Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Cave Survey Approves Public Dissemination of Cave Locations

  1. #1

    Cave Survey Approves Public Dissemination of Cave Locations

    From the NSS & Colorado Caving Forums. I find this very interesting. The founder of www.cavesr4all.com is a part of the Colorado Cave Survey of the NSS, so that's likely a big part of this reversal.


    Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 7:54 am Post subject:

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Colorado Cave Survey of the National Speleological Society has reversed its earlier position of restricting data regarding cave locations. At the board's regular spring meeting on May 14, the board came out in favor of allowing cave locations to be included in popular public media such as published guides like Lloyd Parris'es 1973 book, "Caves of Colorado" and a Colorado Internet cave location website.

    Following a lengthy, sometimes passionate discussion, the Survey soundly rejected a proposal by Front Range Grotto Chair Carl Bern that would have required board members to sign a confidentiality agreement regarding cave location information presented at meetings. Instead, the board approved a lesser requirement that individuals, including board members, who wish to review the Survey's cave files sign an agreement and be approved by the full board. This proposal will now go to the Survey's member grottos for discussion and approval.

    Despite the Survey's approval of posting public and privately-owned cave locations to the Internet, the Survey did not indicate an interest in directly supplying location information from their files to websites. However, the Survey's approval of posting of locations online could bring concern to both private and public cave owners and managers in Colorado, who may fear the NSS-chartered organization will supply GPS locations of sensitive caves to anyone who requests the information.

    Several board members felt that restriction of cave data is an elitist position by organized cavers and that attempts to restrict the free dissemination of information is a violation of an individual's First Amendment rights, guaranteed by the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights. A few members indicated they would resign their positions rather than sign any confidentiality agreement with the Survey.

    Denver caver Donald G. Davis offered an amendment to the Survey constitution that would have allowed the Survey to reject any elected grotto representative who knowingly violates Society, Survey or ethical policies. The motion died without a second.
    _________________
    Richard Rhinehart
    Western American Caver
    Denver, Colorado

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #2
    No big surprise, there's a big discussion over what was actually decided on in the meeting.
    http://forums.caves.org/viewtopic.php?p=36427#36427

Similar Threads

  1. Cave Name?
    By oldno7 in forum Climbing, Caving & Mountaineering
    Replies: 10
    Last Post: 02-05-2009, 12:38 PM
  2. Senate approves sweeping public lands bill
    By stefan in forum Environmental Issues
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-15-2009, 01:45 PM
  3. [Trip Report] TR: B- Cave
    By jumar in forum Climbing, Caving & Mountaineering
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-30-2007, 09:16 AM
  4. [Trip Report] Red Cave
    By Iceaxe in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-04-2006, 10:46 AM
  5. FWD: Darby Wind Cave/Fossil Mountain Ice Cave Incident
    By caverspencer in forum Climbing, Caving & Mountaineering
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 12-10-2005, 09:21 AM

Visitors found this page by searching for:

Outdoor Forum

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •