The Mineralogy & Microbiology of Naica Dr. Penny Boston March 5, 2014 Enormous crystals, stifling heat, and a thriving microbial community of extremophiles make Mexico's Naica caves some of the most amazing and hostile in the world, and an extreme environment for both life and mineralogy. Dr. Boston will discuss her team's scientific findings, what it is like to cave in these conditions, and the approaches used to enable survival and safety in this challenging environment, which has great relevance to human extraterrestrial exploration. Dr. Penelope Boston is director of the Cave & Karst Studies Program and professor and associate chair of the Earth & Environmental Sciences Department at the New Mexico Tech. She is also Associate Director for Academics at the National Cave & Karst Research Institute (NCKRI) in Carlsbad, NM. Dr. Boston is a fellow of the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, past President of the Association of Mars Explorers, and 2013 recipient of the David P. McKay Memorial Life on Mars Award. She also received the NSS Science Award in 2010. (1:32:26) Download a copy (160 MB) Effective Cave Search Rene Ohms, NCRC Instructor February 11, 2014 The presentation will teach you what factors to consider when faced with a lost subject(s) – how to save time by limiting your search area, strategies for deploying search teams, effective underground search techniques and how to keep your search team safe and accounted for. An NCRC instructor with the National Cave Rescue Commission since 1999, Rene is an experienced caver, cave surveyor, and climber, and has spent thousands of hours in some of the world’s longest and most remote caves. She has worked for the National Park Service for 15 years, including a 13 year stint as a physical science technician at Jewel Cave National Monument where she coordinated cave exploration and research activities and managed the cave rescue program. She is now the natural and cultural resource manager at Devils Tower in Wyoming. (17:50) Download a copy (22 MB) When YOU become the rescuer! Jessica Deli, NCRC Instructor January 9, 2014 Jessica Deli is an NCRC instructor and the Central Region Coordinator and has been involved with the National Cave Rescue Commission since 2005. She has also served as a board member and secretary for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security SAR Training and Advisory Committee since 2005. A closer look at these questions determines how one can help an injured caver exit under their own power and the training qualifications that are available.
This is a must see webinar for every caver. You don't know what you "Don't Know"! (1:07:37) Download a copy (72 MB) Cave Diver Training:
A Brief Overview What first steps should one take in order to become a competent cave diver? What is the required equipment, and what indispensable skills are taught in this training? What are the psychological implications of training and practicing in this field? How do divers promote cave conservation, and what role do landowner relations play in carrying out these explorations successfully? How are task loading and muscle memory involved? Jim Wyatt, NSS 56713, is Training Director for the National Speleological Society’s Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS), and provides a concise overview of what cavern and cave diver training entails. Jim has been a cave diving instructor since 1975, and he is a former U.S. Navy Ship Salvage Diving Officer. He is a former member of the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD), and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the International Association of Nitrox and Technical Divers (IANTD) and instructs both closed and open circuit cave diving classes. Not only is Jim the Training Director, but he is also a Full Cave Instructor for the NSS-CDS. He is an instructor for the NACD, and a Technical Cave and Diver Propulsion Vehicle (DPV) Instructor Trainer for the IANTD. He is also a Cave DPV Instructor for the NSS-CDS, IANTD, and Technical Diving International (TDI). (1:01:16) Download a copy (99 MB) Life in Submerged Caves: Life found in water-filled caves ranges in size from microbial mats to larger cave visiting fish, creating delicate—and fascinating—ecosystems. This informal webinar is designed for non-scientist cave divers, cavers, and the layman that have an interest in underwater caves. The talk will discuss the many different habitats found in caves, from the entrance area to the dark zone. Skip, a member of the NSS Cave Diving Section, will discuss animals that have accidently entered caves as well as highly adapted cave life, covering topics such as how animals enter caves, how they adapt to life in submerged caves, and how water quality is important in the survival of these unique ecosystems. (1:01:16) Download a copy (87 MB) Alpine Karst in Utah:
An Overview Utah is famous for its magnificent National Parks, canyon country, and one of the largest saline lakes in the world, but one generally doesn’t associate Utah with CAVES.
Although Utah is not known for extensive cave systems or even great numbers of caves, it does contain a considerable amount of carbonate-rock terrain and some of the best-developed alpine karst anywhere in the western U.S.
Main Drain, at 1,227 feet deep, and Ricks Spring, one of the biggest underwater cave discoveries in the western U.S., sinkholes as much as 1,000 feet across and 100 feet deep. These are just a few of the interesting items that Larry discusses.
Larry has worked as a Groundwater Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey since 1988. He also has been an instructor in karst hydrology/geomorphology in the "Speleology for Cavers" short course at NSS Conventions for many years. |
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