Southeastern Regional Association of the National Speleological Society
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SERA Map Salon Results
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Results of the 30th Annual SERA Map Salon The 30th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Nashville Grotto and held at the Warner Park Nature Center in Nashville, TN. The goal of the map salon is to encourage and improve mapping of SERA caves by: (1) providing a venue to display maps and view other cartographers maps and techniques, (2) providing an incentive through healthy competition, and (3) providing critiques to improve cartographic skills and techniques. The salon uses the same judging criteria as the NSS Cartography Salon and the critiques give the cartographers an opportunity to improve their maps before entering them at the NSS Convention. There was great participation this year with ten maps entered for competition, representing the work of seven different cartographers and caves from three states: Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee. Maps were judged in two categories, vertical caves and horizontal caves, with five maps in each category. The quality of maps was very high with all maps showing great floor and profile detail and many maps incorporating advanced techniques! Seven maps received awards. In the vertical caves category: Merit awards (for achieving a high level of quality) went to Dane Garreau for Graham Spring Cave, Jackson County, Alabama and to Warren Wyatt for Journey to the Center of the Earth, Cumberland County, Tennessee. Second place went to Jon Zetterberg for Aberration Chamber, Dekalb County, Tennessee. First place went to Dane Garreau for Severed Well, Jackson County, Alabama. In the horizontal caves category: Second Place went to Zeke McKee for Cave of Caerbannog, Van Buren County, Tennessee. First place and Best of Show went to Ryan Hoffman for Lidar Lead 12 Cave, Jackson County, Florida. In the new cartographer category: First place went to Jesse Bucher for Pleasant Surprise Cave, Jackson County, Alabama (also in horizontal cave category) Other map entries included: Kelly Saltpetre Cave, Cumberland County, Tennessee by Warren Wyatt (horizontal cave category) Damrau Cave, Morgan County, Alabama by Becky Williams (vertical cave and new cartographer categories) Splashflash Cave, Franklin County, Tennessee by Jesse Bucher (horizontal cave and new cartographer categories) Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps! Thanks goes to the five judges who put a lot of time and effort into critiquing the maps. Judging the horizontal caves category were Nancy Aulenbach, Ashley Irons, and Brent Aulenbach. Judging of the vertical caves category were Cole Collins, Zeke McKee, and Brent Aulenbach. Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year! Get drafting! -Brent Aulenbachhttps://sera.caves.org/MapSalon.htm
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Severed Well, Jackson County, Alabama
Dane Garreau
Vertical First Place and Best of Show
Aberration Chamber, Dekalb County, Tennessee
Jon Zetterberg
Vertical Second Place
Graham Spring Cave, Jackson County, Alabama
Dane Garreau
Vertical Merit Award
Journey to the Center of the Earth, Cumberland County, Tennessee
Warren Wyatt
Vertical Merit Award
Lidar Lead 12 Cave, Jackson County, Florida
Ryan Hoffman
Horizntal First Place
Lidar Lead 12 Cave, Jackson County, Florida
Ryan Hoffman
Horizntal First Place and Best of Show
Cave of Caerbannog, Van Buren County, Tennessee
Zeke McKee
Horizntal Second Place
Pleasant Surprise Cave, Jackson County, Alabama
Jesse Bucher
New Cartographer (Horizontal) First Place
2023 SERA Map Salon The 29 th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 18 th , 2023 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Huntsville Grotto and held at the National Speleological Society Headquarters in Huntsville, AL. The goal of the map salon is to encourage and improve mapping of SERA caves by: (1) providing a venue to display maps and view other cartographers maps and techniques, (2) providing an incentive through healthy competition, and (3) providing critiques to improve cartographic skills and techniques. The salon uses the same judging criteria as the NSS cartography salon and the critiques give the cartographers an opportunity to improve their maps before entering in NSS Convention Cartography Salon. There was great participation this year with 12 maps entered for competition, representing the work of six different cartographers and caves from three states: Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. One map was entered for show. Maps were judged in two categories, seven in the short caves category and five in the long caves category. The quality of maps was very high with all maps containing great detail. Eight of the 12 maps received awards. In the short caves category: A Merit award (for achieving a high level of quality) went to Josh Brewer for Secret Passage Cave, Bibb County, Alabama. Second place went to Zeke McKee for Broken Rib Cave, Van Buren County, Tennessee. First place went to Zeke McKee for Hoover Hole, Warren County, Tennessee. In the long caves category: Merit awards went to Dane Garreau for Riddle Cave, Morgan County, Alabama; Derek Nash for Lick Spring Cave, Sumner County, Tennessee; and to Jon Zetterberg for Goat Cave, Walker County, Georgia. Second Place went to Dane Garreau for Ravens Brook Cave, Jackson County, Alabama. First place and Best of Show went to Zeke McKee for Real American Heros Cave, Putnam County, Tennessee. Other map entries included: The Pocket Jewel, Walker County, Georgia by Jon Zetterberg Liberty Restaurant Cave, Alabama by Dave Hughes Dynamite 65 Cave, Alabama by Dave Hughes Jessicas Cave, Alabama by Dave Hughes (for show only) Vision Pit, Alabama by Dave Hughes Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps! Thanks goes to the six judges who put a lot of effort into critiquing the maps. Judging the short caves category were Martha Bryant, Chrissy Richards, and Becky Williams. Judging of the long caves category were Dave Hughes, Mark Ostrander, and Julie Schenck-Brown. Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year! Get drafting! -Brent Aulenbachhttps://sera.caves.org/MapSalon.htm
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Real American Heros Cave, Putnam County, TN.
Zeke McKee
Long First Place and Best of Show
Ravens Brook Cave, Jackson County, AL.
Dane Garreau
Long Second Place
Riddle Cave, Morgan County, AL.
Dane Garreau
Long Merit
Lick Spring Cave, Sumner County, TN.
Derek Nash
Long Merit
Goat Cave, Walker County, GA.
Jon Zetterberg
Long Merit
Hoover Hole, Warren County, TN.
Zeke McKee
Short First Place
Broken Rib Cave, Van Buren County, TN.
Zeke McKee
Short Second Place
Secret Passage Cave, Bibb County, AL.
