[CML #16749] Fwd: NCKRI: Cave and Karst News and Announcements

Dear Friends,

I was happy to attend the US National Speleological Society (NSS) Convention last week with several hundred excellent speleologists. During the week, several announcements piled up and I’m happy to share them with you:

· Cave Survey and Cartography Software

· International Congress of Speleology Update

· Newest UIS Bulletin Now Available

· Southeastern Cave Conservancy Announces Science Awards

· Karst Workshops at International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress

· Geological Society of America Convention: Karst Sessions Call for Abstracts

· Karst Session Call for Abstracts: 11^th International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds

· The Sinkhole Conference and 3^rd Appalachian Karst Symposium: Call for Abstracts and Registration

· The Sinkhole Conference: Beck Student Scholarship Call for Applications

· The Sinkhole Conference: Beck Student Scholarship Call for Donors

· List of Upcoming Cave and Karst Meetings

The details on these announcements are below.

As always, please contact the people and organizations below for more information and feel free to share this message with anyone who may be interested. If this message has been forwarded to you and you would like to be added to NCKRI’s e-mail list, please let me know (my contact information is at the end of this message).

George

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Cave Survey and Cartography Software

One of the many things shared during the NSS Convention were links to updated and new software for surveying caves and drawing cave maps. Some of those links are provided below:

Walls: https://github.com/wallscavesurvey/walls/releases

Breakout: https://github.com/jedwards1211/breakout/releases

Cavewhere: http://cavewhere.com/

Therion: https://labyrinth.speleo.sk/

Survex: https://survex.com/

Topodroid: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.topodroid.DistoX

USA topographic and other maps: https://nationalmap.gov/index.html

USA geologic maps: https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/ngmdb/ngmdb_home.html

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International Congress of Speleology Update

Dear Cavers & Speleologists

The latest Speleo 2017 eBulletin is now up for viewing at https://www.speleo2017.com/Circulars/eBulletin_07.pdf. This issue contains information on Tourist Information and a special Australia Post cave stamp offer, accommodation, merchandise, electrical testing and tagging, and one of the keynote speakers.

Don’t forget to visit https://www.speleo2017.com for further information or email us at with any inquiries.

We look forward to seeing you in late July.

Speleo 2017 Organising Committee

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Newest UIS Bulletin Now Available

UIS Bulletin volume 59 no. 1 is now available for download at http://www.uis-speleo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Itemid=408, which also contains all of the Bulletins back to 1994. The newest issue contains reports from the UIS commissions on Artificial Cavities, Cave Diving, Cave Rescue, History of Speleology, and Speleotherapy, plus other news and information.

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Southeastern Cave Conservancy Announces Science Awards

The Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc., (SCCi) is now accepting grant proposals from non-profit caving groups, independent scientists, university/college faculty members, and undergraduate-graduate students for conducting research projects at SCCi properties, beginning in 2017. Funds must be awarded to a nonprofit or educational organization. For this year, there are 3 annual awards of $1,500 each for (1) geology, geochemistry, or hydrology, (2) biology (zoology and botany) and (3) environmental/archaeological projects.

All proposals must be submitted using the SCCi research proposal online. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2017. A team of reviewers will evaluate all proposals and base their decisions on scientific merit. Decisions will be announced by September 1, 2017. If an awarded project is to continue into the following year, the researcher(s) may submit a proposal for a research extension. Results from the research must be submitted to the SCCi as a written report or thesis. We encourage publishing in scientific journals but the SCCi reserves the right to review each report for approval/disapproval prior to publishing.

To submit a grant request visit https://permits.scci.org/annual-science-awards. You must register to complete a grant request. If you are not registered for the permit site, please do that first before clicking the link.

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Karst Workshops at International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress

The 44th Congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists will be held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, on 25-29 September 2017. Two karst workshops will be held on the two days before the congress, on 23-24 September. Descriptions of the workshops are below. For more details and to register, see http://iah2017.org/workshops/#1484824974432-cbdd037b-104b. For information about the congress visit http://iah2017.org/.

Water Resources Management and Engineering Challenges in Karst Aquifers

Instructors: Zoran Stevanović, Petar Milanović and Saša Milanović

The 2-day workshop will explain research of karst environment and development and engineering of karst water resources. The course is taking place in Dubrovnik, Croatia in the heart of worldwide known classical Dinaric karst which is also the birthplace of karstology and karst hydrogeology. This region heavily depends on the sustainable use and control of karst aquifers, as they represent the almost sole water resource for life and development. With karst poljes, dams, artificial reservoirs, water supply intakes and tunnels, caves, specific karst features, underground endemic species, countless project documentation, and experience and knowledge of local experts, Dubrovnik is the ideal place to learn about karst and its specific character. The topics covered will include: 1. karst aquifer characterization; 2. methods for karst aquifer development; 3. control of karst groundwater flow for water supply and hydropower generation; 4. protecting groundwater quality in karst. The attendees will receive theoretical explanations, but will also learn from experiences of many projects conducted in karst worldwide. On the second workshop day they will actively participate in practical exercises called to find appropriate and optimal solutions for various problems which researchers are often facing in karst environment.

