Meeting Minutes January 2025

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January 9th, 2025
Hybrid meeting
Minutes by Bram Lovelace, Secretary

Business meeting 1

  • Eric presiding
  • Boof, election vote counter. At least 24 voters
    • Chair: Sarah Burgess
    • vice chair: Amy Kolor
    • Treasurer: Maurice Kirejczyk
    • secretary: Bram Lovelace
    • members at large: Shannon McClellan, Avril Wilson, and Jaq Morrill
  • Eric motions to accept, Sarah second.
    • 5 yea 0 nays
  • Eric move to close meeting, Sarah second

Business Meeting 2

  • Sarah Presiding as new chair
  • no presentation, just business meeting
  • >4 EC as quorum, Amy and Jaq will come later

Intros

Drew, Bram, Laina, Hannah, Noah, Sarah, Thistle, Avril, Kelden, Andrew (WV caver), Chris, Shannon, Brianna, Angelica, Sirius, Maurice (to send out email to papoose to be a RM), Eric, Amy, Jaq

Trip reports

  • Bram went to / KY: Bram surveyed 1/2mi across Mammoth, Whigpistle, Fisher Ridge (with Sean!)
  • Eric went to Cascade pit in Mexico and went to many blind pits with Austin and Washington associated cavers
  • Drew went to Lake cave and went caving with friends and they had fun. New recruits?
  • Noah: Scott’s cave, moved 15 buckets in jackman creek (and destroyed all the buckets so need to get new ones)
  • Maurice: attempted to go to Windy creek cave with Sri and Sarah. 10mi each way to attempt to get to the longest limestone cave in WA of skiing on slush and gravel. Summer Winter campout possible if people want to.

Announcements

  • OBG meeting Thursday evening, Morja cave rescue of Mark Dickey
  • This weekend (1/11 10am, Marymoor) Richard is running an advanced vertical / SRT training: rebelays focused! Come if you know what a rebelay is!
  • Next weekend! Saturday(?) Richard doing a dive class, they are doing a dive practice. They have plenty of loaner gear if you have dive certs. Reach out for locations
  • Next weekend: Sarah leading a Jackman creek cave dig trip (probably)
  • Ancient Palace Cave cleanups this weekend, 1/2, and 2/1 weekends. 10 hour drives. James, keyholder, compares it to Lechuguilla. Vertical pitch, needs vetting. Eric wants to go. Sarah potentially interested. Restoration is cleaning mud off formations. Noah, Drew 2/1 weekend? Potentially a cascade grotto trip if it’s full

Review Constitution and potentially needed amendments

  • Go to the website!
  • Proposal for designated persons as point of contact for code of conduct
    • Smaller group than the (expanded) EC would be better
  • Recall: The Executive Committee shall have the power to remove any Executive Committee member who, without just cause, fails to attend two regular Executive Committee meetings in one fiscal year without sending a proxy or who, without just cause, attends no Executive Committee meetings in person for three consecutive meetings
    • Eric: “in person” means not by proxy
    • Can we add a footnote to clarify that virtual is valid – without amendment process
    • Eric: EC meeting is different than general meeting as Daryl described. Clarifications on meetings suggested.
    • Sarah proposes review in detail prior to next meeting.
    • Modify to be inclusive of hybrid participation?
  • Filibuster
    • Sarah proposes in the future if outstanding discussion on a voting topic, the vote should happen next meeting so all points can be addressed

Monthly Meeting Times

  • Confirm no standing conflicts for EC members. Move if needed.
  • Recurring meeting is helpful! 1st wed of the month currently.
  • Next month’s meeting Zoom instead of google meet (with WR account)