Josh Brewer
Short Merit(for achieving a high level of quality)
2022 SERA Map Salon The 28th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 26th, 2022 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Georgia Speleological Survey at the Walker County Library, Lafayette, Georgia. The goal of the map salon is to encourage and improve mapping of SERA caves by: (1) providing a venue to display maps and view other cartographers maps and techniques, (2) providing an incentive through healthy competition, and (3) providing critiques to improve cartographic skills and techniques. The salon uses the same judging criteria as the NSS cartography salon and the critiques give the cartographers an opportunity to improve their maps before entering in NSS Convention Cartography Salon. There was great participation this year with 12 maps entered for competition, representing the work of seven different cartographers and caves from four states: Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Maps were judged in two categories, six in the short caves category and six in the long caves category. The quality of maps was very high with all maps containing great detail and included two underwater caves. Seven of the12 maps received awards. In the short caves category: A Merit award (for achieving a high level of quality) went to Ryan Hoffman for Bamboo Loft Cave, Blount Co., AL. Second place went to Zeke Mckee for Rock Woman Cave, White Co., TN. First place went to Zeke Mckee for Hickory Nut Cave, White Co., TN. In the long cave category: Merit awards went to Jason Richards for Judges Cave and Bone Cave, Washington Co., FL and to Ryan Hoffman for Bamboo Cave, Blount Co. AL. Second Place went to Jason Richards for Hole In The Wall Cave, Jackson Co., FL. First place and Best of Show went to Josh Brewer for Bluegrass Cavern, Christian Co., KY. Other map entries included: Copeland Cave, Putnam Co., TN by Jon Zetterberg Hero Bucket Horror Hole, Cumberland County, TN by Warrant Wyatt Rainmaker Canyon, Jackson Co., AL by Dane Garreau Johnny Durham Cave, White Co., TN by Zeke McKee Bobby Halls Cave, Jackson Co., FL by Ryan Hoffman The map of Engle Double Pit Cave System, Jackson Co., AL by Richard Schreiber was displayed for show only. Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps! Thanks goes to the six judges. Judging the short caves category were Chrissy Richards, Jason Richards, and Jon Zetterberg. Judging of the long caves category were Kyle Lassiter, Warren Wyatt, and myself. Get drafting and looking forward to everyone's great maps next year! -Brent https://sera.caves.org/MapSalon.htmhttps://sera.caves.org/MapSalon.htm
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Bluegrass Cavern, Christian Co., KY.
Josh Brewer
Long First Place and Best of Show
Hole in the Wall Cave, Jqckson Co., FL.
Jason Richards
Long Second Place
Judges Cave and Bone Cave, Washington Co., FL.
Jason Richards
Long Merit
Bamboo Cave, Blount Co., AL.
Justin Hoffman
Long Merit
Hickory Nut Cave, White Co., TN.
Zeke McKee
Short First Place
Rock Woman Cave, White Co., TN.
Zeke McKee
Short Second Place
Bamboo Loft Cave, Blount Co., AL.
Ryan Hoffman
Short Merit(for achieving a high level of quality)
2021 SERA Map Salon The 27th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 20th, 2021 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the East Tennessee Grotto and held virtually on Zoom. Electronic versions of the maps were judged during the week leading up to the meeting. Meeting participants were given a link to download the maps from Dropbox for viewing. The goal of the map salon is to encourage and improve mapping of SERA caves by: (1) providing a venue to improve the visibility of cartographers work in the SERA region, (2) giving an opportunity to view other cartographers maps and techniques, (3) providing an incentive through healthy competition, and (4) providing critiques to improve cartographic skills and techniques. The salon uses the same judging criteria as the NSS cartography salons and the critiques give the cartographers an opportunity to improve their maps before entering in NSS Convention Cartography Salon. There was great participation this year with 13 maps entered for competition, representing the work of eight different cartographers with caves from five states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This is the first salon with an entry from Kentucky since SERA has allowed Kentucky Grottos to join the Region. Maps were judged in two categories, Seven in the short cave category and six in the long cave category. The quality of maps was very impressive with great detail and several ingenious approaches instituted to address areas with complex multilevel overlapping cave passages. Ten of the Thirteen maps received awards. In the short cave category, two maps received Merit awards for achieving a high level of quality: Rewarded Well, Jackson Co., AL, by Dane Garreau and Guzzle Cave, Knox Co, TN, by Kyle Lassiter. Third place went to Ryan Hoffman for Crow Flight Cave, Jackson Co., FL. Second place went to Ryan Hoffman for Field Island Cave, Jackson Co., FL. First place went to Ryan Hoffman for Chad Cave, Jackson Co., FL. In the long cave category, two maps received Merit awards: Keller Creek Cave, Franklin Co, TN, by Justin Huffman, and Austin Point Cave, Jackson Co, AL, by Jon Zetterberg. Third place went to Ed Klausner for Gypsy Cave, Dade Co., GA. Best of Show went to Josh Brewer for Cindy Cave, Cumberland Co., KY and to Kyle Lassiter for Gourdneck Cave, Marion Co., TN. These two maps scored very close to each other and showed great competence and effort, so it was decided to award two Best of Shows this year to these deserving maps.
Other map entries included: Tranquillity Cave, Overton Co., TN, by Justin Huffman (long caves category), The Fall of Barcelona Pit Cave, Dade Co., GA, by Elliot Stahl (short caves category), and Kotas Hideout Cave, Dade Co., GA by Elliot Stahl (short caves category). Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps! Thanks goes to the six judges. Judging the short caves category were Jon Zetterberg, Jay Manneschmidt, and Natalie Pheasant. Judging of the long caves category were Chuck Sutherland, Kelly Smallwood, and Brent Aulenbach. Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Cindy Cave, Cumberland Co., KY.
Josh Brewer
Long First Place and Best of Show (tie)
Gourdneck Cave, Marion Co., TN.
Kyle Lassiter
Long First Place and Best of Show (tie)
Gypsy Cave, Dade Co., GA.
Ed Klausner
Long Third Place
Keller Creek Cave, Franklin Co., TN.
Justin Huffman
Long Merit
Austin Point Cave, Jackson Co., AL.
Jon Zetterberg
Long Merit
Chad Cave, Jackson Co., FL.
