Springfield Plateau Grotto Caving Trips Febrary 07

Springfield Plateau Grotto Caving Trips February 2007
Tumbling Creek Cave February 2	Charity Gramm Eric Hertzler	Charity Gramm and Eric Hertzler conducted a bio survey that included ringed crayfish (Orconectes neglectus) in Tumbling Creek Cave in Taney Co. involving the long entrance passage from the natural entrance to the Bridge Room. Several photographs of biota and guano piles were taken during the rare trip through the passage.
Breakdown Cave Fitzpatric Cave February 3	Jon Beard Eric Hertzler	Jon Beard and Eric Hertzler guided the science club of Girard (KS) High School through Breakdown Cave and Fitzpatrick Cave in Christian Co. in an educational field trip. Since the pollution event from June 2006, the cave’s ecosystem appears to be recovering somewhat. Several pipistrelles, both aquatic and terrestrial springtails, troglobitic spiders and a pseudoscorpion were seen. After the school group had been shown Breakdown’s Main Room and a couple of crawlways and started home, Jon showed Eric up into the rarely visited Fourth Level of Breakdown Cave, accessed via a 45-foot vertical chimney.
Breakdown Cave February 7 More Images	Jon Beard Bob Harvey David Peaks (Diane's son)	Jon Beard, Bob Harvey and David Peaks made an evening photographic trip to Breakdown Cave in Christian Co. to show David the cave (David did most of the photography). The Main Room, North Loop, Fault Zone, Third Level, Armpit Avenue, Formation Loop and Handshake Hall were seen in 3 hours of caving. Image by David Peaks
Giboney Cave February 8	Bonnie Howard Melvin Johnson	Bonnie Howard took her 5^th grade students to Giboney Cave in Greene County as part of the educational “Wonders Down Under: Karst Ecology” Outdoor Initiatives Program led by Melvin Johnson of the Park Board and also of SPG. The Springfield/Greene County Park Board received a grant to take all Springfield 5^th graders on educational tours of the cave. Partnering with the Park Board are the Watershed Committee of the Ozarks and the Wonders of Wildlife National Fish & Wildlife Museum. Guided trips to the cave are to be given every Thursday into the month of May.
Parks Creek Cave Lowell Cave February 11	Roy Gold Bob Taylor	Roy Gold and Bob Taylor obtained a GPS reading on Parks Creek Cave in Wright County that had been shown to Roy a few weeks earlier. After this the two began the resurvey of the main passage of Lowell Cave (also in Wright County) beginning from the entrance. The purpose of the survey is to add more detail that Bob’s circa-1970 survey sketch lacked.
Lowell Cave Little Smittle Cave Smittle Cave Popcorn Ball Cave February 15	Charley Young	Charley Young visited the Fuson Conservation Area in Wright County to photograph icemites and tites at the entrances to Lowell, Little Smittle and Smittle Caves as well as nearby Popcorn Ball Cave and got some decent pictures.
White Cave #1 Ha Ha Tonka Natural Bridge February 16	Eric Hertzler Christen Stewart Larry Webb Gary Plymell	Eric Hertzler and Christen Stewart joined Larry Webb and Gary Plymell at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camden County for a preliminary bio survey of the park’s newly acquired White Cave #1. The group observed many eastern pipistrelle bats including one albino. They also noted aquatic isopods, webworms, millipedes (some appeared to be cave adapted), and several larvae salamanders. Eric and Christen then began a survey of Ha Ha Tonka Natural Bridge.
Giboney Cave February 17	Charity Gramm	Charity Gramm conducted a bio survey of Giboney Cave at Doling Park in Greene County to determine the extent of recovery from a catastrophic pollution event one year ago in which a grout-like substance infiltrated the cave stream, coating the entire substrate. The source of the “grout” was never determined, but the cave is slowly recovering. Outside of the stream, she found 3 adult dark-sided salamanders, some salamander larvae, a few pipistrelles, centipedes and other biota.
Ha Ha Tonka Natural Bridge Island Cave Island Pit Cave Linn Creek February 17	Eric Hertzler	Eric Hertzler finished the survey of Ha Ha Tonka Natural Bridge. Also in the state park he got better GPS locations for Island and Island Pit Caves. Later, Eric found Linn Creek Cave, a new cave in Camden County. The double entrance cave has less than 20 ft. of traversable passage.
