| Lon Odell Memorial Cave August 1st |
Jon Beard, Zach Copeland, Lloyd Morrison and Jack Rosenkoetter | Jon Beard, Zach Copeland, Lloyd Morrison and Jack Rosenkoetter assisted archaeologist Craig Williams, friend Adam McBrady and a video documentary crew of Christian Cudnik and brother Nic, Jay Gard, Mark and Pete Leach as well as great help from MVG members Alicia Lewis and Mike Wallace, with the documentary filming of Lon Odell Memorial Cave (Dade Co), a cave known for its prehistoric human footprints, torch remains and petroglyphs. The 4,759-foot cave is entered through a 55-foot pit entrance. To prepare for the trip, the video crew had vertical training provided by Earl Hancock several days before the trip, as well as a session on July 31st at Jack’s home. Jack and Jon also spent an evening on July 30th clearing vegetation in the sink to provide access to the gated cave. The video trip had an auspicious beginning—after Lloyd had rappelled into the cave, Jack noticed 5 a 400-lb rock had shifted to a precarious position at the top of the pit. Mike and Jon spent two feverish hours of working with a pry bar before getting the rock to drop into the pit. |
| Whites Creek Cave, Dream Cave August 2nd |
Jon Beard and Zach Copeland | Jon Beard and Zach Copeland photographed speleothems in Whites Creek Cave (Douglas Co), a relatively short but well decorated cave. After this, they traveled to Ozark County to check the gate lock and photograph features in Dream Cave, including helictites, stromatolites, bell-shaped coraloids, and an adult grotto salamander. Also seen were salamander larva, a few tricolor bats and a dark-sided salamander. |
| Mammoth Cave August 3rd-7th |
Bonnie Curnock | Bonnie Curnock spent five days in a Mammoth Cave (KY) restoration field camp, helping remove old wiring and concrete light boxes that were no longer in use. |
| Lowell Cave August 5th |
Victor Young, Charley Young | Victor Young, his daughter Sierra and friends Tom and Valerie Melton, Josh, Zach and Kaylee Simmons accompanied Charley Young and granddaughters Abby and Sara, on a trip to Lowell Cave (Wright Co). |
| Blanchard Springs Cavern August 5th |
Michael Carter | Michael Carter visited Blanchard Springs Cavern (AR), the only show cave in the country operated by the U.S. Forest Service. |
| Onondaga Cave August 7th |
Michael Carter | Michael Carter visited Onondaga Cave (Crawford Co) on his way to the Fisher Cave restoration weekend. After supper, he and Jon Beard set some of the restoration equipment inside Fisher Cave (Franklin Co). |
| Fisher Cave August 8th |
Jon Beard, Michael Carter, Max White, Abby, Charley and Sara Young | Jon Beard, Michael Carter, Max White, Abby, Charley and Sara Young of SPG, along with Paul and Emile Hummel of MMV, Matt Tenny of MVG and Missouri Master Naturalist Sue Golay continued the 11-year restoration project in Fisher Cave. They reattached three speleothems and removed several square feet of trail gravel no longer in use, all in the cave’s Ballroom. After supper, Jon, Matt, Paul and Emile took a photo trip into the Crystal Room while Michael did some photography in the Ballroom. |
| Fisher Cave August 9th |
Jon and Michael, Bonnie Curnock |
Jon and Michael were joined by Bonnie Curnock of SPG, A.J. and Kathy Kriska of MMV, Matt of MVG and Missouri Master Naturalists Sue Golay and Sue Haskins in continuing restoration in Fisher Cave. Bonnie concentrated on reattachment of 13 speleothem pieces (to make six "master pieces" ready to be reattached to their original places) while additional efforts were made to remove speleothem pieces buried under trail material. At least three of these were matched to their original places, two of them rejoined with epoxy, including one reattached by Sue Golay. Matt and Jon found stalactite matches up on a high ledge reached by ladder. Their reattachments were left for the next restoration weekend scheduled for October. There have been 169 speleothem reattachments in Fisher Cave since the project began. |
| Steins Creek Cave August 16th |
Jon Beard, Bill Heim and Kevin Helton, Bob Taylor | Jon Beard, Bill Heim and Kevin Helton assisted Bob Taylor in the completion of the Steins Creek Cave (Wright Co) survey. Total surveyed length of Steins Creek Cave is 1463 feet after this day’s addition of 345 feet in the right hand side passage. While Bob sketched, the others explored and photographed several features including vugs of calcite 6 crystals, macro shots of other minerals and a short video of some white flowstone. They saw a few tricolor (pipistrelle) bats and at least two larval salamanders. |
| Round Springs Cave August 21-23 |
Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Bill Heim, Kevin Helton, Ben McCall , Jack Rosenkoetter, Max White, Charley Young | Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Bill Heim, Kevin Helton, Ben McCall (and girlfriend Sherie Ware), Jack Rosenkoetter, Max White, Charley Young and granddaughters Abby and Sara participated in the installation of the new cave gate at Round Springs Cave (Shannon Co). Cavers from KCAG, MVG, PEG and CRF along with SPG (totaling 27 or so) during the long weekend. On Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, project director Scott House led cavers through some of the left-hand sections of the cave. The vertical uprights were up by Friday evening, the gate secure by Saturday evening and completed by Sunday noon. Saturday evening’s guided trip was both the last to use the old gate (dismantled Sunday morning) and the first to use the new gate. |
| Garrison Cave #2 August 25th |
Jon Beard | Jon Beard checked the water level and the siphon system at Garrison Cave #2 (Christian Co) in preparation for an upcoming survey trip. |
| Garrison Cave #2 August 28th |
Jon Beard | Jon Beard ran the siphon system at Garrison Cave #2 (Christian Co) for about one and one half hours while conducting an informal bio survey of the entrance passage beyond the cave gate, finding nine cave salamanders, two tricolor bats and one big brown bat. |
| Garrison Cave #2 August 29th |
Jon Beard | Because of insufficient crew size, the planned trip to complete the Garrison Cave #2 survey was called off. However, with archaeologist Craig Williams present, Jon Beard, Lawrence Ireland and Ray Lambert accompanied Craig as he interviewed a local landowner about the ~1980 discovery of prehistoric burials at the cave, then showed Craig the entrance complex to the cave. After lunch, Jon showed Craig the resurgence to the system, Garrison Spring. Jon then visited with Kevin Bright, the new owner of Smallin Cave, also of Christian Co. The two looked for aquatic fauna in both Sonrise Cave and Smallin, finding nine bristly crayfish and several grotto salamanders. |
| Round Spring Cave August 30th |
Dr. Doug Gouzie | Dr. Doug Gouzie took his MSU speleology class to newly gated Round Spring Cave (Shannon Co) for a guided educational trip from Scott House. |
Garrison Cave #2
|
Jon Beard | Jon Beard sketched additional floor detail in the entrance passage area of Garrison Cave #2 (Christian Co). |