In attendance: Zeke Van Fossen (Chair), Mike Broome (Treasurer), Taylor Tibbs (Vice Chair), and recording Ken Walsh (Secretary)

As the meeting began, Ken updated contact information, checked stats with Mike and Zeke, and submitted our annual report to the NSS.

The January bank statement shows an increase of $15.01 but does not include the PayPal account’s increase.

Mike and Zeke confirmed that the web site’s Chair emails are being forwarded to Zeke.

Taylor led a discussion about upcoming meeting presentations:

1. NO PROMISES BUT Mike will build a cave in his basement, and it may include glow-in-the-dark, objects not to scale, sounds of dripping formations, and even a cave-like smell. The smell will not be similar to Big Sink Cave, and it won’t be too cold for him. There may be choices along the way that the audience will engage in through a Zoom poll for a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure experience.
2. The February program is Zoom Show-and-Tell, and Taylor will ask folks to quickly share any cave- or cave-related item they may have worth showing.
3. Taylor will tap Pete Hertl to share a presentation on cave biology. She will offer to be in charge of sharing the images if that makes it easier for Pete.
4. Regarding cave cartography, Ken was asked to consider Zoom presentations about how to add cave symbols, featuring some cool cave maps done by many different cartographers, and/or a long presentation showing the steps involved in moving from sketch to map. Ken will contact Dwight Livingston about sharing some cool maps with permission in March.
5. A suggestion arose to ask Jenn Macalady to speak about snottites or another unusual cave formation. Guest speakers should work well in the Zoom format.
6. Mike Broome will ask Nick or Dave Socky to share photos of the recent exploration in the WVCC’s Great Savannah Cave System (WV). Over forty miles of cave have been surveyed.
7. Emily could lead a game of Just One-Caver’s Edition. This is tentatively scheduled for April and has worked well in the Zoom format.
8. Zeke will consider how we might execute a caver’s version of Jeopardy, and the officers already identified one that appears online.
9. The NSS has a library of slide shows that Taylor can draw upon, but she may save these for dates when the speaker has to cancel.

The officers plan to engage in an online discussion about when public health conditions suggest it’s okay to meet in person again and what precautions we may want to take (e.g., meeting outdoors). They will engage in discussions with the museum when the time is appropriate.

We worked out a schedule for the General Meeting announcements. Taylor will send Zeke a blurb about the meeting program a week in advance, and Zeke will send out the meeting notice on Thursday before the meeting. He will also send out a reminder on Monday evening before the meetings. The Zoom link will not be featured on the Facebook page because the page is open.

As the summer approaches, the officers may discuss a socially distanced picnic and a possible grotto trip.

Happy Pączki Day!