Unnamed Cave February 18	Eric Hertzler	Eric Hertzler surveyed another new cave (as yet unnamed) in Camden County. The cave is located in an area heavily mined before the days of the Lake of the Ozarks. In the rear of the cave is a pit dug in the floor by miners likely looking for barite or galena. The cave has yet to be named.
Parks Creek Cave Lowell Cave February 18	Roy Gold Bob Taylor Skunk (grotto affiliation unknown)	Roy Gold and Bob Taylor traveled to Wright County to survey Parks Creek Cave. Roy crawled into the cave about 25 feet to an area of low walking passage. Just after that Roy smelled a skunk, then worse than that, saw the skunk headed his way. Roy feared he would become in(scent)sed and quickly exited the cave. It was decided to forego the survey until a time when the skunk would not be an (ol)factor. They then went to nearby Lowell Cave and photographed the ice in the entrance.
Breakdown Cave Fitzpatrick Cave Nevatt Cave #2 February 18	Jon Beard Charity Gramm Jason Hardinger	Jon Beard, Charity Gramm and Jason Hardinger crawled into Breakdown Cave (Christian Co) to conduct a bio survey of the northern half of the complex cave system. Webworms, heliomyzid flies, cave and grotto salamander adults, springtails, fishing spiders, troglobitic spider, pipistrelle bats were among species noted. Charity covered the Main Room while Jason and Jon visited several side passages. Afterwards, Jason and Jon made a quick visit to Fitzpatrick Cave nearby to count bats (big browns and pips) and found 2 bristly cave crayfish and a handful of pickerel frogs. While walking a ridge top way back to the cars, Jon noticed a new dimple. Jason popped into the open joint and found at least 10 feet of horizontal passage that digging could lengthen. Probably links to Breakdown’s Fourth Level. The new cave is named Nevatt Cave #2.
Giboney Cave February 20		Melvin Johnson led 9 students and teachers in an educational tour of the Giboney Cave (Greene Co) Outdoor-Underground Classroom studying speleothems, fossils, history, biota and past environmental damages. This is a monthly ongoing program for an alternative school for at-risk teenagers.
Giboney Cave February 22	Melvin Johnson	Some 106 5^th grade students, teachers and volunteers from two elementary schools participated in “Wonders Down Under” at Doling Park and Giboney Cave, led by Melvin Johnson. This is part of the karst and water quality program being offered free to all Springfield 5^th graders (see Feb. 8^th for more info).
Breakdown Cave Fitzpatrick Cave February 24	Jon Beard Roy Gold	Jon Beard led an educational tour of Breakdown Cave (Christian Co) for the Willard (MO) High School science club. While going through the Main Room, North Loop, Formation Loop and some of Canopy Avenue, various aspects of speleology were taught to the captivated audience. Later in the day, Jon was joined by Roy Gold as the two led an Evangel University outdoor activities group through Breakdown Cave and Fitzpatrick Cave. Caving ethics and caves as fragile ecosystems were taught the group as they visited the various parts of the northern half of the cave.
Skaggs Cave Big Queen Cave Hickory Hollow Cave February 25	Roy Gold Bob Taylor Charley Young Chouteau Grotto Members: Kevin Feltz Jim Huckins	Roy Gold, Bob Taylor and Charley Young of SPG met Kevin Feltz and Jim Huckins of Chouteau Grotto in Pulaski County. They took a few photos of the entrance to Skaggs Cave before going to Big Queen Cave where Roy, Jim, Bob and Charley took photos. Lastly they briefly visited Hickory Hollow Cave, taking a couple of photos before decided it was too wet and cold to go further.
Brown Cave Pillar Cave Pillar Annex Cave February 26	Roy Gold Charley Young Pat Schneider Paul Schneider	Roy Gold and Charley Young guided Pat and her son Paul Schneider to Brown Cave (Douglas Co) and had an enjoyable time. Pat, who lives in New England, had grown up in the area in her youth and had visited the cave then and wanted to return. Roy and Charley checked out two small, nearby caves, Pillar Cave and Pillar Annex Cave.