Orientation to Cave Rescue

  • Hannah Keith has recruited instructors.
  • Current plan is Lake Cave, 8/16-17 2025
  • 2 days (sat/sun), $60 per person ~8am-5pm
  • Planning to invite Skamania SAR, Volcano rescue team, other local SAR – reserve spots
  • 5 students per instructor. Currently 15 students, hopefully more
  • Cascade grotto has scholarships – talk to Amy
  • request for ideas on where to host classroom training session on Saturday somewhere near ish Lake cave with hotels / campground / etc. Requirements: projector, hands on area for maneuvers (like playground)
    • WR locations? RV park campground and cabins (expensive, no good common space). Grange
    • Marble Mountain Sno Park has a structure?
    • Woodland or Vancouver? (Pizza parlor like OG does for first night, second night camp in Cougar near the cave.
  • Volunteers / experienced people as caving weekend in cougar / etc?
    • specialists for people that have more cave rescue experience and can bring in more students. Hannah will investigate NCRC level required
    • Dusty is interested (and has the rescue cache)
    • reach out to Volcano rescue team (ask if they want to send a specialist who has time and interest)
  • Hannah to ask for gear needed (litter, rope, etc.)

Treasurer’s Report

  • 80 paid members
  • 2348.47$ checking
  • ??? in saving
  • $1545.16 in PayPal
  • $6.65 in cash

Lauren Kenyon Memorial scholarship

  • $250 annually currently allocated in Kenyon memorial rescue scholarship
  • Sarah to announce how to donate specifically how to do it
  • for PayPal / check specify that it’s for the scholarship
  • We could do 4 scholarships for OCR, potentially half scholarships
  • Amy will write proposal of criteria, review next month the language we approved.
    • How many / value not specified
    • Bram will present amendments to it to Amy / others next month
  • Business item for next month

New training series

  • Richard and Rebecca organizing dive training (Reach out!)
  • Amy organizing advanced SRT practice –
    • Goal is year round continuous training. Minimum monthly, possibly biweekly meetings. Split among people and places and times
    • If you have advanced intermediate skills and willing to host a session (what to focus on), reach out!
      • Sarah would love to do a session on long rope climbing and weighted changeovers (treadmill, frog form, etc)
      • Bram will help and include work with heavy packs in the above
  • Schedule next ‘open’ practice (beginner friendly)
    • Can we rent the mountaineers indoor wall for a beginner SRT training event?
    • Can book room with indoor rock wall. does that include use of the rock wall (outdoor is free to use)
      • Amy: it requires being on a committee in the mountaineers, she will be able to do it for us once she is on one. They are likely booked out a lot in the spring though, so may be a weird time.
    • Sometime soon this winter, weekdays would be best! Dark and rainy is just like a cave.
  • Lead your own if you want!

Trip Planning

  • Last year successful in doing at least one open trip every month! Thanks to everyone! Goal is to do it again this year!
  • 1/17 weekend Sarah will likely do Jackman Creek cave
  • 2/1 Ancient Palace?
  • 2/17 Sarah free
    • presidents day – 3 day weekend?
  • Winter cave ridge trip – Maurice Feb/March conditions dependent (2/17?)
  • March/April Trout Lake? Deadhorse early spring with Brad (Amy wil reach out )
  • Church Mountain – Avril interested (Maybe with Aidan) Pretty, crawly, one
    • Megan, Bram also interested
    • TBD on schedule (will put in Discord)
      Spring/Summer
  • May: Annual beginners trip in Cougar – needs volunteers, reach out and will do a callout for them
    • Planning meeting prior
    • organization / campsite / stuff will helpful too
  • June
    • NSS convention in NY in late June
      • Megan, Eric, others interested potentially
    • Papoose in June? Other caves in Idaho
      • Sarah talking to Timpanogos grotto about summer stuff in southeastern Idaho
    • Windy Creek camp out?
  • July Cave Ridge
  • TAG trip – week long grotto trip?
    • training in SRT for Fantastic, etc. Make sure you know what you’re doing!
    • Amy, Sarah planning
    • Plenty of options if you want to do horizontal / chiller vert trips!
  • September – TBD
  • October
    • KY – Whigpistle and FRCS, helping with project caves
      • Coordinate with Sean, Niles/Brianna
      • Learn survey stuff!
  • Nov, Dec TBD
  • Others interested in organizing trips reach out

Presentation Planning

  • Volunteers:
    • Hannah (Can’t do Feb)
    • Angelica,
    • Shannon
  • Feb?
  • Other ideas
    • Amy: canyoneering vs caving techniques potentially, later this year
    • Bram to ask Mark Garnick for LiDAR presentation
    • Incident Analysis is a good idea – as a group?
      • Gourdneck, etc.

