-------- Пересылаемое сообщение --------
От кого: George Veni <>
Кому: George Veni <>
Дата: Четверг, 27 мая 2021, 19:25 +03:00
Тема: Cave and karst news and announcements from NCKRI

Dear Friends,

For those of you in the area of Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA, NCKRI Headquarters will reopen to the public next week on 1 June 2021. We offer space for small meetings to parties and conferences. If you may be interested in renting rooms for your events, please contact our Office Manager Jorja Waide for details at or by calling 575-887-5518.

Here is the latest news:

NCKRI Opportunities

Three NCKRI Job Opportunities
NCKRI Research and Student Grants

The International Year of Caves and Karst: Opportunities Abound!

Grant Opportunities

· Call for Proposals: White-nose Syndrome Research for Conservation Grants

Help Needed

Help Save the Speleological Circle Library and Headquarters: Rome, Italy
War Eagle Caverns Needs Help

· Photos Needed of Carlsbad Caverns

Survey: Global Threats and Conservation Measures for Subterranean Ecosystems
Survey: Caving Habits and Microbes

New Publications

New NCKRI Report: Distribution of Endangered Karst Species in Texas, USA
New Book: The Cave Beneath the Sun Pyramid, Teotihuacan
Call for Papers: Special Issue "Geochemical Processes of Karst and Karst Paleoenvironments"

· Call for Papers: Cuba Arqueológica

Conferences and Meetings

· National Caves Association Convention: Missouri, USA

· List of Upcoming Cave and Karst Meetings

Please contact the people and organizations listed below for more information, and feel free to share this message with anyone who may be interested.

George

-----------------------

Three NCKRI Job Opportunities

The US National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is hiring for three different jobs. All positions will be based at NCKRI Headquarters in Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA. NCKRI is administered by the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (“New Mexico Tech” or “NMT”) and all applications must be sent to NMT. The application form, information on job benefits, and the contact information for the Human Resources Department at NMT is at https://www.nmt.edu/hr/employment.php. If you have questions about applying for the jobs, benefits, or want general information about employment at NMT, contact NMT’s Human Resources Department. If you have questions about the jobs that are not explained in the job descriptions, contact George Veni at .

The three jobs are:

Cave and Karst Science Specialist. This person will conduct, assist with, and facilitate multidisciplinary cave and karst scientific and management research and data collection in the field, laboratory, and office. Basic knowledge of the physical sciences and scientific research methods is required. Advanced knowledge of cave exploration and working safely in cave and other field environments is required. Knowledge and experience with GIS software is highly desired. For more details visit https://www.nmt.edu/hr/docs/hr/jobs/CaveKarstSciSpecNCKRI21-059.pdf.

Education Program Manager. This person will administer the functions of the Institute’s Education Program, which covers cave and karst education at levels from K-12 and the general public. This includes outreach for partnerships, developing educational activities, including curricula, workshops, seminars, field trips, and lecture series, and creating educational materials in all media. A Master’s degree in education, science, environmental science, or environmental management is desired but may be substituted by equivalent experience. Must have at least 5 years of experience in conducting and developing educational programs, especially science-oriented. A broad science background is preferred and detailed knowledge of caves and karst is highly desired. For more details visit https://www.nmt.edu/hr/docs/hr/jobs/EducProgMgrNCKRI21-060.pdf.

Operations Division Director. This person will supervise and direct programs within the Institute’s Administrative, Advancement, Financial, Information Technology, and Publications/Graphics programs, as well facility maintenance. A Bachelor’s degree is preferred in Business Administration, with a minimum five years’ experience in business high level administration required. No cave or karst knowledge or experience is needed. For more details visit https://www.nmt.edu/hr/docs/hr/jobs/OperaDivisDirNCKRI21-058.pdf.

