Illinois Spleleological Survey Minutes
April 9 2000
Waterloo, IL

Call to order - 10:20am
Introduction of the Directors and Officers
Officers:
President: Rick Toomey (present)
Vice-President: Diane Tesic (present)
Treasurer: None
Recording Secretary: Lea Claycomb

Member Organizations and Directors:
Illinois Natural History Survey: Dr. Steve Taylor (present)
Illinois State Museum: Blane Schubert (absent, Rick Toomey was proxy)
Little Egypt Grotto: Cindy Lee (present)
Mark Twain Grotto: David Mahon (absent)
Meramec Valley Grotto: Tony Schmitt (present)
Middle Mississippi Valley Grotto: Darrol Gasawski (absent)
Mississippi Karst Resource Planning Committee: Philip Moss (present)
Near-Normal Grotto: Dr. John Marquart (absent Laura Storm was proxy)
Stygian Grotto: Kevin Berdack (present)
Windy City Grotto: Jack Wood (present)
Karst Conservancy of Illinois: Jerry Halb (present)

Presentation/ Demo - Arc View and the ISS - Philip Moss
Lovely Presentation

Reading of the minutes from previous meeting
Minutes accepted

Reports
Data Management Committee - Rick Toomey
We now have 75 maps in the ISS database.  We are getting more all the time.
Rick Toomey has ArcView so you may turn in maps/locations in that format.
We have had 2 data requests.  One request from Pat Kambesis and the other
from Tom Clifton for a map of Ava cave for a clean up trip.  Data
management committee will handle them.

Old business

1) Karst Conservancy of Illinois accept seat as member organization.
Accepted as noted above Jerry Halb is their representative.

2) NSS affiliation
Rick Toomey will contact Chris Graves.

3)Research community awareness
Nothing to report

4)ISS Web Page
Have been getting reports that it is not very good and not updated.  Steve
Taylor said he is willing to maintain it in its present state and will
update it.

5) Discussion of Illinois Cave database and interim data submission options.
We still do not have a working database.  What to do with your submissions
until then?  As mentioned above Steve Taylor has ArcView and submissions
can be submitted in that format.  Philip Moss has an ISS feature form in
Works or contact Taylor or Toomey for an excel form.  Paper and mail work
too, we are always looking for new data.  Some discussion revolved around
whether or not anyone (grottos or surveys) have a working database that
includes more than just locations.  Taylor will expand his database and
give us a presentation at the next meeting.  Also Bill Elliot has offered
his Access biology database structure for us to look at.

6)  Status of tabled motion for single IDNR representative.
Still tabled.

7)  Report  from Kentucky Speleological Survey formation meeting.
They have had 4 or 5 meetings and used some of the ISS ideas.

8)   Ad Hoc committee to find missing maps.
Moss sent a list of what he knew and Cindy Lee got some information.

9)Letter to Forest Service.
Toomey has not yet written it.

New Business

1)Submission of annual reports for 1999.
All reports will be posted on ISSXCHNG.  A copy should be forwarded to
Steve Wadowski as he is not on ISSXCHNG.  Reports were given by:
Illinois Natural History Survey: Steve Taylor
Near Normal Grotto: Laura Storm
Little Egypt Grotto: Cindy Lee
Meramec Valley Grotto: Tony Schmitt
Windy City Grotto: Jack Wood
Illinois State Museum: Rick Toomey
Karst Conservancy of Illinois: Jerry Halb
MKRPC: Philip Moss
Stygian Grotto: Kevin Berdak
IDNR: Diane Tesic

2) Election of Vice-President.
Tony Schmitt is now the Vice-President of the ISS.

3) Election of the Data Management Committee.
Philip Moss, Rick Toomey and Cindy Lee are the new Data Management Committee.

4) GIS and the ISS Cave database.
Moss moves: The president or his designee shall request software and
licenses to install 11 copies of ArcView to further the purposes or the ISS
from ESRI.
Tony Schmitt seconds.
Discussion of maximum amount to spend.
Moss moves to amend that Toomey spend no more than $200.
Accepted unanimously.

 5) Recent threats to Illinois karst and needs to protect it.  Including
mapping needs in the state.
Joe Ivy and Aaron Addison are coming up in May and want to sketch.  If you
have any leads you need mapped Aaron is on ISSXCHNG.  Moss pointed out that
there has been another death at Fults Salt Peter Cave, the 2nd in the last
two years.  This cave is on private property and No Trespassing is posted.
No parking signs are up and you may be ticketed if you park in the "usual"
spot.  Some people are mumbling about having it closed (i.e. blown up).
The land owner is friendly.
Camp Vandeveter has been extensively logged just recently.
Steve Taylor noted that there are other karst areas in Illinois besides the
sinkhole plain, lets not forget about them.

6) Rick Toomey moves the agenda is suspended for 20 minutes for open
discussion on topics of general interest to the ISS and its cooperators and
to include the audience.
Accepted.

7) Other
Cindy Lee asked the ISS for $3500 for research.  The ISS hopes the research
goes well, but having no operating budget can not contribute.
Moss got a small grant for the study of storm conditions at Teirse and
Collier springs.  So far weather has not been cooperating.  Philip is
moving in June and will not be able to conduct the study if the weather
does not shape up.  People interested in looking at this king of thing
should let Philip know.

Next meeting will be Sunday November 5th at 10am at the Springfield museum
research and collection center.

Adjourn: 2pm

Please email sjtaylor@inhs.uiuc.edu with web page comments and corrections. All other correspondence should be addressed to the ISS via the president.
Page created 11 April 2000, last modified 3 January 2002