Cascade Grotto Meeting
Hybrid meeting (Phinney Neighborhood Association and Google Meet)
Wednesday September 11, 2024

Votes

Maurice as new Treasurer

• Eric proposes
• Bram seconds
• PASSED: 3 for, 1 abstain

Bram as new Secretary

• Sarah proposes
• Eric seconds
• PASSED: 3 for, 1 abstain

Funds to pay for new website host

• Allocate $25
• PASSED: approved, none against

Fund temporary lock for Papoose

• Pay Eric back $10 for two locks on papoose cave
• PASSED: approved, none against

Fund permanent lock for Papoose

• Allocate up to $50 for 2 new permanent locks for papoose cave
• PASSED: approved, none against

Official minutes

• Ratify previous minutes
• PASSED: approved, none against

General Meeting

Announcements

Western Regional (by Helens)

• Sept 19-22
• Lots of events planned

Poets’ Crest trip (by Baker)

• Sept 28-29
• Bushwhacky approach

Halloween trip (by Adams)

• Large amount of caving planned

Presentation

Caving in Mexico

Presented by Eric

Background

• American cavers have been going there via 60s
• Hautla has been explored for quite a long time (in Oaxaca)
  • Terrain is dominated by sinkholes
  • First goal was going deep: first 1km deep caves found here
  • Focus now is to connect into nearby caves larger system
• Hautla is over 50 km, 1.5 km deep from highest to lowest point
• Cheve cave is also promising (possibly even deeper)
• Lots of outreach lead by Bill Steele
• Expedition was 5 weeks total this year
  • Lots of people missing this year because of the eclipse
• General cave format is deep pits, followed by long passages at end of limestone
  • Lots of sumps
  • Bottom was explored by bill stone in 1994
• Russian cavers at Huatla
  • Not welcome at Cheve (because of Ukranians there)
• Lots of camping
  • Warm temperatures make it nice
  • Concern of water because people use caves as sewers
• Eric’s leg got infected and he had to convalesce for a while in town of Huautla de Jimenez

Trip Reports

Cave ridge

• August
• 370 ft of survey in exhilation
• made pancakes with all the huckleberries up there

Scapegoat

• August
• Montana expedition w/ cascade grotto members:
  • daryl, kat, richard, eric, bobby, rebekah, bram, sarah, maurice
• about a mile of survey
• explored ramses, cambell’s, green forks, kathy’s icebox

Business Meeting

Critical new business

Vacancy in treasurer role

• Maurice -> treasurer
• Maurice resigns as secretary
• See vote above

Vacancy in member at large role

• Bram -> secretary
• Bram resigns as member at large
• See vote above

Member at large is empty

• empty for now but two interested (kelden & shannon)

Old Business

Scholarship coordinator

• Likely Amy

Grotto rescue

• no updates

New Business

Redid logo

• more discussion may be needed (vote on new logo, etc)
• new merch?

Webmaster needed

• Contact Eric

New hosting provider

• Need to allocate funds for new host
• See vote above

Western regional ropes course

• need assistance to find kiddie pool & culvert

Papoose cave

Temporary replacement lock

• lock has been replaced
• forest service lock was too large
• see vote above

Permanent replacement lock

• permanent locks to replace temporary locks
• see vote above

Official minutes

• approve minutes for legal/organization purposes
• see vote above