-----------------------

NCKRI Research and Student Grants

Dear Colleagues,

NCKRI is pleased to announce our next call for grants in support of cave and karst research. Please see the two attached requests for proposals (also linked in the descriptions below). We are currently advertising two opportunities:

The NCKRI National Seed Grant Program is designed to enable investigators to initiate new cave and karst research, and encourage new principal investigators to enter the field. Proposals for NCKRI National Seed Grants are due June 23rd, 2021.

The NCKRI Scholar Fellowship Program to designed to support cave and karst research by exceptional graduate and undergraduate students. Proposals for NCKRI Scholar Fellowships are due June 8th, 2021.

Applications for both programs can be submitted at the following link: https://www.nmt.edu/research/organizations/nckri.php

Please direct any questions about submission or budget preparation to Judith McShannon (, 575-835-6940). Other questions about this RFP can be directed to Daniel Jones, NCKRI Academic Director (, 575-835-5049).

You can also view a presentation about NCKRI, our grant programs, and other activities at our parent university, New Mexico Tech, at https://nmt.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?tid=230927e0-9ea4-4c12-ac69-ad180140b004

Please help spread the word about these new opportunities, and please consider applying yourselves!

Sincerely,

Daniel S. Jones, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Geobiology, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Science
Academic Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI)

-----------------------

The International Year of Caves and Karst: Opportunities Abound!

At the end of each NCKRI news message is a list of upcoming conferences, but during this year of the International Year of Caves and Karst, many more opportunities exist that you will find helpful and instructive. The International Year was created to teach people around the world about caves and karst. Most completed events you can watch at http://iyck2021.org/index.php/event-results/, which has become an incredible library of video lectures and information about caves and karst from around the world. Go look!

But there are also over 120 events that are scheduled for the coming days and months that are not listed at the end of this NCKRI message. They include workshops, small meetings, teaching programs, webinars, and other activities you can join. You will find them listed at http://iyck2021.org/index.php/events/. Join them and tell others to join too, especially friends in the general public, to make this International Year a success.

Also, we encourage you to plan your own events and activities for the International Year, and no matter how small, please announce them on http://iyck2021.org/index.php/events/. Use the simple format on that page to write your announcement, it will take less than 5 minutes, and send your announcement to our excellent web manager whose address is at the top of the page. Together, we can teach the “hole” world!

The International Year is organized by the International Union of Speleology (UIS). We now have 196 national and international organizations partnering with us. Join us! And visit the UIS Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/uisspeleo), UIS Twitter account (https://twitter.com/uisspeleo), and/or the UIS Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/uisspeleo/) for news and more information.

George Veni

President, International Union of Speleology

Executive Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute

-----------------------

Call for Proposals: White-nose Syndrome Research for Conservation Grants

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is now receiving proposals for our White-nose Syndrome Research for Conservation Grants.

This opportunity is open through July 21, with a soft early deadline of July 1 that may allow for an earlier start date for selected proposals.

Funding in 2021 will support projects that address the following objectives:

Support research to produce critical knowledge relevant to management decisions and actions for hibernating bats.

Leverage resources (expertise, funds, partnerships, etc.) to implement adaptive management efforts aimed at building resiliency and promoting recovery in hibernating bat populations.

Additional information on funding priorities for this program are available in the full announcement on www.grants.gov

Funding opportunity #F21AS00522

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333772 --> Related Documents --> Foa_Content_of_F21AS00522.pdf

Thank you.

The USFWS WNS Response Team.

-----------------------

Help Save the Speleological Circle Library and Headquarters: Rome, Italy

Our caving friends in Italy need help to save the Headquarters/Library of the Speleological Circle in Rome! Cave and karst organizations around the world … please help raise $20,000 before their July acquisition deadline! https://gofund.me/455179d2

Founded in 1904, the Circolo Speleologico Romano (CSR) is a strong supporter and friend of the US National Speleological Society (NSS) and other caving groups worldwide. Since the founding of the NSS in 1941, the CSR library continues to catalogue and house every issue of the NSS News, all of the old Bulletins, all issues the NSS Journal of Caves and Karst Studies, and adds new NSS books to the extensive collection each year. Members of the CSR have raised over $90,000 Euros during the past two years toward the EU$110,000 required to purchase their long-time Headquarters in Rome. The July 2021 deadline is drawing near! PLEASE REACH OUT TO CSR WITH SPELEO-GENEROSITY AND HELP SAVE THE CIRCLE!