Ryan Hoffman
Short First Place
Field Island Cave, Jackson Co., FL.
Ryan Hoffman
Short Second Place
Crow Flight Cave, Jackson Co., FL.
Ryan Hoffman
Short Third Place
Rewarded Well, Jackson Co., AL.
Dane Garreau
Short Merit
Guzzle Cave, Knox Co., TN.
Kyle Lassiter
Short Merit
2020 SERA Map Salon The 26th annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, February 22nd, 2020. The meeting was hosted by the Dogwood Grotto at the Bank of LaFayette Community Center, LaFayette, Georgia. The goals of the map salon are to encourage and improve the mapping of caves in the SERA region by (1) providing a venue for cartographers to display their maps, (2) give cartographers an opportunity to view other cartographers maps and techniques, (3) provide helpful critique, and (4) provide an incentive through healthy competition. There were four maps entered for competition by three cartographers. All the maps were from caves in Tennessee. Maps were judged in a single all caves category. All maps were of high quality and three maps received awards: A merit award went to Jon Zetterberg for Van Dykes Cave, Grundy Co., TN. (A merit award indicates that the map achieved a high level of proficiency while not receiving another award.) Second Place went to Warren Wyatt for Spade Hole, Putnam Co., TN. Best of Show went to Zeke McKee for Chism Chasm, White Co., TN. In addition to these maps, Warren Wyatt entered Beaty-Pickett Cave, Putnam Co., TN and Bill DeVan displayed a thick binder of draft pages of Zarathustra Cave, TN for show. Thanks to all the cartographers for their excellent maps! And thanks to the judges: Brent Aulenbach, Kyle Lassiter, and Chuck Sutherland. Looking forward to seeing many more great maps next year! Get mapping & drafting!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Chism Chasm, White Co., TN.
Zeke McKee
Open First Place and Best of Show
Spade Hole, Marion Co., TN.
Warren White
Open Second Place
Van Dykes Cave, Grundy Co., TN.
Jon Zetterberg
Open Merit
2019 SERA Map Salon The 25th annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, February 9th, 2019. The meeting was hosted by the Chattanooga Grotto at the Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center in Chattanooga, TN. The goals of the map salon are to encourage and improve the mapping of caves in the SERA region by (1) providing a venue for cartographers to display their maps, (2) give cartographers an opportunity to view other cartographers maps and techniques, (3) provide helpful critique, and (4) provide an incentive through healthy competition. There was a good participation this year with 12 maps entered for competition by five cartographers along with one map entered for show only. Maps included caves in Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida, including one mostly underwater cave. Maps were judged in three categories, Long Caves, Short Horizontal Caves, and Pits. All maps were of high quality and eight maps received awards: Two maps received a Merit Award for achieving a high level of proficiency; Peter Cave Cove Moonshine Cave, Marion Co., TN (Short horizontal caves category) by Kyle Lassiter and Birmingham Grotto 50th Anniversary Pit, AL (Pits category) by Dave Hughes. These caves deserve special recognition for having some of the longest cave names! In the Pits category, First Place went to Kyle Lassiter for Freight Hoppers Pit, Marion Co., TN. In the Short Horizontal Caves category: Second Place went to Ryan Hoffman for Maddachalk (Peacock Springs), Calhoun Co., FL. First Place went to Ryan Hoffman for Ant Farm Cave, Jackson Co., FL. In the Long Caves category: Third Place went to Zeke McKee for Delong Cave, Van Buren Co., TN. Second Place went to Jon Zetterberg for Haggard Cave, Marion Co., TN. First place and Best of Show went to Zeke McKee for Widowmaker Cave, Van Buren Co., TN (with contribution from Chuck Sutherland). A large draft map of Zarathustra Cave, TN was entered for show by Bill DeVan. Additional entries included Deer Rub Pit, AL, Hannahs Cave, AL, and Annas Gallery, AL, all by Dave Hughes, and Bat Mama Cave, Overton Co., TN by Kyle Lassiter. Thanks to all the cartographers for their excellent maps! And thanks to the judges: Brent Aulenbach, Kyle Lassiter, Rebecca McNabb, Natalie Pheasant, Chuck Sutherland, and Jon Zetterberg. Looking forward to lots more great maps next year! Get mapping & drafting!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Widomaker Cave, Van Buren Co., TN.
Zeke McKee
Long Caves First Place and Best of Show
Haggard Cave, Marion Co., TN.
Jon Zetterberg
Long Caves Second Place
Delong Cave, Van Buren Co., TN
Zeke McKee
Long Caves Third Place
Ant Farm Cave, Jackson Co., FL.
Ryan Hoffman
Short Horizontal Caves First Place
Maddachalk (Peacock Springs), Calhoun Co., FL.
Ryan Hoffman
Short Horizontal Caves Second Place
Peter Cave Cove Moonshine Cave, Marion Co., TN
Kyle Lassiter
Short Horizontal Caves Merit
Freight Hoppers Pit, Marion Co., TN.
Kyle Lassiter
Pits First Place
Birmingham Grotto 50th Anniversary Pit , AL.
Dave Hughes
Pits Merit
2018 SERA Map Salon The 24th annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, March 3rd, 2018. The meeting was hosted by the Central Alabama Grotto at the Dalton Moss Lodge Building at Palisades Park, Oneonta, Alabama. The goals of the map salon are to encourage and improve the mapping of caves in the SERA region by (1) providing a venue for cartographers to display their maps, (2) give cartographers an opportunity to view other cartographer's maps and techniques, (3) provide helpful critique, and (4) provide an incentive through healthy competition. There were four maps entered for competition this year by three cartographers along with one map entered for show only. Maps were judged in a single Open category. All four maps were of high quality and received awards: Two maps received a Merit Award for achieving a high level of proficiency; Hinch Mountain Happy Hole, Cumberland Co., TN by Warren Wyatt and Calfkiller Plunge, Putnam Co., TN by Zeke McKee. Second Place went to Zeke McKee for Briggs Cave, White Co., TN. Best of Show went to Jon Zetterberg for TTU Cave, Putnam Co., TN. The map “Caves of FKTAG - 2017†was entered for show by Chuck Sutherland and showed the distribution of caves throughout Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. Thanks to all the cartographers for their excellent maps! And thanks to the judges: Al Swain, Chuck Sutherland, and Gerald Moni. Looking forward to lots more great maps next year! Hopefully cavers mapping caves from states other than Tennessee will step their game! Get mapping & drafting!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
TTU Cave, Putnam Co., TN.
