Dissapointing to us expecting a western Convention, due to the pandemic the Convention is moving online. Here’s the press release:
National Speleological Socitey Press Release For Immediate Release
CONTACT INFORMATION:
The National Speleological Society
6001 Pulaski Pike, Huntsville, AL 35810
Amanda Willis, NSS PR Division Chief
RELEASE DATE:
March 19, 2021
National Speleological Society Announces Move to Virtual Convention for 2021
NSS Headquarters, Huntsville, AL — The National Speleological Society formally announces that the 2021 NSS
Convention will be on a virtual platform and will not be held in Weed, California this year. “We regret to inform the
membership of this decision but will continue to move forward with an online format similar to the 2020 Virtual
Convention,” stated President, Geary Schindel. Information from the CDC indicates the COVID-19 Pandemic will
continue to be a major health concern throughout 2021. Rather than risk the health of our members and the citizens of
Weed, the decision was made by a consensus of the board to move the event to an online meeting.
The 2020 virtual convention was a success and we believe the 2021 virtual convention will also be as engaging as the year
prior. The virtual convention does have a number of advantages, it allows more and longer session presentations, allows
members not able to travel, to also attend the convention, and it allows for the recording and presentation of the event.
Administrative Vice President, Adam Weaver stated “I give this directive with a heavy heart and want to take this time to
recognize the hard work of Matt Bowers and his staff have accomplished in the efforts of having an in-person event. Carol
Tiderman, Convention Division Chief, and I have been amazed and honored by the tenacity with which you and your staff
have pursued an in-person offering, against what are the most difficult circumstances that any convention host staff have
faced. The global pandemic, and the ability of our membership to safely and logistically attend an in-person event in
either June or July of this year are at the center of this decision. All empirical evidence indicates that an online event
decision at this time is the best choice for the society, and our membership.”
Weaver also stated that “I believe that the 2021 NSS Convention can still be a great success. In 2020, the online offering
had more than 3,000 attendees, our message of conservation, exploration, and fellowship reached more members than
ever before. In 2021, with the specific marketing abilities exhibited by the convention team, I believe this could be the
most highly attended convention ever. It is my hope, and Carol’s as well, that circumstances never necessitate the need of
an online only convention again, so let’s make this second and hopefully final online offering, a fantastic and memorable
experience for our membership.”
Dates and schedule updates will follow as soon as they are available.
For over 70 years, the National Speleological Society has promoted safe and responsible caving practices,
effective cave and karst management, speleology, and conservation. Our members are bound together by their
love of caves, their desire to learn about the underground wilderness, and their commitment to protect it for
future generations.
NSS membership offers worldwide caver camaraderie, networking opportunities, and access to information
about discoveries and developments in caving, speleology, equipment, and techniques through our publications,
annual conventions, grottos, internal organizations, and NSS-sponsored projects, expeditions, and surveys.
With 7,000+ members and more than 200 grottos (chapters), the National Speleological Society is the largest
organization in the world working every day to further the exploration, study, and protection of caves and their
environments, and foster fellowship among cavers.