CSR promotes research/exploration/conservation of karst caves, protects and defends subterranean waters, and extends the love for caving to new generations. Help purchase the CSR physical space, located in the historic San Lorenzo neighborhood of Rome, Circolo Speleologico Romano Headquarters, Via dei Campani 55. YOUR NAME WILL BE REMEMBERED ON THE CSR WEBSITE AND ON THE CSR HEADQUARTER WALL! Make a donation of $200 EUR or more you’ll receive the impressive 550-page CSR volume, One Hundred Years Underground, filled with photos and stories of international cave expeditions —please send address and notice to .

Visit the CSR Website: http://www.circolospeleologicoromano.it/csr/

Please pass the information below to anyone you think may be interested.

Thanks!

Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker

US National Speleological Society Conservation Division Co-Chairs

-----------------------

War Eagle Caverns Needs Help

I have received word from Dennis Boyer, owner of War Eagle Caverns on Beaver Lake in Arkansas, USA, who needs our help in sending off a message to the Army Corp of Engineers to not take portions of lands along Beaver Lake at War Eagle Caverns. Should the Army Corp of Engineers do this… the board walks to the cave will be taken and the cave will be closed and out of business. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN! We need your voice please! Closing War Eagle Caverns will prevent 30,000 visitors a year from visiting and enjoying the caverns and spending money in the community. Well over 500 school students will be denied field trips to the caverns annually. War Eagle Caverns is a major economic driver and will be lost should acquisition of shoreline lands take place.

Take a minute to write your comments by using this link. Let’s help our friends at War Eagle.

https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Real-Estate/Beaver-Lake-Land-Acquisition/Public-Comment-Form-BVL/

MORE INFORMATION

The Corps is currently executing a Beaver Lake Land Acquisition Study to decide whether they want to acquire certain fee property bordering the current Corp Lines surround Beaver Lake. The Public Comment period began May 11 and ends early in June but, as of yet, no one has received any official Notice and had no idea this was going on or being proposed. This information and a very heated discussion amongst some of the 500 lake property owners on the Beaver Lake Facebook page.

In any event, there is an interactive map provided on the link below and the property they are proposing to acquire is highlighted in Red. One such parcel would be both sides of our shared cove from about where War Eagle’s Pontoon dock sits all the way to the back of the cove. This would include any/all of the entrance to the caverns and this proposed acquisition would negatively impact our operations. There is also a presentation which kind of breaks down what they are proposing and a time-line. They said they will be providing additional information in the coming days but when it comes down to brass tacks we need to be aware because the property owners would be compensated fair market value for whatever they take but, if they decide they want the property they can acquire it via eminent domain and we will not be able to decline to sell it. So we figure it was crucial to let you all know as soon as possible asking for your assistance…. Additional info in Link below;

https://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Real-Estate/Beaver-Lake-Land-Acquisition/fbclid/IwAR1dSOX9yrm74K0lj9KfeC85PnyTHj0v-vABQR2KwvzGf5LsPPr2eMfAUEY/

Please folks… it is crucial we assist our friends! We always say… we never know when it can happen to us! So let’s help War Eagle NOW!

Thank you on behalf of Dennis and Vicky Boyer, owners and Guy Schiavone General Manager.