Jon Zetterberg
Open First Place and Best of Show
Briggs Cave, White Co., TN.
Zeke McKee
Open Second Place
Hinch Mountain Happy Hole, Cumberland Co., TN
Warren Wyatt
Open Merit
Calfkiller Plunge, Putnam Co., TN
Zeke McKee
Open Merit
2017 SERA Map Salon
The 23rd annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, March 11th, 2017 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Upper Cumberland Grotto in Buffalo Valley, Tennessee.
The goals of the map salon are to encourage and improve the mapping of caves in the SERA region by (1) providing a venue for cartographers to display their maps, (2) give cartographers an opportunity to view other cartographer’s maps and techniques, (3) provide helpful critique, and (4) provide an incentive through healthy competition.
There were eight maps entered for competition this year by six different cartographers representing caves from two states. All the maps were of very high quality. Maps were judged in two categories, new cartographers (4 maps) and experienced cartographers (4 maps). Five of the maps received awards.
In the experienced cartographer category:
Second Place went to Ken Oeser for Avant Cave, Dekalb Co., TN.
First Place went to Jason Hardy for Motlow Cave, Moore Co., TN.
In the new cartographer category:
Jon Zetterberg received a Merit Award (for achieving a high level of
proficiency) for Harambes Hideout Hole, Jackson Co., AL.
Second Place went to Cody Munday for Watertown Pit, Wilson Co., TN.
And First Place and Best of Show went to Zeke McKee for Merrybranch
Cave, TN.
The other fine entries included: Shoffner Cave, Bedford Co., TN by Brian
Roebuck; Blue Spring Cave, TTB Survey, White Co., TN by Zeke Mckee,
and; Godwin Cave, Maury Co., TN by Ken Oeser.
Thanks to all the cartographers for their excellent maps!
And thanks to the judges: Mendy Thomas Swain, Chuck Sutherland, and Brent
Aulenbach.
Looking forward to lots more great maps next year! Get mapping &
drafting!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Motlow Cave, Moore Co., TN.
Jason Hardy
Experienced First Place
Avant Cave, Dekalb Co., TN.
Ken Oeser
Experienced Second Place
MerrybranchCave, TN.
Zeke McKee
New Cartographer First Place and Best of Show
Watertown Pit, Wilson Co., TN.
Cody Munday
New Cartographer Second Place
Harambes Hideout Hole, Jackson Co., AL.
Jon Zetterberg
New Cartographer Merit
2016 SERA Map Salon
The 22nd annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, March 12th, 2016 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Smoky Mountain Grotto in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The goals of the map salon are to encourage and improve mapping of caves in the SERA region by (1) providing a venue for cartographers to display their maps, (2) give an opportunity to view other cartographer's maps and techniques, (3) provide helpful critique, and (4) provide an incentive through healthy competition.
There were seven maps entered for competition this year by four different cartographers representing caves from two states. All the maps were of very high quality and the top three maps were scored very close to each other. All maps were judged in a single category. Five of the maps were given awards:
Two maps received Merit Awards for achieving a high level of proficiency:
River Top Drop, Jackson Co., AL by Stephen Brewer
Only Used Once Pit, Marion Co., TN by Jason Hardy
Third Place went to Jason Hardy for Snowflake Pit, Franklin Co., TN.
Second Place went to Alan Grosse for Earth Day Cave, White Co., TN.
And Best of Show went to Ben Miller for Shiver Hole & Copena Skull Pit, Overton Co., TN.
The other fine entries included:
Goodman Salpetere Cave, Grundy Co., TN by Jason Hardy
Well Bat Well, Marion Co., TN, by Jason Hardy
Waterworks Cave, Marion Co., TN by Alan Grosse (For show only – map previously won award at NSS Cartography Salon so could not be entered in SERA Map Salon)
Thanks to all the cartographers for their excellent maps!
And thanks to the judges: Frank Bogle, Matt Thomlinson, and Brent Aulenbach.
Looking forward to lots more great maps next year! Get mapping & drafting!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Shiver Hole & Copena Skull Pit, Overton Co., TN.
Ben Miller
First Place and Best of Show
Earth Day Cave, White Co., TN.
Alan Grosse
Second Place
Snowflake Pit, Franklin Co., TN.
Jason Hardy
Third Place
River Top Drop, Jackson Co., AL
Stephen Brewer
Merit
Only Used Once Pit, Marion Co., TN
Jason Hardy
Merit
2015 SERA Map Salon
The 21st annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 21st, 2015 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Sewanee Mountain Grotto in Sewanee, Tennessee.
The goals of the map salon are to (1) encourage mapping of SERA caves, (2) provide a venue for cartographers to display their maps, (3) give an opportunity to view other cartographer's maps and techniques, and (4) provide an incentive for improving cartographic skills and techniques through critique and competition.
There was only one map entered for competition this year. Ravens Den Twins Pit Cave, Marion County, Tennessee (TMN103) by Josh Brewer. While the map was critiqued, awards were not given this year due to lack of competition.
Meanwhile, Ben Miller displayed about 50 maps for show. These maps were the fruition of the Deep Pit Assassins Squad project which is undertaking mapping of the deeper unmapped pits in TAG. Quite an impressive amount of productivity and very high quality and detailed maps!
Thanks goes to the judges: Jason Hardy, Nancy Lilly, and Brent Aulenbach.
Looking forward to (hopefully) lots more great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Ravens Den Twins Pit Cave, Marion County, Tennessee (TMN103)
Josh Brewer
None given due to lack of entries.
2014 SERA Map Salon
The 20th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 22nd, 2014 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Pigeon Mountain Grotto in LaFayette, Georgia. The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves, to provide a venue for
cartographers to display their maps, give an opportunity to view other
cartographer's maps and techniques, and to provide an incentive for
improving cartographic skills and techniques through critique and
competition. There were 5 maps entered for competition this year,
representing the work of two different cartographers with caves from two
different states (Tennessee & Georgia).
