[CML #16835] Fwd: FW: NCKRI cave and karst news and announcements

Dear Friends,

Once a year I share our news announcements with friends who are interested in what the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) is doing but don’t generally want the regular news messages, such as that below. I do this to announce the availability of NCKRI’s newest annual report, which this year covers our work from July 2016 through June 2017. That report and all other NCKRI publications are available for free viewing or download from http://www.nckri.org/about_nckri/nckri_publications.htm. We thank all of you for your interest and support.

As a reminder, anyone who wants to be added to NCKRI’s regular e-mail list, please let me know. We send messages like this 1-4 times each month and we don’t sell our list.

Below are the latest announcements from NCKRI and our partners and colleagues.

· 2018 Karst Field Studies Program: USA

· 8^th International Workshop on Ice Caves: Picos de Europa National Park, Spain

· EuroSpeleo, Ebensee, Austria: 2^nd circular now available

· Job Opening: Contract Karst Field Geologist, USA

· World Karst Aquifer Map now available!

· List of Upcoming Cave and Karst Meetings

As always, read below for more details on these announcements, contact the people and organizations listed for more information, and feel free to share this message with anyone who may be interested.

Everyone at NCKRI wishes those of you in the USA a happy Thanksgiving holiday next week!

George

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2018 Karst Field Studies Program: USA

Greetings,

This message is to officially announce the course lineup for the summer 2018 Karst Field Studies program. We are pleased to offer the following KFS courses this coming summer:

Karst Geology, June 3-9, Dr. Art Palmer

Exploration of Mammoth Cave, June 18-22, Mr. Bruce Hatcher and Mr. David Kem

Karst Resources of Grand Canyon National Park, June 18-24, Dr. Ben Tobin and Dr. Abe Springer

Visualization of Karst Field Data, June 11-16, Dr. Pat Kambesis and Mr. Howard Kalnitz

Field Cave Ecology, anticipated July (official dates not yet determined), Dr. Julian Lewis

Show Cave Interpretation and Education, August 5-10, Dr. Leslie North

Courses may be taken for graduate, undergraduate, or continuing education credit. Courses may also be taken as non-credit workshops.

For more information about the program, courses, how to register, and instructor bios, please visit www.karstfieldstudies.com.

If you have any questions please contact the Karst Field Studies Director, Dr. Leslie North, at .

Please sign-up for our mailing list through our website or follow us through our social media accounts at Instagram @karstfieldstudies, Twitter @KFSWKU, Facebook @WKUKarstfieldstudies

Please help us spread the word about the program by forwarding this message to your colleagues, grotto members, staff, students, friends, and any other parties you feel may be interested in this year’s courses!

Hope to see you this summer!

Dr. Leslie A. North

Associate Professor of Environmental Geoscience

Director, Karst Field Studies Program

Associate Director for Education and Outreach

Center for Human GeoEnvironmental Studies (CHNGES)

Department of Geography and Geology

Western Kentucky University

1906 College Heights Blvd., EST 438A

Bowling Green, KY 42101

(270) 745-5982 – office

@chngeswku (Facebook)

@wkuchnges (Twitter, Instagram)

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8^th International Workshop on Ice Caves (IWIC): Picos de Europa National Park, Spain

Save the date! The 8^th IWIC will be held in Spain’s fabulous Picos de Europa National Park on 11-16 June 2018. Until the permanent website is posted, you can find basic information at http://bit.ly/2ja2tuR.

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EuroSpeleo, Ebensee, Austria: 2^nd circular now available

EuroSpeleo will be held next year on 23-26 August 2018 in Ebensee, Austria. The second circular is now available with many of the details for this exciting meeting. You can download it at http://www.eurospeleo.at/Second%20Circular.pdf. You can find the congress website at http://eurospeleo.at/expo.html.

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Job Opening: Contract Karst Field Geologist, USA

Position Requirements: A geologist (minimum 4-year degree or equivalent in geology or a relevant natural science) with 2 years of experience in karst assessment, research or mitigation. Can be based on prior job experience, educational experience, or a combination of the two. Must be willing to work outdoors in a construction setting (excavation). The incumbent must be able to read plans and specifications and adhere to strict health and safety protocols. Experience with GPS equipment and software, MS Word, and MS Excel, and field tablets is required. Field work will require safety shoes, hard hat, high-vis vest, and safety glasses to be worn at all times.