Robert A. Holt

Executive Director

National Caves Association

-----------------------

Photos Needed of Carlsbad Caverns

Have you volunteered or worked at Carlsbad Caverns National Park? If so, the park is looking for photos that you've taken while volunteering or working for the NPS. Carlsbad Caverns is looking to build a http://www.flickr.com/. Click or tap if you trust this link." href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7CDaniel_Pawlak%40nps.gov%7C0d68d842152f4003c88908d91ec033e4%7C0693b5ba4b184d7b9341f32f400a5494%7C0%7C0%7C637574633118718213%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=VLcdxO9EqGS22RwyMR2t86ivgX1qr5ItdqFgaOgK5W4%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">Flickr site with high quality images taken inside the park. The photos can be of caves, formations, bats, or the surface. The goal is to showcase all aspects of the park, including areas that the public does not have access to, as we celebrate the International Year of Caves and Karst. If anyone has any images they would like to submit to the park, please contact and . Note that any photos shared with the park for this project that were taken while serving as a volunteer for the NPS or on the clock as an NPS employee will be labeled as public domain, and the photographer will be credited. Thanks!

-----------------------

Survey: Global Threats and Conservation Measures for Subterranean Ecosystems

Subterranean ecosystems are likely the most widespread non-marine environment on Earth; yet, subterranean organisms remain among the least studied. They play a critical role in the function of the web of life and provide important services to humankind. However, due to many impediments to research, our current understanding of the threats and conservation challenges for subterranean biota remains fragmentary.

With this survey, we ask experts around the globe to help us to assess the main threats to subterranean organisms and their relevance on the conservation of those species. This information will be used to identify main threats and effective actions to protect this globally important natural heritage.

If you are an expert on the study of subterranean organisms, we kindly ask you to take 10–15 minutes of your time to answer our survey. Your opinion is extremely valuable to achieve a better understanding of the challenge we have to face to safeguard the often neglected below-ground diversity. You can find the survey at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffBzFXizp14oqNRPD_Zzxg6vugmcUzmOaGD1fVWHTMZW4i6g/viewform

For any questions, please contact Veronica Nanni (; University of Turin) or Stefano Mammola ( / ; Finnish Museum of Natural History / National research Council of Italy). We thank you in advance for your participation in the survey!

-----------------------

Survey: Caving Habits and Microbes

Dear Cavers,

Please, help us improve our understanding of cave conservation by filling out our survey. Its aim is to quantify the risk humans pose to underground ecosystems (including bats) by unknowingly transporting microbes from one place to another. The survey is anonymous and should take you no more than five minutes. We use “caving” to refer to any activities in natural caves of various origins, as well as mines and other artificial underground sites. We use “White-nose disease” as a term including White-nose syndrome (WNS). Results will be used for scientific purposes only. They will be presented on our website, where you will find more information, and may be included in a publication.

The questions are available in English, Spanish, French, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Russian, and Chinese, will be open till 6th of August, and only need approximately 5 minutes to answer. Please visit https://washyoursuit.batspa.org/ to participate.

Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Research team:

Violeta Zhelyazkova, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria

Nia Toshkova, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria.

Jure Tičar, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Slovenia.

Stanimira Deleva, National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria.

Sébastien J Puechmaille, University of Montpellier, France.

-----------------------

New NCKRI Report: Distribution of Endangered Karst Species in Texas, USA

NCKRI has released Report of Investigations 10, Statistical Analysis and Revision of Endangered Karst Species Distribution, Austin Area, Texas. This study is the first GIS analysis of the distribution of endangered terrestrial invertebrate troglobites. It updates earlier information and revises previously established karst fauna regions, ecological troglobite communities in the Austin, Texas, area, and karst management zones in that area. NCKRI conducted this study for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It will soon be available on their website, along with the updated GIS files. The report itself is currently available on NCKRI’s website at http://www.nckri.org/about_nckri/nckri_publications.htm, where all NCKRI reports are freely available for download.

-----------------------

New Book: The Cave Beneath the Sun Pyramid, Teotihuacan

The University of Pittsburgh Center for Comparative Archaeology has released a new book by Rebecca Sload, The Cave Beneath the Sun Pyramid, Teotihuacan: Narrative of a Reverentially Terminated Mountain-Cave.

