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National Speleological Society

Summary

National Speleological Society
Logo of the National Speleological Society
AbbreviationNSS
FormationBill Stephenson, January 1, 1941; 81 years ago (1941-01-01)
Location
Membership
10,000
President
Geary Schindel
Main organ
Board of Governors
AffiliationsAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science, International Union of Speleology
Websitecaves.org

The National Speleological Society (NSS) is an organization formed in 1941 to advance the exploration, conservation, study, and understanding of caves in the United States. Originally headquartered in Washington D.C., its current offices are in Huntsville, Alabama. The organization engages in the research and scientific study, restoration, exploration, and protection of caves. It has more than 10,000 members in more than 250 grottos.[2]

History

The Speleological Society of the District of Columbia (SSDC) was formed on May 6, 1939 by Bill Stephenson. In the fall of 1940, the officers of the SSDC drafted a proposed constitution that would transform the SSDC into the National Speleological Society. On January 24, 1941, Stephenson sent a letter to all members of the SSDC announcing that "on January 1 the Society was reorganized as a national organization."[3] The New England Grotto was the first NSS Grotto. It was chartered in 1941 with Clay Perry as president and Ned Anderson as vice-president.[4]

On February 6, 1974, a pioneering cave diver named Sheck Exley became the first chairman of the Cave Diving Section of the National Speleological Society.[5][6] The new section began with 21 members in 10 different states.[5]

Publications

The NSS produces a number of publications, including:

  • NSS News, monthly
  • Journal of Cave and Karst Studies (quarterly), formerly NSS Bulletin (from 1940–1995).
  • Membership Manual, yearly
  • American Caving Accidents, every few years

Organization

The organization is currently divided into 11 regions:

  • Arizona Regional Association (ARA)
  • Mid-Appalachian Region (MAR)
  • Mississippi Valley-Ozark Region (MVOR)
  • Northeastern Regional Organization (NRO)
  • Northwest Caving Association (NCA)
  • Rocky Mountain Region
  • Southeastern Regional Association (SERA)
  • Southwestern Region (SWR)
  • Texas Speleological Association (TSA)
  • Virginia Region (VAR)
  • Western Region

Within these regions are local chapters known as grottos. The grottos carry out the local level recreational and conservation-related business of the NSS. They generally function as the local NSS chapter/club. Many Grottos however, operate in areas outside of their local area, with many operating in several states.[7] Most Grottos also participate in Regions which are loose associations of Grottos.[7] Regions are also an internal organization of the National Speleological Society.[7]

Grottos are required to meet certain organizational requirements as outlined by the National Speleological Society. These include:[8]

  • A constitution and bylaws that are submitted to, and approved by, the NSS.
  • A minimum of at least five members of the Society.
  • It is NSS policy that full membership in a Grotto requires NSS membership. However, in practice, this is often not the case.

Convention

The NSS hosts a yearly convention, which is generally held in June. Grottos take turns hosting the convention.

Convention Year Location
1968 Springfield, MO
1969 Lovell, WY
1970 State College, PA
1971 Blacksburg, VA
1972 White Salmon, WA
1973 Bloomington, IN
1974 Decorah, IA
1975 Angels Camp, CA
1976 Morgantown, WV
1977 Alpena, MI
1978 New Braunfels, TX
1979 Pittsfield, MA
1980 White Bear Lake, MN
1981 Bowling Green, KY
1982 Bend, OR
1983 Elkins, WV
1984 Sheridan, WY
1985 Frankfort, KY
1986 Tularosa, NM
1987 Sault Ste. Marie, MI
1988 Hot Springs, SD
1989 Sewanee, TN
1990 Yreka, CA
1991 Cobleskill, NY
1992 Salem, IN
1993 Pendleton, OR
1994 Brackettville, TX
1995 Blacksburg, VA
1996 Salida, CO
1997 Sullivan, MO
1998 Sewanee, TN
1999 Twin Falls, ID
2000 Dailey, WV
2001 Rock Castle County, KY
2002 Camden, ME
2003 Porterville, CA
2004 Marquette, MI
2005 Huntsville, AL
2006 Bellingham, WA
2007 Marengo, IN
2008 Lake City, FL
2009 Kerrville, TX
2010 Essex Junction, VT
2011 Glenwood Springs, CO
2012 Lewisburg, WV
2013 Shippensburg, PA
2014 Huntsville, AL
2015 Waynesville, MO
2016 Ely, NV
2017 Rio Rancho, NM
2018 Helena, MT
2019 Cookeville, TN[9]
2020 Elkins, WV[10]

Awards

The Society makes a series of awards, presented during its annual convention:[11]

  • William J. Stephenson Award for outstanding service
  • Honorary member award
  • Lew Bicking award
  • Victor A. Schmidt conservation award
  • Science award
  • Spelean arts and letters award
  • Certificate of merit
  • Fellow of the society
  • Peter M. Hauer spelean history award
  • James G. Mitchell award
  • NCA best paper on a show cave award
  • Certificate of appreciation

Photos

  • 2018 banquet

  • 2018 open board meeting

  • 2018 "Speleolympics" competition

See also

  • Caving – Recreational pastime of exploring cave systems
  • Speleology – Science of cave and karst systems
  • Cave diving – Underwater diving in water-filled caves

References

  1. ^ "National Speleological Society : Organization". National Speleological Society. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  2. ^ "The National Speleological Society". caves.org.
  3. ^ Caving in America, National Speleological Society, Huntsville, AL. 1991. ISBN 0-9615093-7-6
  4. ^ Caving in America. Huntsville, AL: National Speleological Society. 1991. ISBN 0-9615093-7-6.
  5. ^ a b Staff. "Cave Diving Section of the National Speleological Society was founded". cavedivinghistory.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  6. ^ Kendrick, DF. Pollock, NW (ed.). "Science of the National Association for Cave Diving (NACD): Water Quality, Hydrogeology, Biology and Psychology". Diving for Science 2009. Proceedings of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS) 28th Symposium. Dauphin Island, AL. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  7. ^ a b c Weberg, Meredith Hall (2010). NSS News Members Manual. National Speleological Society. pp. 2, 53–65.
  8. ^ "Policy for Internal Organizations" (PDF). National Speleological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-27.
  9. ^ "NSS Convention 2019". National Speleological Society. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  10. ^ "2020 NSS Convention". National Speleological Society. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  11. ^ "Welcome to the NSS Awards Committee". National Speleological Society. Retrieved 11 July 2021.

External links

  • The National Speleological Society
  • Journal of Cave and Karst Studies (National Speleological Society)