News; August 2017 - including field trips on 22 October

BCRA News Forum. The BCRA online newsletter; announcement and discussion of items. The BCRA is a UK registered charity, and a constituent body of the BCA, undertaking charitable activities on its behalf.

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David Gibson
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News; August 2017 - including field trips on 22 October

Post by David Gibson » Sun 03 Sep 2017 12:35

In this newsletter...
  • Cave & Karst Science 44(2) slightly delayed
  • BCRA AGM, Leeds, 21 October
  • BCRA Cave Science Symposium, 21 Oct
  • CREG journal 99 published
  • CREG field meeting 28-29 October 2017
  • Hidden Earth 29 Sept to 1 Oct
  • BCA Ballot
  • Special offer on Hidden Earth admission
Cave & Karst Science 44(2) slightly delayed
Apologies, but C&KS volume 44(2) will be delayed slightly and is expected to be published at the end of September. Please ensure that you have renewed your membership for 2017, or it will not be mailed to you. (Non-member subscribers need take no action: you will be invoiced in due course).

BCRA AGM, Leeds, 21 October
Notice is hereby given that the 2017 Annual General Meeting of the British Cave Research Association will be held on Saturday 21 October 2017 at 12:00 during the BCRA Cave Science Symposium at the University of Leeds. An agenda will be published online shortly, and will be posted, as part of a paper newsletter, to all our members, by the required deadline. Please see http://bcra.org.uk/agm/2017/

BCRA Cave Science Symposium, 21 Oct
The British Cave Research Association, Yorkshire Geological Society, and Leeds Geological Association are pleased to announce BCRA's 28th Annual Cave Science Symposium and associated field-trips. The Symposium will be hosted by Prof. Simon Bottrell and Dr. Phillip Murphy of the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, on Saturday 21st October, 2017. This year's symposium will feature a special session and keynote lecture by Dr Tony Waltham dedicated to the Caves and Karst of the Yorkshire Dales. Following the symposium, an informal evening meal will be arranged for those who are interested. For further information, please visit our Facebook page, https://facebook.com/groups/1485495795064870/ or contact Gina Moseley. You can also read summary information at http://bcra.org.uk/forum . For Sunday 22nd, some field trips have been arranged. The field meeting led by Trevor Faulkner to Giggleswick Scar is now full. A second field meeting, led by Phillip Murphy, will visit the karst of Appletreewick and Greenhow. The trip will include a visit to Gillfield Level and is suitable for a maximum of 10 people per trip. Please register your interest in attending with Gina Moseley as soon as possible.

CREG journal 99 published
BCRA's Cave Radio and Electronics Group published issue 99 of its journal online on 1 September. Paper copies will go in the post to our subscribers shortly. If things go to schedule, CREG will be publishing its 100th journal in December. Considering that this is a specialised group, with a small readership, it is astonishing (and I say that as one of its long-term "activists") that it has lasted almost 30 years. If anyone has any suggestions for any modest way that we could mark the 100th issue - or if you just want to send a telegram - please contact the journal editor Rob Gill or post your ideas to the CREG forum, http://bcra.org.uk/cregf

CREG field meeting 28-29 October 2017
A weekend field meeting of BCRA's Cave Radio & Electronics Group will take place in the Yorkshire Dales on 28-29 October. Further information, when available, will be posted to the CREG forum at http://bcra.org.uk/cregf . You can also subscribe to the CREG-Announce mailing list for information, see http://list.bcra.org.uk/

Hidden Earth 29 Sept to 1 Oct
After taking a break in 2016 for Eurospeleo, Hidden Earth - the UK's annual caving conference - will be back at the end of September at Churchill Academy, in the Mendips. http://www.churchill-academy.org (That's a week later than usual). For further information please see http://hidden.earth

BCA Ballot
As you are no doubt aware, the British Caving Association (BCA) is undertaking a ballot of its members to ratify some changes to the constitution made at its AGM in June. All BCA members (which includes BCRA members, of course) should have now received their paper either by email or post. If you have not received a paper, then please contact the BCA Secretary or write to BCA at Old Methodist Chapel, Great Hucklow, Buxton, SK17 8RG with your name, membership number and address, so that a paper can be re-issued. The ballot paper must be returned by 23 September. Further information, including the BCA AGM draft minutes, can be found on the BCA web site http://british-caving.org.uk. There are also notices about the ballot on the BCA bulletin board at http://british-caving.org.uk/phpBB3 and there is discussion at http://ukcaving.com .

Special offer on Hidden Earth admission
BCRA needs some volunteers to man its stand in the exhibition area at Hidden Earth (28-29 October in the Mendips). Volunteers seem to be thin on the ground this year, so we are resorting to the "bribe" of offering free admission to the event (worth £55). Your duties will be, essentially, selling BCRA publications; taking, recording and keeping secure the cash received; and distributing leaflets to enquirers. There are four time-slots to cover, (Sat & Sun, a.m./p.m.) so we need four people who will each take one of those slots and promise to be there, manning the BCRA stand, for the whole slot. Volunteers will get free entry to the event (worth £50) and free camping (worth £5) and a free beer. If at least two volunteers car-share then BCRA will also make a contribution towards the fuel costs. If you are interested, this is what you need to do...
  1. Contact the BCRA chairman, John Gunn with your offer.
  2. Book and pay for your admission ticket (etc) at http://hidden.earth
  3. Turn up on time, stay on the stand for your allotted slot without wandering off.
  4. After the event, claim your admission refund and mileage allowance from BCRA.
Last edited by David Gibson on Fri 06 Oct 2017 15:02, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: added field trip note to title. dropped to normal