This is the first comprehensive account of Teotihuacan’s Sun Pyramid cave, explored by the Teotihuacan Mapping Project in 1978. This volume focuses on the study of initial cave use, including absolute and ceramic dating, and on a hypothesized reverential termination of the cave. The Sun Pyramid mountain-cave is contextualized within a framework of other ancient Mesoamerican mountain-caves and within the relationalities of monumentality, practice theory, and animism. Complete text in English and Spanish.

Memoirs in Latin American Archaeology, No. 26, published by University of Pittsburgh Center for Comparative Archaeology, 2020. 198 pp. ISBN: 978-1-877812-97-2.

Price: $28 (shipping to a US address is included). It can be ordered from http://www.pitt.edu/~ccapubs/books/m026.html, where it is also available for free download as an open access publication.

-----------------------

Call for Papers: Special Issue "Geochemical Processes of Karst and Karst Paleoenvironments"

Dear Colleagues,

Karst landscapes and karst aquifers, which are composed of a variety of soluble rocks, comprise 20–25% of the ice-free land surface, and nearly 20% of society worldwide relies on karst aquifers for economic, urban, and environmental fresh water. The dissolution of a carbonate rock and the influence on water chemistry are a combination of various geochemical processes of major significance to the origin and evolution of the karst environment. Today, the main driver influencing environmental changes in the karst environment is anthropogenic chemical contamination and climate change. In order to evaluate the impact of these changes on karst systems it is necessary to determine geochemical background levels for delineating between natural and anthropogenic impacts. The geochemistry of natural geological archives, such as soils, sediments, and speleothems, can be used as proxies to estimate the magnitude of human and climate change impacts on water resources today. In this Special Issue of the journal Water, we would like to focus on the study of geochemical processes recorded at various temporal and spatial scales, including water monitoring and changes recorded in geological time frames.

We welcome contributions that focus on the inorganic and organic components, as well as isotopes, in all components of existing karst systems and their paleoenvironmental counterparts. Research related to the geochemistry of karst systems in the broadest sense is most welcome. This special issue will be dedicated to the International Year of Caves and Karst.

For more information please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/water/special_issues/Geochemical_Processes_of_Karst_Paleoenvironments. All manuscripts must be submitted by 30 September 2021.

Dr. Slobodan Miko
Dr. Nikolina Ilijanić
Guest Editors

-----------------------

Call for Papers: Cuba Arqueológica

In celebration of the International Year of Caves and Karst, the journal Cuba Arqueológica is asking for papers on historic and archaeological investigations in caves and karst areas. For deadlines, details, and to submit your papers, contact or .

-----------------------

National Caves Association Convention: Missouri, USA

The National Caves Association annual convention will be held on 10-14 October 2021 at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, USA, For more information about this gathering of show cave owners, managers, and friends, visit http://members.cavern.com/Content/Convention/Convention%20Registration%20Form%202021.pdf.

-----------------------

List of Upcoming Cave and Karst Meetings

If you are interested in any of the following events, contact the organizers directly to learn if they are still planned as announced below.

1) International Course and Field Seminar: Characterization and Engineering of Karst Aquifers, 1-6 June 2021 (Žabljak-Durmitor Mt., Virpazar-Skadar Lake in Montenegro, and in Trebinje in Bosnia & Herzegovina), http://www.karst.edu.rs

2) Karst Waters Institute Frontiers in Karst: Sulfuric Acid Weathering, postponed to mid-summer 2021 (San Vittore, Italy), https://karstwaters.org/conferences/sulfuric-acid-weathering/

3) 28th International Karstological School “Classical Karst”: Regional Karstology - Local and General Aspects, 14-18 June 2021 (Postojna, Slovenia), https://iks.zrc-sazu.si/en/

4) 2nd Columbian Congress of Speleology, 22-25 June 2021 (Hagia Sophia, Boyacá, Columbia), https://espeleocol.wordpress.com/iicce2021/

