THE ALASKAN CAVER€¦ · is a White Nose Syndrome update written by Alaska Department of Fish and...

Volume 30, Number 3 July, 2010

THE ALASKAN CAVER

The Alaskan Caver, Volume 30 No.3 page 2

Johanna Kovarik climbs through one of the many plunge pools in Roaring Road Cave.

Back cover: Above: Geocorps America Interns Erin Lynch and Mark Hagemann prepare to lead Jennifer Foote and Steve Yocum into Starlight Cave. Photo

copyright by Dave Bunnell.

Front cover: Two cavers pause to look out of the skylight in the entrance area of Beaver Falls Cave. Photo copyright: Dave Bunnell

(continues on next page)

North Prince Of Wales Photo Trips, by Johanna Kovarik ----------------- page 2The Cave at Ballybunion, by Carlene Allred ------------------------------- page 6Letter to the Editor --------------------------------------------------------------- page 7

TABLE OF CONTENTS

During the week of July 18th – 24th, 2010, Jennifer Foote, Dave Bunnell and Steve Yocum visited Prince of Wales Island in order to do some caving here in southeast Alaska. Dave had arrived the previous week to do some work in southeast Alaska’s sea caves, but stayed on to do a bit more inland caving and was

kind enough to make some photographs of some of our caves pro bono. Jennifer and Steve were up to experience Alaska and Alaska caving, and were more than happy to assist Dave with some photos. Erin Lynch was already on the island working for the Forest Service for the summer assisting with the digital cave database project, along with Mark Hagemann who just began his caving career here in Alaska as a Geocorps Intern with the Forest Service. I managed to break away from work for a couple of days in order to assist. Dave, Jennifer, and Steve took a quick trip out to Scallop Cave first on Monday while I caught up with several work projects. Next, I drove the group up to El Capitan where the four of

THE ALASKAN CAVER

EDITOR: Carlene AllredGeneral DeliveryTenakee Springs, Alaska 99841hm: 907 [email protected]

GLACIER GROTTO OFFICERS

PRESIDENT: David LovePO Box 240812Douglas, AK 99824-0812

VICE PRESIDENT: Kevin AllredGeneral DeliveryTenakee Springs, Alaska 99841

SECRETARY/TREASURER:David LovePO Box 240812Douglas, AK 99824-0812

CONSERVATION: Steve LewisPO Box 53Tenakee Springs, AK [email protected]

TONGASS CAVE PROJECT:

Steve LewisBox 53PO Tenakee Springs, AK [email protected]

Kevin AllredGeneral DeliveryTenakee Springs, Alaska 99841hm: 907 [email protected]

Pete [email protected]

THE ALASKAN CAVER (ISSN 0735-0481) is the periodic publication of the Glacier Grotto of the National Speleological Society (NSS).

Back issues are available from the Glacier Grotto secretary for $2.50 each. Materials not copyrighted by individuals or by other groups may be used by NSS publications provided credit is given to the author and to The Alaskan Caver. Opinions are not necessarily that of The Alaskan Caver, the Glacier Grotto or the NSS. The editor welcomes contributions such as letters, trip reports, cave reports, photos, cartoons, stories, cave maps, etc.

Annual dues are $15 per individual and $20 per family or organization. The Alaskan Caver is included in the membership fee. For an additional $8, six The Alaskan Cavers will be sent overseas via airmail. Send dues to the treasurer.

NORTH PRINCE OF WALES

PHOTO TRIPSText and photo captions y J. Kovarik.

Photos and photo copyrights by Dave Bunnell.


Johanna Kovarik investigates one of the two entrances to Roaring Road Cave - this one umbrellaed by a healthy

colony of Devil's Club.

Johanna Kovarik investigates the deep sump at the end of Roaring Road Cave.

Roaring Road contains a series of beautiful waterfalls and skylights - Dan Nolfi examines the first waterfall below the pit entrance.

NORTH PRINCE OF WALES..., continued from p. 2


us took photos of the Alaska room in El Capitan Cave. Dave had a few reservations, but it must have qualified as a large enough room for him as he broke out the flashbulbs and took some nice shots of the whole room and a few of the balcony area. Several other shots were taken around El Cap, including a few geology shots and one or two with one of the cave guides from the summer, Alexa Owen. The photo trip

in El Cap took approximately six hours with a follow up trip later that day to get a few shots of the tourist route. Next, Erin, Mark, Dave, Jennifer, and Steve went out to Starlight Cave where Dave took some


The return trip from the Alaska Room can involve a tight squeeze through the Ball Bearing passage area of El

Capitan Cave, demonstrated by Steve Yocum.

The "scrambled egg" formation in El Capitan Cave.

Above: Steve Yocum makes his way through the Alaska Room in El Capitan Cave.

