Meeting Minutes September 2024

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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

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