Virginia Region of the NSS
The Virginia Region of the National Speleological Society consists of 40+ local caving groups in and around Virginia and surrounding states. We promote the study and science of speleology, explore and maps caves, protect and conserve caves, manage limited access caves, and generally promote safe caving throughout the region, and promote fellowship and cooperation among all Regional cavers and organizations.
Web Site Under Construction - Please Pardon Our Dust!
We just had to upgrade our CMS and revert to an old backup. The look may be a little different, and the out-of-date stuff will be updated soon. Most of the content is back, but the forms are still missing, and there are surely plenty of broken links yet. Please bear with us. If your grotto's website URL has changed because of the NSS server move, please contact the webmaster (mcjames_verizon_net) so we can update your listing.
Jones Quarry Cave Cleanup - Saturday, June 29, 2024, 2 PM
Tri-State Grotto is hosting a cleanup of this popular panhandle cave, with cleanup in both the cave and quarry. The cave will be open for sport trips after the cleanup.
NSS Convention - July 1-5, 2024
Annual NSS gathering, this time returning to Sewanee, TN.
CaveSim is coming to Virginia - July 6-14, 2024
CaveSim, the "amazingly realistic" mobile cave that teaches kids of all ages about caves, will be making stops throughout Virginia this week. Come by to join in the fun, or to volunteer.
OTR - Elkins, WV, Usual Bat Time!
Same bat time, same bat channel. This year's theme is CAVING.
OCR - Elkins, WV, September 20-22, 2024!
The Eastern Region, National Cave Rescue Commission (ER-NCRC) is pleased to announce an Orientation to Cave Rescue (OCR) September 20-22 in Elkins, WV. Classes will be held at the Elkins Fire Department and camping will be at the Old Timers Reunion site in Dailey. NCRC thanks the Elkins FD and The Robertson Association (TRA) for their hospitality.
Fall VAR - September 26-29, 2024
Hosted by Out of Bounds Grotto at Hungry Mother Lutheran Camp, Marion, VA. Information is just starting to trickle out...
Need a Program for your Grotto's Virtual Meeting?
Since many grottoes are still having virtual or hybrid meetings, video programs can be a challenge due to bandwidth limitations. Several VAR members have been active converting the old NSS slide shows to PowerPoint and PDF format. Twenty-nine programs have already been converted, with more on the way. Feel free to download and use for your grotto's meeting! There is no rental charge, as there was with the physical slides.
Has your grotto been doing conservation?
If your grotto has been involved in any cave/karst conservation projects within last 6 months, please send anything from a 1-liner to a full report including the following info: Who, What, When, and Where to VAR Conservation chair Janet Tinkham at janete at shentel dot net for ouro annual conservation summary. Your input is valuable for reporting... and letting the caving community know what we've been involved in AND a sharing of resouces! Thanks!
Photo Banner Credits
A huge Thank You to Nikki Fox for kindly providing the VAR caving images used in our rotating header!!!