5) 1st Karst Science Forum, postponed to undetermined date in 2021 (Bucharest, Romania), https://www.eris100.ro

6) National Speleological Society Convention, 26-30 July 2021 (virtual conference), http://nss2021.caves.org/

7) Central Asian Speleological Forum, postponed to August 2021 (Tashkent, Uzbekistan), https://speleo.kg/en/news/first-circular-speleo-ca-forum-2020/

8) 34th International Geographical Congress karst sessions: Global Karst Critical Zone and Land Use Planning in Karst, 16-20 August 2021 (Istanbul, Turkey), https://www.igc2020.org/en/KARST%20COMMISSION.html

9) International Association of Hydrogeologists 47th Congress, 22-27 August 2021 (São Paulo, Brazil), https://iah2021brazil.org/en/

10) 19th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology, 28 August - 4 September 2021 (Catania, Italy), http://www.19isvetna.com/

11) ALCADI 2020: International Symposium on History of Speleology and Karstology (ALps, CArpathians and DInarides), 3-5 September 2021 (Gorizia, Italy), contact:

12) International Association of Hydrogeologists 48th Congress, 6-10 September 2021 (Brussels, Belgium), https://iah2021belgium.org/

13) Fort Stanton Cave Science Conference, September 2021 (Socorro, New Mexico, USA), https://geoinfo.nmt.edu/FtStanton/home.cfm

14) 26th International Cave Bear Symposium, 30 September - 3 October 2021 (Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Mannheim, Germany),

15) National Caves Association Convention, 10-14 October 2021 (Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, USA), http://members.cavern.com/Content/Convention/Convention%20Registration%20Form%202021.pdf

16) US Geological Survey Karst Interest Group Meeting, 19-21 October 2021 (Nashville, Tennessee, USA), https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/karst-interest-group-kig-2020-workshop?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

17) Australian Cave and Karst Management Association Conference, 18-22 October 2021 (Wellington Caves, New South Wales, Australia), for more information:

18) 6th EuroSpeleo Protection Symposium, 26-30 October 2021 (Isle of Vilm, Germany), contact

19) Speleo Kamaraton, 29 October – 1 November 2021 (Marina di Camerota, Salerno, Italy), http://www.speleokamaraton.eu/

20) 23rd National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, 1-5 November 2021 (San Marcos, Texas, USA), https://symposium2021.nckms.org/

21) XV Mexican National Congress of Speleology, 29 October to 2 November 2021 (Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico), https://umae.org/congreso2021/.

22) European Cave Rescue Association Meeting, postponed to late spring or November 2021 (Cantabria, Spain), https://caverescue.eu/ecra-meeting-2020-cantabria-spain/

23) Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Cave and Karst Session, 25-28 November 2021 (Istanbul, Turkey), https://www.cajg.org/

24) Karst Record IX (KR9) Conference, postponed to 2022 (Innsbruck, Austria), https://www.uibk.ac.at/congress/kr9/

25) 14th International Symposium on Pseudokarst, postponed to Spring 2022, https://14pseudokarst.wonders4you.com/

26) 36th Brazilian Congress of Speleology, 3-6 June 2022 (Brasilia, Brazil), http://36cbe.org.br/

27) EuroKarst 2022: The European Congress on Karst Hydrogeology and Carbonate Reservoirs, probably June 2022 (Málaga, Spain), http://www.eurokarst.org/

28) 18th International Congress of Speleology, 24-31 July 2022 (Savoie Technolac, Le Bourget du Lac, Savoie, France), http://uis2021.speleos.fr/

********************

George Veni, PhD

Executive Director, National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI)

and

President, International Union of Speleology (UIS)

NCKRI address (primary)

400-1 Cascades Avenue

Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220 USA

Office: +575-887-5517

Mobile: +210-863-5919

Fax: +575-887-5523

www.nckri.org

UIS address

Titov trg 2

Postojna, 6230 Slovenia

--
Bulat Mavlyudov