSS brochures printed up out of his own pocket and they look good.

Randy Paylor has made some nice posters too. The posters and Don’s brochures need to be available for people to see at upcoming caver functions, at a table or booth. We could also run an ad in the guide books for the Speleofest and the KOR. Jim Perkins said that we need to submit something soon for the KOR Guidebook.

Randy Paylor had not arrived yet, so everyone was filled in about his condition. He recently fell, ruptured 2 disks, and fractured some vertebrae. He has been stuck at home, recuperating, and has put a lot of time into KSS work. He has worked on the Newsletter, posters, and he has made a lot of progress on the data base. He had the newsletters ready to bring today but he is not here yet.

Items of Old Business:

Minutes of Oct. meeting were passed out.

Brent Ray made a motion to accept the minutes. Jim Currens, 2^nd and the motion was passed.

KSS Tax Exempt Status,501, Non Profit Status:   Jim Greer said that he is expecting to hear back in the spring or summer of this year. When we get the tax exempt status we would be eligible to get grants from various sources. Once it is issued it is permanent but you have to submit a statement of income. There is a minimum income to have to file annually. Ours is much less than that. There is an annual filing that is required. It is not costly but they can fine you if you don’t do it. Jim Perkins said that Lisa Porter knows about all of that and could give us some details.  We need to keep on this.

Jim Greer said that we had only done Federal filing, not Kentucky state filing.

Data access:  Sources that we need to work on:

Dr. Tom Barr: We talked about recent communications with him. We want to follow up on the idea to go see him but he said that February would not be a good time for him. March may be better and after a calendar check we agreed on a tentative date to try to go to Nashville to see him.

Angelo George:  It would be nice to be able to copy his data, but it will be a lot of work. Jim Greer and others have talked to him over the years. The Louisville Grotto could be a great help there.

Dick Blenz-Indiana:  Jim Currens said that Dick’s NSS cave files is kind of a backburner project right now. Jim has a list of his Kentucky information from 2003. Jim asked if anyone had heard that the NSS cave files were going to be relocated and Jim Perkins said that it has been talked about on TagNet, but not sure about details. This file is separate from the NSS Library. Do we want to bring this up in priority? Richard Hand thought there was a tremendous amount of info on his computer.

Preston proposed that we should go meet with him, an introduction, see what he has and what form it is in, and go from there.

Roger Sperka:  Brief history. We got boxes of info, but there could well be more in El Paso. It would be nice to go back. We still have more work to do on the Sperka material. Last session we worked on Hart Co.

Carter Caves Area---Jonathan thought we may be able to get it sometime.

Jim Quinlan:  His collection is at UK Library. Western KY U didn’t want it, said Jim Currens.

Don Coons:  Jim Currens said that he has been able to see the info at least twice. One time DC was restrictive on what he could see. The other time D.C. said “take everything” So Jim said we need to go to the U.K. Library and photocopy it all. There are quite a few maps and 8 cardboard cartons that could be copied. Preston offered to come to Lexington and work on that sometime. Brent said that if he had access to paper copies of Coons’ data that he could make PdF Files where he works.

Joe Saunders :  The KSS already has Joe’s data.

Dwight Yokum:  Someone said his son said we are wasting our time to ask for his info.

DASS  Mike Johnson:  We have most of that.

 

Committees:  We have 5. Discussion if whether three committees might be better. President called for volunteers for various committees.

Nominations

Membership

Data Administration:  Currens, Paylor, Bill Walden

Data Access:  Darrel Adkins, Bill Walden, Jim Currens, Don Conover

Appeals:  We only had one data request to be turned down—the one that wanted to set up a mirror data base. It was discussed if we really need an appeals committee. Brent Ray said that maybe we need to look at by laws at a caving on paper day, then submit to members. Maybe do a chat session soon to hash it out. Jim Currens seconded this.