School STEM Nights

  • Shoreline 5/2, Echo Lake 2/12
  • A decade ago we brought a fake cave, etc. Catherine Wilson was involved and had a fake cave
  • talk about science in caves, bats, etc.
  • Angelica is point on organizing but can’t be there. Avril can help too
    • Sarah, Brianna, others can help with science gear (HCl dropper, etc)
    • Angelica to start email thread 2/12 hopefully, 5/2 backup

Buckets for Jackman Creek

  • all broke recently
  • most efficient: animal feed pens / 1gal bucket at point person. Dragger takes out of crawl, dump into 5gal bucket staged closer to entrance. When that is approaching full it’s taken out of the cave
  • Purchase 2 5gal buckets w/ Lids and $17-30 on amazon.
    • Jaq says $5 at Lowes,
  • Sarah proposes up to $30 for 2 5gal buckets with lids and feed pans
  • Motion passes unanimously
  • Shannon, Kelden to buy and communicate

Treasurer bank proposal

  • Maurice: we have $8k in account, worth opening CD?
  • Ideates opening a CD, term of 6 months for $4k
  • Maurice will look around and analyze CDs and HYSA, to bring proposal next meeting
  • We should make a budget / financial plan (Amy!)

Logo Design

  • Sarah drafted a couple different logos
    • One has been seen
    • Additional variations, feedback on them?
      Classic cascade grotto, done a while ago. Person in a cave in Nevada on rope, chevron, dip
      Other iterations based on Bram in Newton Cave rappelling (with shadow)
      Feedback for no chevron – circle is much easier for merch!
      Versions with and without shadow

Amy proposes no chevron, bram seconds
Jaq likes no shadow
Brianna and Sarah, and Bram likes no shadow

Angelica proposes to use both! shadow for online, non shadow for printed?

  • Consensus seems to be this is the best bet!

Laina: Potential to invert the simple design for lesser ink? Sarah will

Merchandising!

Interest gathering:

  • Hoodies, T shirt
  • Sticker makers
    • Amy will have a sticker maker and can print them once she does
  • Hats, embroidered
    • Beanies and Baseball caps
  • Glow in the dark Nalgene
    • Other graphics to put on things? Sarah and Amy and others have drafted things

To determine pricing for: hoodies, t-shirts, hats (beanies / baseball caps), stickers, water bottles

  • Jaq will look at pricing after Feb, Sarah & Kelden prior.
  • Avril proposes print on demand / options if we don’t have enough for bulk orders (ethical concerns)
  • Vandy’s friend has a printing press for WR merch, we could reach out.
    Poll to be put out for interest based on pricing, preordering
  • Sarah, others will add polls

Online stores for nonprofit as potentially? WordPress plugin should be easy, having surplus will be fine as we can sell (Jaq has room!)

Nonprofit?

  • Treasurer to deep dive into taxes and whether we should be a nonprofit. We have Taxpayer ID, we should be able to incorporate as a nonprofit (as the constitution says, we were registered in the 90s supposedly). Goal to make a little bit of money on the sales
    • Jaq will help Maurice look into it, come with slides on benefits and process for registering
  • Eric says not worth the benefit unless we want to do specific things.
  • We are legally a membership organization now, not incorporated but used to be.
  • WR to get nonprofit Canva for newsletter? Eric to ask WR for email address for Jaq to use for the grotto.

Other business

  • Eric to drop off grotto helmets with Amy
    • Talk about grotto library next month – Eric happy to stay librarian

Motion to close by Sarah, Seconded by Kelden

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