KARSYS, KarstALEA and KarstMOD:

Applied and Innovative Methods for the Management of Karst Environment

Instructors: Prof. Nico Goldscheider, N. Doerfliger, Dr. Pierre-Yves Jeannin, Dr. Arnauld Malard

This 2-days workshop is dedicated to the learning of the KARSYS approach. KARSYS is developed for hydrogeologists working in karst regions, in order to address hydrogeological questions in a very pragmatic and concrete way. KARSYS makes it possible to build an explicit conceptual model (3D image) of the karst aquifers and of the associated flow systems. The approach is based on a 3D model of the carbonate aquifer synthesizing all standard geological and hydrological data, and coupled to a series of simple fundamental hydraulic principles. This provides, within a limited effort, a consistent hydrogeological conceptual model of karst flow systems within any investigation area. The course is designed for hydrogeologists with basic knowledge on karst, hydrogeology and 3D modelling. Any professional interested in groundwater management, engineering, renewable energies in karst environments will gain a good understanding of karst hydrogeology and a pragmatic way to assess karst hydrogeological systems. Participants will apply KARSYS by themselves on a case study. For that, they will be initiated to the functioning of the Visual KARSYS tool, which is still under development, but already support users to apply KARSYS.

The course will be extended further with an introduction to KarstALEA method, which has been developed for predicting the position and characteristics of karst occurrences within a massif. KarstALEA was initially designed for tunneling, but can be applied to any kind of underground construction in karst areas. At last, an outlook to KarstMOD (flows simulation procedures based on KARSYS) will be presented. KarstALEA and KarstMOD are both extensions of the KARSYS approach, providing de facto a consistent and continuous workflow in karst hydrogeology.

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Geological Society of America Convention: Karst Sessions Call for Abstracts

The Geological Society of America (GSA) Annual Meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, USA, on October 22-25, 2017. General information on the conference is available at http://community.geosociety.org/gsa2017/home. Previous announcements of proposed karst-related sessions missed one session: T37--Cave Records from Contiguous North America: Providing Records of Hydrologic Reorganization over the Late Quaternary.

Please consider submitting an abstract to this and the other karst sessions. The abstract deadline is August 1st. Abstracts can be submitted here. Be sure to search on “karst” to find all of the karst sessions.

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Karst Session Call for Abstracts:

11^th International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds

Greetings fellow karst enthusiast!

I recently learned that the Program Chairs at Battelle’s upcoming Eleventh International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds have once again accepted my proposal to have a karst-specific session. As you may know, at the last two iterations of this conference (2014 and 2016), I co-chaired the karst session. Past presenters included Dr. Derek Ford, Dr. Ralph Ewers, and Tom Aley, among others.

For the coming conference, the title of the prospective session is “Karst Aquifer Case Studies”. Relevant topics include:

Characterizing groundwater, vapor, and/or contaminant movement (including NAPLs)
- Innovative techniques and research
- Tracer studies
- Developing karst-specific conceptual site models
- Fate & transport modeling
- Applications of geophysics
- Relevant laboratory studies
- Hypogene karst
Remediating karst aquifers
- State of the science
- Planning/implementing pilot- and field-scale remedies
- Emerging contaminants and karst
- Ongoing research
- Lessons learned
Regulatory frameworks, strategies, and challenges

As you may also be aware, remediation in karst terranes continues to receive relatively little attention in the peer-reviewed literature or at national conferences. As the preeminent conference of professionals engaged in groundwater remediation, this Battelle conference offers an excellent platform to highlight the technical achievements of karst-community within the wider audience of the environmental industry. I encourage you to consider submitting an abstract or forwarding this message along to any colleagues or students that may be interested.

ABSTRACTS ARE DUE AUGUST 31^st. In the event that you or someone that you know may be interested, here is the relevant information:

Conference: Eleventh International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds (Palm Springs, California; April 8-12, 2018)

Prospective Session title: “Karst Aquifer Case Studies” (code: 5d)

Abstract Due Date: August 31, 2017

Conference Website: Click here to access the conference website

Information on Submitting an Abstract: Abstract Specifications & Submittal

** Going to submit an abstract? Please enter my name in the “Submittal Requested By” field **

Things to Keep in Mind:

1. Placement cannot be guaranteed. Most platform sessions will have 4 or 6 platform slots. Additional abstracts appropriate for presentation in the session will be scheduled as posters.

2. All presenting authors are expected to register and pay the standard fees. This policy is necessary because registration fees are the major source of funding for the Conference, and a significant percentage of registrants will make presentations or chair sessions.

I look forward to your efforts in helping “keep karst on the map” at this, the premier international remediation conference. Feel free to contact me directly with any questions or ideas.

Thanks in advance for your consideration!

Keith White, CPG | Vice President/Principal Geologist |

Arcadis | Arcadis of New York, Inc./Arcadis CE, Inc.