Maps were judged in a single category. Two of the five maps
received awards.
A Merit award (for achieving a high level of quality) went to Marty
Abercrombie for Crudlink Cave, Van Buren Co., TN (TVB 50).
And Best of Show went to Marty Abercrombie for Pryor Cave Spring, Marion
Co., TN (TMN 129).
Congratulations to Marty!
Thanks goes to the judges: John Klayer, Allen Padgett, and Ken
Pasternack.
Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Pryor Cave Spring, Marion
Co., TN (TMN 129)Marty Abercrombie
Best of Show
Crudlink Cave, Van Buren Co., TN (TVB 50)
Marty Abercrombie
Merit
2013 SERA Map Salon
The 19th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 16th, 2013
at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the
Nashville Grotto and held inside Cumberland Caverns near McMinville, TN.
The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves, to
provide a venue for cartographers to display their maps, give an
opportunity to view other cartographer's maps and techniques, and to
provide an incentive for improving cartographic skills and techniques
through critique and competition. There were 6 maps entered for
competition this year, representing the work of three different
cartographers with caves from two different states.
Maps were judged in a single category. Four of the six maps
received awards.
Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps!
Thanks goes to the judges: Marty Abercrombie, Jason Hardy, and Brent Aulenbach.
Thanks also goes to the Nashville Grotto and Don Hunter for help with
the setup and lighting inside the cave.
An informal meeting of cartographers at the meeting discussed rule changes for next year. In the interest of better preparing cartographers for the NSS Cartography Salon held annually at the NSS Convention, it was decided that the SERA Map Salon would adopt the judging forms and points used by NSS Salon. These are available here.
Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Deer Bone Pit, Marion Co., TN (TMN10)
Ben Miller
First Place and Best of Show
Mill Creek Pit, Putnam Co., TN (TPU75)
Ben Miller
Second Place
Ethan's Overlook, AL (AL karst feature 318)
Dave Hughes
Merit
Little Bitty Multi-Drop, AL (AL 4460)
Stephen Brewer
Merit
2012 SERA Map Salon
The 18th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 11th, 2012 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting, at Gunthersville Lake State Park, AL hosted by the Huntsville Grotto.
The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves, to provide a venue for cartographers to display their maps, give an opportunity to view other cartographer's maps and techniques, and to provide an incentive for improving cartographic skills and techniques through critique and competition. The map salon had good participation this year as there were 9 maps entered for competition along with 1 map entered for show only, representing the work of five different cartographers with caves from two different states.
Maps were judged in a single category. Five of the nine maps received awards.
Of special note was the bigger than wall-sized map of Blue Spring Cave, TN that Jason Richards displayed -- an impressive effort! Not often you get the opportunity to see such a huge map layer out.
Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps!
Thanks goes to the judges: Bill Walter, Jason Richards, and Brent Aulenbach.
Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Doodlebug Hole Blowing Cave, Jackson Co., AL (AJK195).
Jason Hardy
First Place and Best of Show
Solution Rift, Marion Co., TN (TMN42)
Julie Schenck Brown
Second Place
A Mazing Root Cave, White Co., TN (TWH508)
Don Hunter
Third Place
Cavle Cave, Warren Co., TN
(TWR310)Don Hunter
Merit
Zeta Pit, AL (A1479)
Dave Hughes
Merit
The 17th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, March 19th, 2011 at the SERA Winter Business Meeting, in LaFayette, Georgia hosted by the Georgia Speleological Survey.
The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves, to provide a venue for cartographers to display their maps and to provide an incentive for improving cartographic skills and techniques through critique and competition. The map salon had great participation this year as there were 15 maps entered for competition along with 1 map entered for show only, representing the work of six different cartographers with caves from all three TAG states.
Maps were divided into two categories, horizontal caves and pits/vertical caves. Because the maps this year were all of very good quality, the high level of quality to receive a Merit award was raised this year. It was very difficult to determine the awards this year. Six of the 15 maps received awards.
Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps!
Thanks goes to the judges: Allen Padgett, Marty Abercrombie, Brad Barker, ET Davis, and Brent Aulenbach.
Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Louis & Mark Cave, Marion Co., TN (TMN470)
Julie Schenck Brown
Pits/Vertical Caves
First Place
Wedixie Well, AL (AL4363)
Dave Hughes
Pits/Vertical Caves
Second Place
Speegle Tilted Tower Cave, Marion Co., TN (TMN461)
Julie Schenck Brown
Pits/Vertical Caves
Merit
Swell Well, Marion Co., TN (TMN346)
Jason Hardy
Pits/Vertical Caves
Merit
Dixie Drop, Madison Co, AL (AL4353)
Jason Hardy
Horizontal Caves
First Place and Best of Show
Martin Springs High Hole, Marion Co., TN (TMN22)
Jason Hardy
Horizontal Caves
Second Place
The 16th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 6th at the
SERA Winter Business Meeting, held in Guntersville, Alabama and hosted
by the Gadsden Grotto.
The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves and to
improve cartographic skills. There were 9 maps entered for competition this year.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Hytop Drop
Julie Schenck-Brown
Best of Show
Paul's Cave
Julie Schenck-Brown
Merit
Can Do Cave
Jason Hardy
Best New Cartographer
The 15th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, March 7th at the
SERA Winter Business Meeting, held in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and hosted
by the East Tennessee Grotto.
The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves and to
improve cartographic skills. There were 3 maps entered for competition
along with 2 maps entered for show only, representing the work of three
different cartographers with caves from all three TAG states and North
Carolina. All entered maps were put in an Open category.
All maps entered were of very good quality and ended up receiving
awards. Two maps received Merit awards -- as they reached the required
standard of high quality. Merit awards went to Julie Schenck Brown for
Bo's Cave, Jackson Co., AL (AJK 4273) and to Tom Moltz for Pettijohn's
Cave: Nervous Breakdown Room, Walker Co., GA (GWK 29). Best of Show went to Julie Schenck Brown for Horseshoe Bend Pit, Marion Co., TN (TMN 170). Congratulations to all the cartographers for your great maps!
