Pennsylvania Cave Conservancy Meeting Minutes for May 13, 2001

This is a summary of the minutes of the meeting.

The meeting was called to order by President, Pat Minnick, at the Greencastle American 
Legion Picnic Grounds near Williamson, Pa. at 10:14 a.m., Sunday, May 13, 2001.

The following officers were present.

President:	Pat Minnick
Secretary:	Keith D. Wheeland
Treasurer:	George Bange

There were representatives from all member grottos except Bald Eagle, Huntingdon Co. 
Cave Hunters, and South Jersey.  There were other individuals present including the Mid-
Atlantic Karst Conservancy.

The reading of the minutes was dispensed with and they were approved as published.
The treasurer, George Bange, reported a balance of  $2,339.13.

OLD BUSINESS:

PROJECT LIST:

Baker Caverns, Franklin Co., Pa. Pat Minnick reported that the cave is still for sale at the 
original asking price.

Devil's Den, Sussex County, N.J. - No report.

Dragon Cave, Berks County, N.J. - No report.

Lime Sinks Cave, Mifflin County, Pa.  Seven Valleys recommended that this cave be 
removed from the list.

Duffield Cave, Franklin County, Pa. Ken Jones reported that the owner was interested in 
learning the best way of initiating a rescue callout should this be necessary. A committee 
was appointed to work on getting a satisfactory resolution. On the committee are Ken 
Jones, Pat Minnick, Gordon Ley, and Steve Shawver.

Penn Aqua Cave, Mifflin County, Pa. The Nittany Grotto and Seven Valleys will remove 
the temporary obstruction on June 16, 2001.

Liability Insurance: The Secretary has not yet checked on insurance.

PCC Brochure: The Brochure Committee chair, Karen Bange was absent, but George 
Bange presented the group with samples of the proposed brochure.  It was a consensus 
that the brochure should be printed with colored photographs. After much discussion, a 
motion was made to authorize George Bange to print brochures. Passed. George will try 
to have brochures available at the Fall meeting of the PCC.

Web Page: David Fricke, the web master, reported that the page has been moved to the 
new NSS server, and updates are being made.

Fund Raising T-Shirts. Dean Snyder has PCC T-Shirts for sale at $8 each.

Conservancy License Plates: George Bange read the rules for the Commonwealth of Pa. 
license plate program. The PCC would have to guarantee a minimum of 300 applications 
and the PCC would receive no funds from the sale.  The PCC decided to drop this item 
from further consideration.

NEW BUSINESS:

Watershed Grant Money: Martin Harris reported that Pennsylvania and New Jersey have 
grant monies available to protect watersheds.  He urged those present to get involved 
with their local water conservancy groups to make them aware of caves and their 
importance in the preservation of water resources.

J-4: Keith Wheeland reported that the owner of J-4 has asked that cavers not visit the 
cave.  Suggestions were sought by Keith, and he urged members to spread the word about 
the closure. Nittany Grotto members will meet to discuss strategies, and will try to meet 
with the owner which is Graymont (PA).

Pancake Breakfast: A pancake breakfast was served on Sunday morning at the Spring 
MAR (immediately prior to this meeting). The PCC made a special point of thanking 
Alan Horn for his preparation for the breakfast and his generous donation of supplies for 
the breakfast. The amount collected for the PCC was $243.

Mount Rock Cave: Keith Wheeland reported that he would be replacing the winter lock 
with the summer lock on his way home from the meeting.

PCC Cave Calendar: George Bange presented the idea of the PCC producing and selling 
a cave calendar for the year 2002.  He will be sending samples to member grottos.  The 
grottos should poll their members to determine whether there is sufficient interest in this 
project.  Will cavers buy the calendar?  Since time is critical, member grottos should 
inform George of the interest as soon as possible.

Next meeting: The next meeting of the PCC will be on Sunday September 16, 2001 at 
10:00am at the site of the Fall MAR field meet at Columbia, NJ.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:34 a.m., May 13, 2001.

Respectfully submitted,
Keith D. Wheeland, Secy.