One Lincoln Center, 110 W. Fayette Street, Suite 300, Syracuse NY | 13202 | USA

T. +1 315 671 9530 | M. +1 315 391 6698

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The Sinkhole Conference and 3^rd Appalachian Karst Symposium: Call for Abstracts and Registration

The Multidisciplinary Conference on Sinkholes and the Engineering and Environmental Impacts of Karst, generally called “The Sinkhole Conference,” is the longest-running international conference of its type. Since 1984, engineers, geologists, hydrologists, land managers, biologists, and many others have gathered at these meetings to exchange cutting-edge information on karst and its many benefits and challenges. The call for abstracts is open for the 15^th Sinkhole Conference. Abstracts may be submitted until 15 August 2017, after which will be the time to submit your papers to accompany your abstracts. The papers of past Sinkhole Conferences have made those proceedings highly sought and widely cited. We expect the proceedings of the upcoming meeting will be the best yet.

The Sinkhole Conference is managed by the National Cave and Karst Research Institute and this next conference will be jointly organized with the Karst Waters Institute. Additionally, the conference will include the 3^rd Appalachian Karst Symposium to make for a truly special event.

The 15^th Sinkhole Conference will occur on 2-6 April 2018 at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA, about a 1.5 hour drive from the Washington, DC area. The conference circular, which is a convenient summary of the conference, is now available and downloadable from http://www.sinkholeconference.com/, where all other conference details can also be found. To submit your abstracts and for instructions on preparing them, see http://www.sinkholeconference.com/abstract-and-paper-submissions-notification-content.

On behalf of the 15^th Sinkhole Conference Organizing Committee, we look forward to receiving your abstracts and seeing you in Shepherdstown next year!

George Veni

Sinkhole Conference Co-chair

NCKRI Executive Director

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The Sinkhole Conference: Beck Student Scholarship Call for Applications

The Sinkhole Conference was created in 1984 and led for many years by Dr. Barry Beck. In his memory, the conference now offers the Beck Student Scholarship. Students awarded a Beck Scholarship will receive free registration to the conference and up to $1,000 reimbursement for travel expenses, as well as certain special recognitions and other benefits. Scholars from the previous Sinkhole Conference are recognized at http://www.sinkholeconference.com/2015-beck-student-scholars. To apply for the scholarship, visit http://www.sinkholeconference.com/how-apply-scholarship.

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The Sinkhole Conference: Beck Student Scholarship Call for Donors

The Sinkhole Conference funds one Beck Student Scholarship for each conference, but more than one scholarship can be offered with your support. Four were awarded last time! Attending The Sinkhole Conference can be a life-changing experience for students by opening their eyes to state-of-the-art knowledge, and important professional contacts and opportunities. To help change a student’s life for the better, we ask and encourage you to donate to the Beck Scholarship. All donations are tax deductible. For details on how to donate, visit http://www.sinkholeconference.com/how-sponsor-scholarship.

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List of Upcoming Cave and Karst Meetings

1) Man and Karst 2017 International Scientific Meeting, 26-29 June (Zadar, Croatia), https://manandkarst2017.wixsite.com/manandkarst2017

2) 17^th International Congress of Speleology, 23-30 July 2017 (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), http://speleo2017.com/

3) International Clean-up of Gouffre Berger, 1-15 August 2017 (Vercors, France), http://cds39.fr/BFC/index.

4) Biospeleology Conference, 21-23 September 2017 (Seville, Spain), https://5encuentrobssevill.wixsite.com/veibs

5) 44^th International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress, 25-29 September 2017 (Dubrovnik, Croatia), http://iah2017.org/

6) Geological Society of America Convention, 22-25 October (Seattle, -Washington, USA), http://www.geosociety.org/GSA/Events/Annual_Meeting/GSA/Events/gsa2017.aspx

7) National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, 16-20 October 2017 (Eureka Springs, Arkansas, USA), http://www.nckms2017.com/

8) British Cave Research Association 28^th Cave Science Symposium, 20-21 October 2017 (Leeds, UK), website to be announced.

9) International Conference on Geomorphology, 6-11 November 2017 (New Delhi, India), karst session, http://www.icg2017.com/session.php

10) Workshop: Grotte de Han, New Dramatic Effect of Lighting, 16-18 November 2017 (Han-sur-Lesse, Belgium), .

11) To Know and Share Caves and Karsts: Understanding, Conservation, and Geotourism, 6-9 March 2018 (Ardèche, France), https://dhuguet.wixsite.com/cavesymposium2018

12) The Sinkhole Conference, joint with the 3^rd Appalachian Karst Symposium, 2-6 April 2018 (Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA), http://www.sinkholeconference.com/

13) 18^th International Vulcanospeleology Symposium, 21-27 July 2018 (Lava Beds National Monument, California, USA), http://www.vulcanospeleology.org/sym18/ISV18.html

14) EuroSpeleo Forum 2018, 23-26 August 2018 (Ebensee, Austria), http://eurospeleo.at/expo.html.

15) 24^th International Conference on Subterranean Biology, 20-24 August 2018 (University of Aveiro, Portugal), http://24icsb.web.ua.pt/.

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George Veni, PhD

Executive Director

National Cave and Karst Research Institute

400-1 Cascades Avenue

Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220-6215 USA

Office: 575-887-5517

Mobile: 210-863-5919

Fax: 575-887-5523