 

Non-elected positions

Webmaster:  Kevin Toepke. Darrell Adkins said that it is hard to figure out how to join KSS from the website. There needs to be a link on home that tells how much it costs.  Brent had some good ideas about 4 other caver websites that we could get some ideas from, combine and use some of the best ideas for a new design for the KSS website. Anna offered to help with the design side of the website. It needs to be updated more often and include: Current Membership, Bylaws, Meeting announcements, and Minutes

 

Newsletter Editor:  Randy is working on the newsletter and it is almost done.

Brochure Editor: Don worked up the flyer, which is very good. Richard Hand said that these could have been at a table for people to see since Friday. At future caving functions we need to have someone there manning a table, definitely at KOR. If we want to attract new members we have to do this.

 

How to attract new members:  Jim Currens talked about his presentation to the Cincinnati Grotto, which went over well. He could also give a presentation to the Louisville Grotto.  Steve Gentry via an email to Preston said that the Louisville Grotto wants to be more involved.

Other:

 

WKSS is a loose organization, about 12 people. Mike Dyas, Preston, Shari, Gary Collins are the main people right now. We plan to survey 2 caves in Ohio County this Spring.

Hoy Cave, Simpson Co.: This is a situation where a developer wants to build over cave passage and a local woman is opposed to the development. He is ready to sue her for things that she has written in e mails to others, trying to get some support. But, KSS is for saving cave data. We are not a cave management group and there really isn’t one that anyone in that situation can contact.

Don Conover said that Rockcastle Karst Conservancy is kind of set up for that.

Jim Kennedy said that Texas has 2 cave conservation groups, and both have slightly different approaches. The Texas Cave Conservancy (TCC) is a non-member, non-profit, 501 (c) (3) Texas corporation is dedicated to the protection of caves, cave life, and aquifers as related to caves. TCC works through public education, scientific research and cave management by assisting land developers, municipalities, other non-profit organizations and private land- owners in the protection and management of caves.

The Texas Cave Management Association (TCMA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and management of Texas cave resources. As a land trust, they can accept conservation easements, a tool in which landowners voluntarily place restrictions on specified uses of their property to protect natural, productive or cultural features. This summer at the Indiana NSS Convention Mike Walsh (of TCMA) will give a session about this and it would be great if as many as possible KSS members could go to this talk.

 

Annual Elections

Secretary:  Anita will continue if she is able to do it, and Richard Hand will serve as back up. There were no other nominations for Secretary and Anita was voted in.

Treasurer:  Jim Greer and Jim Currens were both nominated. Jim Currens was voted in.

Vice President:  Randy Paylor, Jim Greer, Brent Ray were nominated. Brent Ray was voted in.

President:  Preston was nominated and voted in.

Other nominations:

Directors at Large:  Don Conover, Bill Walden, Jim Greer were nominated for 2 positions. Bill Walden and Jim Greer were voted in.

Don Conover has been to every meeting and almost every paper caving session. We wondered whether he could assume the director of WUSS, but in a quick meeting of available members, they felt that things had worked OK so far, so good and didn’t want to change anything right now. Don is Proxy for Horton Hobbs right now.

Meetings Schedule:  Next meeting will be April 15 at Lexington. This will be a short business meeting and a paper caving session. Tentative dates for paper caving sessions were discussed, every 2 months usually on the 2^nd Sunday of each month: Sun. Feb. 11; Sun. April 15 see above. (Note this is the 3rd Sun.);

Sun. June 10.; Sun. Aug. 12.; Sun. Nov. 11.

These will be on the website and e mails reminders will be sent out.

 

Budget  Planning for 2007:  We need a laptop. Brent can get a Dell for about $600 and will donate a USB external hard drive.

Brochures, posters, and  newsletters:  Don brought some brand new brochures to the meeting. He is looking into printing costs for a large number of Black and White brochures. Don said that the price for the color glossy brochures is 29 cents each more than plain color brochures.

2009 Congress of Speleology, Kerrville, Texas. Maybe someone can do a presentation there.

Another call to update dues.

Noon: Meeting Adjourned