| River Cave December 2nd and 3rd |
Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Eric Hertzler and Charley Young |
Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Eric Hertzler and Charley Young of SPG, Ken Long and Candy Loving of LOG assisted Ha Ha Tonka State Park staff in the beginning of a week-long project to install a new bat-friendly gate at the upper entrance to River Cave (Camden Co). The gating was made possible by $3,400 worth of material donated by SPG from grant money received from 3M Company to promote and sustain biodiversity. River Cave is currently recognized as the fifth most biodiverse cave in Missouri with several stygobitic/troglobitic species as well as endangered Gray and Indiana bats. The park staff completed the project during the latter part of the week. After work was halted for the day (Dec. 2), some of the group documented an impressive 33-foot sandstone shelter called Casa de Loco Shelter (Camden Co). |
| Breakdown Cave December 3rd |
Charley Rey | Charley Rey and a fellow earth science teacher led a group of 28 Glendale High School honor students dually enrolled with MSU on an educational field trip through Breakdown Cave (Christian Co). They were divided into two groups that visited the Main Room and some side passages. They saw 12 pipistrelles then noted five Eurycea larvae in Sally’s Pond. |
| Lon Odell Memorial Cave December 6-7 |
Jon Beard, Zach Copeland, Ben McCall, Charley Rey, Jack Rosenkoetter |
Jon Beard, Zach Copeland, Ben McCall, Charley Rey, Jack Rosenkoetter of SPG and Earl and Lannis Hancock, Alicia Lewis, Ben Phillips and Craig Williams of MVG mapped prehistoric human footprints and did some cave radio locating in Lon Odell Memorial Cave (Dade Co). Some also photographed features such as torch remains. LOMC, as the cave is abbreviated, is reportedly one of eight documented caves in the U.S. with aboriginal footprints. LOMC is just short of a mile in length and was gated in 1986 to protect its features. Jon, Zach, Earl, Lannis, Ben Phillips and Craig returned a second day for additional documentation. Altogether, the weekend produced lots of photographs, GPS locations on two significant locations in the cave, as well as several additional documented footprints and stoke marks. |
| Watkins Cave and Devils Slide Cave December 13th |
Nick Newman | Nick Newman led a group of youths on an educational field trip through Watkins Cave and Devils Slide Cave, both of Greene County. |
| Lowell Cave, Little Smittle Cave December 14th |
Jon Beard and Gabe Rodgers and Kasi Rodgers | Jon Beard and Gabe Rodgers assisted Kasi Rodgers in the testing of the cave stream in Lowell Cave (Wright Co) for pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, phosphates, nitrates and chlorine. The group then climbed into the cave’s upper level to look at speleothems. After leaving Lowell, they visited Little Smittle Cave where Kasi tested the water, while Gabe and Jon picked up some trash. They also found some spray paint graffiti to be removed in the future. |
| River Cave December 18th |
Eric Hertzler | Eric Hertzler visited the entrance sinks to River Cave (Camden Co) to take photographs of the completed gate at the secondary entrance (see Dec. 2 and 3 above). |
| Steins Creek Cave December 20th |
Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Bob Taylor, Jack Rosenkoetter and Lloyd Morrison |
Jon Beard and Roy Gold assisted Bob Taylor in the continuing survey of Steins Creek Cave (Wright Co). Jack Rosenkoetter helped Lloyd Morrison and Charley Young in the photography of the cave’s main passage and features. Efforts were also made to remove carbide graffiti from the cave ceiling. The cave contains a massive main passage, but has no large speleothems. However, if one knows where to look, the cave also contains some aragonite, some old dry helictites and soda straws. They also noted lots of old bear claw marks and raccoon tracks. Finally, a few pipistrelles were found dotting the expansive ceiling. |
River Cave |
Charley Young | Charley Young revisited the entrance sink to River Cave (Camden Co) for photographs of the finished gate at the secondary entrance. |
| Breakdown and Fitzpatrick Cave December 27th |
Jon Beard and Ben McCall | Jon Beard and Ben McCall hosted eight members of Pony Express Grotto in trips through Breakdown and Fitzpatrick Caves (Christian Co). The group had to wait several minutes for a thunderstorm to pass before suiting up and seeing a majority of both caves. (neither cave floods from within). A few dripwater spots in Breakdown’s ceiling were the only reaction to the earlier thunderstorm. |
| Smallett Cave, Little Brown Branch Cave December 28th |
Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Eric Hertzler, Jack Rosenkoetter and Bob Taylor |
Jon Beard, Roy Gold, Eric Hertzler, Jack Rosenkoetter and Bob Taylor spent the day in Douglas County checking cave leads provided by Scott House. The first, Smallett Cave, was located, but as the owner of the cave could not be found to get permission, they obtained a GPS location from a neighbor’s corner close to the cave. Next, the quintet located Little Brown Branch Cave on MTNF. After they recorded a GPS location, the five divided into two survey teams led by Eric and Bob to survey two diverging passages plus a third entrance passage that loops into Eric’s survey. They mapped about 120 feet to low constrictions. Jon observed one pipistrelle bat, a herald moth, two fishing spiders and dozens of cave crickets and fungus gnats. |
| Fitton Cave December 29th |
Jon Beard, Evan Christiansen, Zach Copeland, Brian Goeppner | Jon Beard, Evan Christiansen, Zach Copeland, Brian Goeppner, friend Nick and Brian’s two sons Colton and Ben took a photography trip to Fitton Cave (Newton Co, AR) where they photographed gypsum flowers. On the way to the Tennouri Passage they reattached a stalagmite in the Needle’s Eye area. |