Job Description: The contract geologist will serve as a full-time inspector during the construction phase of the Dominion Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). The field geologists will report to the project Karst Specialist(s). The incumbent perform the following tasks-
A. If any feature is intercepted or forms during work activities including borings, blasting, and excavation or trenching, the onsite geologist will conduct an initial assessment of the feature to determine if further inspection by the project Karst Specialist will be required. Suspect features shall include:

Bedrock enclosed conduits, cave entrances and voids;
Solution pockets that extend beyond visual examination range (and therefore may be open);
Areas of soft soils;
Soil voids;
Highly fractured bedrock;
Areas of breccia enclosed within the surrounding bedrock.

The features will be documented and located using GPS equipment.

B. Observe and document installation of required buffers around existing features, including drainage diversion, silt fences and berms.

C. Observe and document any karst remedial activities under the supervision of the Karst Specialist.

D. Other tasks as assigned.

Compensation:

Base Pay Rate: $30 to $35 per hour based on experience. IRS 1090 Form will be provided.

Food and Lodging: $50 per day (food), lodging and mileage compensation will be paid by the client.

Hours:

40 hour per week, overtime may be required. Monday – Friday, daylight hours only

Robert K. Denton Jr., CPG, LPSS, LRS

Senior Geologist

GeoConcepts Engineering, Inc.

19955 Highland Vista Drive, Suite 170, Ashburn, Virginia 20147

O: (703) 726-8030 | C: ( 703) 727-5925 | www.geoconcepts-eng.com

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World Karst Aquifer Map now available!

After 5 years of effort and collaboration by an extensive and knowledgeable international team, the World Karst Aquifer Map (WOKAM) is now available. The project was funded by the International Association of Hydrogeologists and conducted with the support of several major partners. Dr. Nico Goldscheider and Zhao Chen of the Karlsruhr Institute of Technology did a brilliant job organizing and leading the project.

For all of the details, and to view the map digitally and/or order printed copies, visit: https://www.bgr.bund.de/whymap/EN/Maps_Data/Wokam/wokam_node_en.html;jsessionid=816D984705F6E4870D017009E62CB666.1_cid331

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List of Upcoming Cave and Karst Meetings

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

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

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

4) Eleventh International Conference on Remediation of Chlorinated and Recalcitrant Compounds: Karst Case Studies Session, 8-12 April 2018 (Palm Springs, California, USA), https://www.battelle.org/newsroom/conferences/chlorinated-conference

5) California Cave Life Symposium, 28 April 2018 (California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, USA),

6) Characterization and Engineering of Karst Aquifers Workshop, 27 May – 5 June (Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina), http://www.karst.edu.rs/

7) Karst 2018: Expect the Unexpected, 6-9 June (Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina), http://www.karst.edu.rs/

8) Karst Field Studies Program, six different 5-6 day courses from 3 June to 10 August 2018 (Grand Canyon National Park and Mammoth Cave National Park, USA), www.karstfieldstudies.com

9) 8th International Workshop on Ice caves (IWIC-VIII), 11-16 June 2018 (Picos de Europa National Park, Spain), temporary website: http://bit.ly/2ja2tuR.

10) EuroKarst 2018, 2-6 July 2018, (Besançon, France), http://www.eurokarst.org/

11) 18^th International Vulcanospeleology Symposium, 21-27 July 2018 (Lava Beds National Monument, California, USA), http://18ivslavabeds.com/

12) 2018 US National Speleological Society Convention, 30 July - 3 August 2018 (Helena, Montana, USA), http://nss2018.caves.org/

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

14) 24^th International Conference on Subterranean Biology, 20-24 August 2018 (University of Aveiro, Portugal), http://24icsb.web.ua.pt/.

15) 24^th International Cave Bear Symposium, 27-30 September 2018 (Chepelare, Bulgaria), circular and website to be announced soon.

16) 16th International Symposium of Speleotherapy, 24-28 October 2018 (Zlate Hory, Czech Republic), http://www.speleotherapycommission.webgarden.com/menu/news/the-xvi-th-international

17) Hypogea 2019: The International Congress of Speleology in Artificial Cavities, 20-25 May 2019 (Dobrich, Bulgaria), http://www.hypogea2019.org/

18) National Speleological Congress of Switzerland, 9-12 August 2019 (Interlaken, Switzerland), https://sinterlaken.ch/en/

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

George Veni, PhD

President, International Union of Speleology

and

Executive Director

National Cave and Karst Research Institute

400-1 Cascades Avenue

Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220-6215 USA

Office: +1-575-887-5517

Mobile: +1-210-863-5919

Fax: +1-575-887-5523