Thanks goes to the judges: Brad Barker, GA, Joe Douglas, TN, and John
Hoffelt, TN.
Looking forward to everyone's great maps next year!
-Brent T. Aulenbach.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Bo's Cave, Jackson Co., AL (AJK 4273)
Julie Schenck Brown
Open
Merit
Pettijohn's Cave: Nervous Breakdown Room, Walker Co., GA (GWK 29)
Tom Moltz
Open
Merit
Horseshoe Bend Pit, Marion Co., TN (TMN 170)
Julie Schenck Brown
Open
Best of Show
Frick's Cave, Walker Co., GA (GWK14)
Brent Aulenbach
For Show Only
Bat Cave System: New Bat and New New Bat Sections, Rutherford Co, NC (RU 42)
Brent Aulenbach
For Show Only
The 14th annual SERA Map Salon was held on Saturday, February 16th at the SERA Winter Business Meeting, held in LaFayette, Georgia, and hosted by the Dogwood City Grotto.
The goal of the map salon is to encourage mapping of SERA caves and to improve cartographic skills. There were 7 maps entered for competition by four different cartographers representing caves from all three TAG states. Maps were separated into beginner and veteran cartographer categories. All the maps entered were of very good quality and most caves entered were about a mile long or longer in length.
Four of the 7 maps received awards. Merit awards went to maps that reached a certain standard of high quality.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Pen Fifteen Cave, Dade Co., GA
Johnny Prouty
Veterans
First/Best of Show
Welch-Blowing Cave, Putnam Co., TN
Jack Thomison
Veterans
First
Pen Fifteen Cave, Dade Co., GA
Johnny Prouty
Beginners
First
Bellamy Cave, Montgomery Co., TN
Ken Oeser
Veterans
Merit
Varnedoe Cave, Madison Co., AL
Julie Schenck Brown
Beginners
Merit
The 13th Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the 2007 SERA Winter Business Meeting. The meeting was hosted by the Chattanooga Grotto.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region. This is done by providing an outlet to display maps, view other cartographers maps, and get valuable critiques.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
New Cave, AL
Sharon Brewer
Novice
First Place
The 12th Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, February 18th, 2006 in Sewanee, TN. The meeting was hosted by the Central Alabama Grotto.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region. This is done by providing an outlet to display maps, view other cartographers maps, and get valuable critiques.
There were four maps entered in the salon by two different cartographers. Interestingly enough, all maps this year were from Walker County, Georgia.
There were not enough maps this year to have more than one category, so all maps were entered in the open category.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Little Frick's Cave, GA
Brent Aulenbach
Open
Best of Show
Lee Cave, GA
Tom Moltz
Open
Merit
Sadi-Gavin Pit, GA
Tom Moltz
Open
Merit
Lita's Lovely Line Lead, GA
Tom Moltz
Open
Merit
The 11th Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 19 Mar, 2005 at the Stevenson Church of Christ in Stevenson Alabama. The meeting was hosted by the Birmingham Grotto.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region and encourage cartographers by providing an outlet to display maps, view other cartographers maps, and get valuable critiques.
Thanks goes to the very qualified judges who took a lot of time and effort in judging the maps. Eric Crisp, Lynn Roebuck, and Gerald Moni.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Fox Hole AL
Brent Aulenbach
Best of Show
Garner Pit AL
Terry Ragon
Short Cave
Merit
Fractured Dome Passage, Pettijohn’s Cave, GA
Tom Moltz
Short Cave
Merit
Dead Dog Pit, GA
Tom Moltz
Short Cave
Merit
Sewanee Plunge, TN
Ryan Moran
Long Cave
Best Long Cave
Hubbles Post Office Cave, TN
Brian Roebuck
Long Cave
Merit
Great Expectations Cave, TN
Jack Thomison
Long Cave
Merit
The 10th Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 06 Feb, 2004 at the Best Western Tree City Motel in McMinnville Tennessee. The meeting was hosted by the Athens Speleological Society.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region and encourage cartographers by providing an outlet to display maps, view other cartographers maps, and get valuable critiques.
Thanks goes to the very qualified judges who took a lot of time and effort in judging the maps.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Blue Spring Cave, White Co., TN
Mike Rogers
Best of Show
Webb Cave, Overton Co., TN
Mike RogersMerit
Howard Collins Cave, Putnum Co., TN
Mike Rogers
Merit
Runa Rift, Bedford Co., TN
Brian Roebuck
Merit
The 9th Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 01 Mar, 2003 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center in Morristown, TN. The meeting was hosted by the Appalachian Grotto.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region and encourage cartographers by providing an outlet to display maps, view other cartographers maps, and get valuable critiques.
There were five maps entered in the salon of which one was for show. Four different cartographers entered maps in the salon. All the maps were of very good quality and all the cartographers should be proud of their maps. Because there were so few maps this year, all the maps were judged in one category. This is the first time all the maps entered received awards.
Thanks goes to the very qualified judges who took a lot of time and effort in judging the maps. The three judges were: Ken Oeser, Hendersonville, TN, Don Hunter, Athens, GA, and Brent Aulenbach, Lilburn, GA.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Glenns Hazardous Double Shot
Jackson Co, AL.Terry Ragon
Best of Show
Miss Ing Pit,
Walker Co, GA
Tom MoltzMerit
Hurt Tree Pit, Jackson Co, AL
David Cole
Merit
Lord Milo Cave, Chatooga Co, GA
Tom Moltz
Merit
The 8th Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 23 February, 2002 at Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee. The meeting was hosted by the Spencer Mountain Grotto.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region. This is done by providing an outlet to display maps, view other cartographers maps, and get valuable critiques.
There was a good turnout for the salon with fourteen maps entered in the salon of which two were for show. Seven different cartographers entered maps in the salon. All the maps were of very good quality and all the cartographers should be proud of their maps.
The maps were split into two categories, small caves (less than 500 feet long) and large caves (greater than 500 feet long).