Left: Johanna Kovarik pauses as she exits the Alaska Room in El Capitan Cave via the Balcony.

wonderful shots utilizing his large dedicated photo crew. Finally, the trip finished up later that week with photo trips into Roaring Road and Beaver Falls Caves.

A big thanks goes out to Dave Bunnell for his time and talent in making some lovely photos of our caves here in Southeast Alaska! Thanks also go to Jennifer Foote and Steve Yocum for working hard as photo slaves for Mr. Bunnell.

Photos continue on page following...

NORTH PRINCE OF WALES..., continued from p. 3


Above: Steve Yocum rappels the entrance drop in Scallop Cave. Upper right: Jennifer Foote glances out the entrance of Scallop Cave as she rappels in to meet up with Steve Yocum. Below: Geocorps America Interns Erin Lynch and MarkHagemann prepare to lead Jennifer Foote and Steve Yocum into Starlight Cave.Lower right: Jennifer Foote and Steve Yocum examine the debris slope leading into Starlight Cave.


Carolee Bowen stands at the cave entrance.

Carolee Bowen is heading back out towards the entrance. The old castle guards the beach at Ballybunion.

This issue of the newsletter is late in coming because I was off traveling for much of the summer. The Wrangell Mountains was one such trip. The other was touring in Europe with my sister, my niece and their husbands. While in Ireland (August 2010) we rented a car in Dublin and drove to the southwestern portion of the island, to a coastal town

called Ballybunion. This town features old, picturesque houses and a terrific beach with colorful cliffs along one side. The area is guarded by an ancient castle with only one wall left standing against time’s erosive winds

and seas. On the sandy beach the local children were playing hurley, native Gaelic game, with their sticks and balls. There was lots of space to play, for the beach is very deep because of the great difference between high and low tide, and the tide was low at the time. There were surfers in wetsuits riding the waves and children swimming in the cold water.

While enjoying the beach we noticed that there were some sea caves in the cliff that bordered on one side. Most of these caves were small, but we were surprised to discover that one of them “went”. A sign warned against tide entrapment inside. Carolee (my sister) and I removed our sandals and waded through a sandy-bottom tide pool, about knee deep, to get into the entrance. We continued on into the tall, triangular-shaped passage that brought us into near blackness.

THE CAVE AT BALLYBUNIONText and photos by Carlene Allred



Carolee examines the floor sediment as rising tidewater approaches.

blackness. The walls were colorful and thinly bedded, and the floor of the cave was sandy and fun to sink our toes into. Deeper inside, and seemingly far away underground, we could see that there were two more entrances with crashing ocean surf that echoed throughout the cave. The rising tidewater was slowly filling the passages. I estimated that there might be about 400 feet of passage in here based on what I could see without wading into the dark deepness that opened seaward. It is a Y-shaped cave (plan view) with the bottom of the Y curving to the left. We had entered at the bottom of the Y, and the two upper legs represent the other two entrances that open into the sea.

Eventually the others in our group made their way over to the cave and joined us inside.

The area is formed of Mississipian rocks, which consist of limestone that is overlain by shale and sandstone. The cave walls appeared to be in the shale zone.

CAVE AT BALLYBUNION, continued from page 6

Thank you for producing another fine issue of the Alaskan Caver in April 2010. However one small detail immediately caught my eye. On page two, there is a White Nose Syndrome update written by Alaska Department of Fish and Game wildlife veterinarian Kimberlee Beckmen, M.S., D.V.M., Ph. D. While it is certainly appropriate for her to inform people of this devastating disease, Dr. Beckman immediately loses credibility by stating "please note that it appears that humans are the vector that can spread it most quickly." This is patently false.

All entities working on WNS clearly acknowledge that bat to bat transmission is the primary (and only proven) method of spreading WNS. There is no evidentiary basis for her statement that humans are the vector than can spread it most quickly. Period. While humans intentionally have transmitted the fungus (from field to laboratory under strict protocols), there is no evidence of unintentional transmission. That said, the possibility exists, hence the recommended precautions for both cavers and field biologists alike.

Large-scale closures on the East coast are not stopping WNS, as apparently bats aren't reading the orders. Blaming the spread on a human vector is not only bad science, but causes unnecessary relational and economic repercussions. Dr. Beckmen's human vector statement is the same misinformation we see in poorly-written media reports and press releases around the country. The NSS-WNS liaison and others in the science and caving communities spend a lot of time working to correct these types of rumors.

Ignorance is no excuse. We should expect more from somebody with Dr. Beckmen's credentials, especially considering she represents a state agency.

Jansen Cardy NSS 50665

(Before submitting this letter I consulted with the NSS-WNS liaison, Peter Youngbaer, to ensure factual accuracy.)

LETTER TO THE EDITOR


Address Service Requested

The Alaskan Caverc/o Carlene AllredGen. Del.Tenakee Springs, AK 99841

THE ALASKAN CAVER€¦ · is a White Nose Syndrome update written by Alaska Department of Fish and...

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