Pennsylvania Cave Conservancy Meeting Minutes for September 29, 2013 This is a summary of the minutes of the meeting. The meeting was called to order at 9:40 am by President Pat Minnick at the Lincoln Caverns Campground, Huntingdon, PA The following officers were present: President P. Minnick Vice President C. Catherman Secretary G. Schock Treasurer G. Dunmire Representation was as follows: Bald Eagle Grotto --- Baltimore Grotto --- Bucks County Grotto --- Central New Jersey Grotto Amos Mincin Commander Cody Caving Club --- Franklin County Grotto Pat Minnick Greater Allentown Grotto Dean Snyder Huntingdon Co. Cave Hunters --- Nittany Grotto Gary Dunmire Philadelphia Grotto Amos Mincin Seven Valleys Grotto Gretchen Schock York Grotto Randy Hurst Secretary Report: The minutes from the May 5, 2013 meeting were read and accepted as published in the August 2013 MAR Breakdown. Treasurer Report: Gary Dunmire reported that the PCC received a $50 donation from Speleosoap from their sales at the 2013 NSS Convention in Shippensburg PA. The PCC breakfast raised $241 and the 50/50 raffle contributed another $18 for the PCC. Web Page: The PCC web page continues to be up and running. PCC Breakfast: Christopher Catherman did an excellent job of coordinating the PCC breakfast which sold 48 tickets during the 2013 Fall MAR event, raising $241 for the PCC. Joe Schock will transport the pancake griddle to his home for maintenance. George and Karen Bange will store the remainder of the breakfast equipment until the next use. The PCC Breakfast crew will assume they will hold a breakfast fundraiser at the next MAR field meet unless otherwise notified. Karen Bange agreed to provide paper products for the next event. PCC Brochure: Anyone interested in obtaining brochures should contact George Bange. Mail: Dean Snyder reported no mail was received. Christmas Cards: Karen Bange continues to manage the yearly distribution of Christmas cards to cave landowners. PCC will reimburse Karen for the postage of the cards sent. Contact Karen if you have a landowner you want added to the Christmas card list. T-shirts: Gary Dunmire continues to have PCC 25th anniversary T-shirts available at $15 each (approximately $17.65 with shipping). Dean Synder also has older PCC shirts available for sale at $5 each. PA Cave Database: Tony Canike continues to do an excellent job maintaining the PA Cave Database. OLD BUSINESS: Project List: Dragon Cave (Berks County, PA) – Dean Snyder stated the landowner still appears semi-friendly. Dean stressed the need to contact the landowner for permission to access the cave. Red Church Cave (Schuylkill County, PA) – Dean Snyder indicated there is nothing new to report. Dean has the key to the cave gate and is available to lead a few trips per year. Interested individuals must be NSS members. Merkle Cave (Berks County, PA) – Dean Snyder reported there is a need for small framed people to do some work. Amos Mincin offered his assistance. Cleversburg Cave (Cumberland County, PA) – Pat Minnick reported that the MAKC and FCG continue to maintain and control access to the cave. Schofer Cave (Berks County, PA) – Dean Snyder plans to continue to pursue contact with the Game Commission. Corker Hill and Frustration Pit (Franklin County, PA) – Trips were taken during the 2013 NSS Convention. FCG continues to control access. Amos Mincin plans to complete the survey in the near future. Peiper Cave (Cumberland County) – No new issues to report. Several trips were taken to this cave during the 2013 NSS Convention. Anyone interesting in gaining entry into Peiper Cave should ALWAYS contact the cave owners, Kim and Ed Kehs Sr., for entry permission and to complete the required waivers prior to gaining entry to the cave. Dreibilbis Cave (Berks County) – Amos Mincin assisted with a recent bat count survey. Only 5-6 bats were found. Mike Mostardi or Bill Schultz can be contacted and will act as a trip leader when needed. J4 Cave (Centre County) – Gary Dunmire had no new information to report. No reply has been received from Graymont since the last attempt to contact them. Gary stated that he will continue to attempt contact at a higher level. PCC Tax Exempt Status: Gary Dunmire received notification that the Tax Exempt Application was received and is under review. Gary does not foresee a problem with the application being accepted. PCC Grotto membership: Any grotto is welcome to apply to join the PCC. The PCC would like to stress the importance of a grotto representative being present at all meetings in order for the PCC to obtain a quorum and continue to conduct business. NEW BUSINESS: Bats as Endangered Species: Karen Bange indicated that some bat species were being considered for the endangered species list. Karen had attended a session by Greg Turner during the 2013 NSS Convention and expressed her concern regarding the impact the Endangered Species Act may have on the caving community, stating it could end caving as we know it. Penalties could include a monetary fine or 10 years in jail. The updated list is scheduled to be posted on September 30, 2013. Allensville Cave (Mifflin County): George Bange reported a status change for Allensville Cave, which has been closed for decades. There has been an owner change. Todd Karschner had recent contact with the new cave owner and reported that the owner is willing to allow caver access. For cave trip access, contact Todd Karschner at 717-513-3545. Milroy 2 Cave (Mifflin County): Todd Karschner reported there was land owner change several years ago. Todd, as well as Joe Schock, have been in contact with the current cave owner and are working on arrangements for an agreement with the new owner for continued access to the cave. Joe will also be performing some maintenance on the cave gate with the cave owner’s permission. Spring MAR 2014: Karen Bange proposed a motion that the PCC host the 2014 Spring MAR. The motion was seconded, voted on, and passed. Amos Mincin agreed to coordinate the field meet. Additional information and details will be found on the MAR website as they become available. PCC’s Conservation Role: Amos Mincin expressed an interest in seeing the PCC become more active in cave conservation and possibly managing caves, similar to some other cave conservation orgranizations. Next meeting: The next meeting of the PCC will be held on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at the Mt. Laurel Park, near Linglestown Pennsylvania following the MAR Business meeting. For directions, please see the MAR Web Site (http://www.caves.org/region/mar/main.htm). Randy Hurst moved and Amos Mincin seconded to conclude the PCC meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 10:52 am. Respectfully submitted, Gretchen (Red) Schock, Recording Secretary