The winner in the Short Caves category went to Terry Ragon for Meek Shall Inherit the Cave, Madison Co., AL. The best Long Caves and Best of Show went to Terry Ragon for Horseskull Cave, Jackson Co., AL. Four merit awards were also given to maps which were of a very high level of quality as determined by the judges scoring. Six of the twelve maps judged earned awards. The following is a list of maps entered in the map salon.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Not Dans Birthday Pit, Walker Co., GA (GWK532)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Windlass Cave, TN (TCD12)
Lee Towbridge
Long Caves
Southport Saltpeter Cave, TN
Andrew Porter
For Show Only
Wanamaker Cave, Grundy Co, TN (TGD27)
Hal Love
Long Caves
Merit
Falling Stone Cave, Walker Co., GA (GWK528)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Flowing Stone Cave, Walker Co., GA (GWK524)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Merit
Slip Slot Cave, Walker Co., GA (GWK526)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Meek Shall Inherit the Cave, Madison Co., AL (A3972)
Terry Ragon
Short Caves
Best Short Caves
Three Amigos Cave, Dade Co., GA (GDD512)
Brian Williamson
Long Caves
Merit
Horseskull Cave, Jackson Co., AL
Terry Ragon
Long Caves
Best Long Caves/Best of Show
Slimy Slot, Walker Co., GA (GWK529)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Broken Rib Pit, Walker Co., GA (GWK530)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Caves of the Snake Well Complex, Marion Co., TN
Brent Aulenbach
For Show Only
Chicken Slot Cave, Walker Co., GA (GWK531)
Tom Moltz
Short Caves
Merit
Thanks goes to the very qualified judges who took a lot of time and effort in judging the maps. The three judges were: John Hickman, Nashville, TN, Don Hunter, Athens, GA, and Brent Aulenbach, Atlanta, GA.
The Seventh Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 24 February, 2001. The business meeting was hosted by the Nashville Grotto in the Tiled Dining Room at Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin, TN.
There were eight maps entered in the salon this year by three different cartographers. Maps were divided into two categories for judging: long caves (>1000 feet long); and short caves.
The winner in the Long Caves category went to Jack Thomison for Milk Horror Hole, Putnam Co., TN. The best Short Caves and Best of Show went to Terry Ragon for Alabama Caverns, Jefferson Co., AL. Three merit awards were also given to maps which were of a very high level of quality as determined by the judges scoring. Fiveof the eight maps earned awards. The following is a list of maps entered in the map salon.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Milk Horror Hole, Putnam Co., TN
Jack Thomison
LongCaves
Best Long Caves
Poplar Hollow Cave, Summer Co., TN
Ken Oeser
LongCaves
Merit
Ruskin Cave, Dickson Co., TN
Ken Oeser
LongCaves
Alabama Caverns, Jefferson Co., AL
Terry Ragon
Short Caves
Best Short Caves/Best of Show
Bens Den, Monte Sano State Park, AL
Terry Ragon
Short Caves
Merit
Morgan Cove Caverns, Marshall Co., AL
Terry Ragon
Short Caves
Merit
Chamblee-Cheney Cave, Blount, Co., AL
Terry Ragon
Short Caves
Howard Cave, Summer Co., TN
Ken Oeser
LongCaves
Thanks goes to the three very qualified judges who took a lot of time and effort in judging the maps. The three judges were: Gerald Moni representing Tennessee who is the co-chair of the Tennessee Cave Survey, Joel Sneed representing Georigia who has been mapping caves in Georgia for many years, and Brent Aulenbach also representing Georgia who is an active TAG cartographer and past judge of the NSS cartography salon.
-Brent T. Aulenbach, 3/29/01
The Sixth Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 26 February, 2000. The business meeting was hosted by the Middle Georgia Grotto at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon, GA.
There were nine maps entered in the salon this year by six different cartographers. Maps were divided into two categories for judging: horizontal caves; and vertical caves. In addition, there were five maps submitted by new cartographers, and these maps were also entered in the new cartographer category.
The winner in the New Cartographer category went to Brad Long for Power Bar Pit, Dekalb Co., AL. The winner in the Vertical Caves category went to Jack Thomison for Beckoning Well, White Co., TN. The best Horizontal Caves and Best of Show went to Davis Farm Cave, Bartow Co., GA by Brent Aulenbach. Two merit awards were also given to maps which were of a very high level of quality as determined by the judges scoring. Five of the nine maps earned awards. The following is a list of maps entered in the map salon.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Power Bar Pit, Dekalb Co., AL
Brad Long
Vertical Caves/New Cartographer
Best New Cartographer
Dangling Legs Cave, Walker Co., GA
Tom Moltz
Horizontal Caves
Fountain Cave, Bedford Co., TN
Jeremy Hill
Horizontal Caves/ New Cartographer
Merit
Dead Dog Drop, Bedford Co, TN
Jeremy Hill
Horizontal Caves/ New Cartographer
Overlooked Pit, Dade Co., GA
Jerry Wallace
Vertical Caves
Merit
Rebel Dykes Cave, Bedford Co., TN
Jeremy Hill
Vertical Caves/New Cartographer
Beckoning Well, White Co., TN
Jack Thomison
Vertical Caves
Best Vertical Caves
Crypt of Terror Pit
Brad Long
Vertical Caves/New Cartographer
Davis Farm Cave, Bartow Co., GA
Brent Aulenbach
Horizontal Caves
Best Horizontal Caves/ Best of Show
Thanks goes to the three judges who spent a lot of time and effort judging the maps and had to make some difficult decisions. The three judges were: Chris Hudson representing Alabama who is on the board of the Alabama Cave Survey, Brian Williamson representing Georigia who is the editor of the Georgia Speleological Survey's Bulletin, and John Hickman representing Tennessee who is an active member of the Tennessee Cave Survey.
-Brent T. Aulenbach, 4/20/00
The Fifth Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 10 April, 1999. The business meeting was hosted by the Lost Mountain Cavers at the Etowah Foundations' Little School House in Cartersville, GA.
There were eight maps entered in the salon this year by six different cartographers. Maps were divided into two categories for judging: horizontal caves; and vertical caves.
