Conservation Kudos
By Jim Werker and Val Hildreth-Werker

We want to thank and recognize individual and group efforts and achievements in karst and cave conservation. Forgive us for failure to mention the thousands of others out there working for cave conservation. BOG and EC members, please feed us recognition information. Send us brief notes so we can include in future kudos: Jim Werker & Val Hildreth-Werker, NSS Conservation Division Chiefs, PO Box 1018, Tijeras, NM 87059 werks@zianet.com

Updated March 25, 2001

  • Leisa Eidson, a caver and graphic arts professional from Cincinnati and the TAG region, for committing long hours to the completion of a portable museum-quality display describing the goals and activities of the NSS. She finished the first five units in time for the display to show at the Smithsonian during the Washington, D.C. premier of the IMAX film, Journey Into Amazing Caves.
  • Pat Bingham for taking lead responsibility in setting up the NSS Display (and other displays) at the D.C. premier.
  • Cheryl Jones for accepting lead responsibility in coordinating the D.C. IMAX premier event, held at the Smithsonian. Extra mile kudos go to her long-term enthusiasm and committment.
  • Hazel Barton and Nancy Holler Aulenbach for their commitment to including cave and karst conservation messages in the McGillarvray Freeman Films IMAX production and promotional materials.
  • Carol Zokaites for continuing interaction with McGillarvray Freeman Films in creating educational materials. And for increasing awareness of the Save the Caves Fund by seeking contributions through promotion in the Family Fun Guide, a brochure she helped prepare for the IMAX movie Journey into Amazing Caves.
  • Barbara Moss for coordinating grotto contacts and resource information for Journey into Amazing Caves.
  • McGillarvray Freeman Films for committing resources to working cooperatively with the NSS on Journey into Amazing Caves.
  • Elizabeth Rousseau for heading full-force into the organization and design of the Conservation Division website. The initial emphasis will be toward grotto and NSS interaction with IMAX. She is creating a websource for interfacing with theaters and media to emphasize karst and cave conservation/education outreach. The site is under construction with long-term goals for serving cavers as well as non-cavers with information on cave and karst ecosystem protection and resources for conservation/restoration methods. Find the NSS Conservation Division Site by clicking Learn About Caves on the NSS Home Page.
  • Hillary Lambert Hopper for coordinating national efforts against the plans for an Intermodal Transit Park on the sinkhole plain near Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.
  • Lee Florea, Carol Zokaites, and other cavers in their support of Kick 66. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has designated a damaging path through karst lands of Kentucky as their preferred route for the proposed I-66. KICK 66, an umbrella organization dedicated to preserving the quality of life and the environment in the region affected by these proposed corridors, is a coalition of state agencies, national organizations, and businesses favoring Kentucky's forests, farms, future, and funds by opposing I-66.
  • Jonathan Beard and his speleothem reconstruction assistants in Missouri for successful completion of the Flutestone in Stinson Cave. It took multiple trips and many sherpas to repair the 10.5 foot totem over the past few months. In the fall, after the Gray Bat maternity season, they plan to install a gate to protect bats and formations.
  • Sue McCready of Arizona for creating the logo for the 15th National Cave and Karst Management Symposium, to be held October 16-19, 2001, in Tucson.
  • We applaud the NSS IMAX Committee, Grottos in IMAX areas, and countless NSS cavers who are coordinating to direct the upcoming media attention toward the benefits of karst and cave protection instead of the thrills, extremes, and adventures of caving.
  • Rob Stitt for initiating interaction and following up with the Eco-Challenge Race. His efforts yielded new statements of cave conservation awareness from the Eco-Challenge group. And because we don't say it often enough, thanks also to Rob for developing and webmastering the NSS Cave Conservation & Management Website http://www.caves.org/section/ccms/ and for developing the Conservation List-serve.
  • Tom Lera for promoting the Conservation & Management Website with a thorough NSS NEWS article.
  • Al Collier for developing techniques in delicate speleothem repair and sharing his skills with caves and cavers in Colorado and the Southwest.
  • Larry King, Gary Petrie, and the Central Oregon Conservation Task Force for persistent, long-term efforts toward protection of the Road 18 Lava Caves in Oregon.
  • Abel Vale, President of Ciudadanos Del Karso, for gathering support in favor of the Puerto Rico Karst Protection Act. On behalf of the NSS, we also thank past Governor Carlos Romero Barcelo, other authorities in Puerto Rico, the USDA Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trust for Public Land, Jeanne Gurnee, and others here on the mainland, for assistance in moving the bill this far.
  • Susan Herpin, Dave Jagnow, Ransom Turner, Allen Lamen, and all the participants of the ongoing High Guads Restoration Project on the Guadalupe Ranger District, USDA Forest Service. Many weekends, many hours, many personal resources contributed, and many cave resources restored. Keep up the good work!
  • Eugene Vale for composing the draft for a new Bats Need Friends conservation brochure.
  • Joel Tracy for follow-up on requests for assistance in Colorado caves from Kay Zillich of the Forest Service.
  • Dave and Phyllis Hamer for their annual commitment to coordinating restoration trips for a special cave in Arizona since 1995.
  • Carol Zokaites and Cheryl Jones for increasing awareness of the Save the Caves Fund and seeking contributions through promotion in the Family Fun Guide brochure prepared to use with the IMAX film Journey into Amazing Caves.

Forgive us for failure to mention the thousands of others out there working for cave conservation. Send us a note so we can include recognition in future kudos: werks@zianet.com