Best map in the horizontal cave category is Billy Stone Cave, TN by Don Lance. The winner in the vertical cave category, and Best of Show went to Jerry Wallace for Throbbing Hum, GA. This map was an excellent map created with an artistic style. Four merit awards were also given to maps which were of a very high level of quality as determined by the judges scoring. Six of the eight maps earned awards. All the maps were of very good quality. The following is a list of maps entered in the map salon.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Sub Stream Cave, GA (GDD498)
Tom Moltz
Horizontal Caves
Billy Stone Cave, TN (TMR1)
Don Lance
Horizontal Caves
Best Horizontal Caves
Little Libby Cave, GA (GDD499)
Tom Moltz
Horizontal Caves
Merit
Steel Wheel Well, GA (GWK502)
Tom Moltz
Vertical Caves
Merit
Spooky Cave, GA (GWK494)
Brian Williamson
Horizontal Caves
Merit
Throbbing Hum, GA (GWK497)
Jerry Wallace
Vertical Caves
Best of Show/Best Vertical Caves
Lost Canyon Cave, GA (GDD438)
Dan Barnick
Vertical Caves
Kirchmeyer Cave, GA (GDD196)
Steve Capps/ Jerry Wallace
Horizontal Caves
Merit
The mission of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region. This is done by providing an outlet for one to display their maps and examine other maps. The judges critiques are also provided to participants to help improve their skills.
Many thanks goes to the judges. All spent a lot of time judging the maps and were very competent. The three judges were: Kenneth Huffines and Larry Blair, both representing Georgia, and Brian Roebuck representing Tennessee. There is an attempt to choose judges from different SERA states when possible.
For more information on the map salon, visit the SERA Map Salon web page at: http://www.sera.caves.org/MapSalon.htm or contact Brent Aulenbach, 2294 Marshes Glenn Drive, Norcross, GA 30071-3073, H:(770) 729-1839, Email: btaulenb@usgs.gov.
-Brent T. Aulenbach, 4/22/99
The Fourth Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 21 March, 1998. The business meeting was hosted by the Huntsville Grotto at the Peking Restaurant in Huntsville, AL.
There were five maps entered in the salon this year by three different cartographers. There was also one map entered for show only by Brent Aulenbach. because of the few maps entered, all maps were entered into one category. All maps were of high quality. Maps that did not get awards were very close to being awarded merit ribbons.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Award
Bradford Cave, Barstow Co, GA (GBT177)
Alan Cressler
Best of Show
Bull Cave, TN
Jack Thomison
Missing Evan Well, Walker Co, GA (GWK488)
Tom Moltz
Power House Cave, TN
Alan Cressler
Two Bridge Cave, Walker Co, GA (GWK490)
Tom Moltz
The judges were Cato Holler representing North Carolina who is the chair of the North Carolina and South Carolina Cave Surveys, John Hoffelt representing Tennessee who is an avid cartographer, and Richard Blackburn representing Georgia who is an active cave mapper in Georgia and other states.
The SERA Map Salon Committee did not meet to discuss rules.
Report by Brent T. Aulenbach
The Third Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 5 April, 1997. The business meeting was hosted by the Georgia Speleological Survey at the Windshape Center at Berry College, in Rome, GA.
Winners of the 1997 SERA Map Salon
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category
Award(s)
Twisted Oak Cave
Jerry Wallace
Short Caves
Best Small Caves
Piddling Pit
Jerry Wallace
Medium Caves
Best Medium Caves
Hickey Pot
Patricia Kambesis
Large Caves
Best of Show/ Best Large Caves
The Second Annual SERA Map Salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on Saturday, 13 April, 1996. The business meeting was hosted by the Flittermouse Grotto at the Marion Community Building in Marion, NC.
There were 16 maps entered in the salon this year by seven different cartographers. There was also one map entered for show only. There were more maps this year and all maps were of very good quality. Maps were divided into four categories for judging: small caves (horizontal, qualifier to 100' and pits, qualifier to 70'); medium sized caves (horizontal, 101' to 500' and pits, 71' to bottomless); large caves (horizontal, greater than 500' and multi-drops), and; new cartographers with less than two years of experience. Since only three maps were entered as new cartographers, maps in this category were also entered in the three other categories.
Best small cave was Catfish Cave by Carl Anderson. Best medium sized cave was Fairview Pit by Mike Rogers. Best of Show, which also was both best large cave and best new cartographer, was Walking Fern Pit by Andrew Porter. This was an excellent map, which was also his first effort. Six merit awards were also given to maps which were of a very high level of quality as determined by the judges. Nine of the 16 maps earned awards. All maps were very good. The following is a list of maps entered in the map salon.
Cave Name
Cartographer
Category(ies)
Award(s)
Bunny's Doom, Dade Co, GA (GDD440)
Jerry Wallace
Small Caves/New Cartographer
Catfish Cave, GA (GTE429)
Carl Anderson
Small Caves
Best Small Caves
George Smith Cave, Walker Co, GA (GWK416)
Brian Williamson
Small Caves*
Lenora Well, Dade Co, GA (GDD441)
Carl Anderson
Small Caves
Merit
Apocalypse Cave, Walker Co, GA (GWK476)
Brian Williamson
Medium Caves*
Merit
Bladed Groove, Dade Co, GA (GDD478)
Jerry Wallace
Medium Caves/ New Cartographer
Merit
Devil's Twin Den, GA (GDG422)
Brian Williamson
Medium Caves
Deyer's Cave, Walker Co, GA (GWK420)
Brian Williamson
Medium Caves*
Fairview Pit, TN (TWR49)
Mike Rogers
Medium Caves
Best Medium Caves
Margaret Smith Cave, Walker Co, GA (GWK417)
Brian Williamson
Medium Caves*
Kuykendall Cave, TN (TPU)
Dave Doolin
Large Caves
Lepidodendron Pit, TN (TFE38)
Mike Rogers
Large Caves
Merit
Rebel Cave, TN (TWR41)
Mike Rogers
Large Caves
Merit
Serendipity Pit, TN (TCD123)
Mike Rogers
Large Caves
Sir Lance-A-Slot, Jackson Co, AL (AJK3157)
Brent Aulenbach
Large Caves
Merit
Walking Fern Pit, Jackson Co, AL (AJK1598)
Andrew Porter
Large Caves/New Cartographer
Best of Show/ Best Large Caves/Best New Cartographer
*Electronically drafted. Not an award category.
The purpose of the map salon is to promote high quality mapping of caves in the SERA region. This is done by providing an outlet for one to display their maps and examine other's maps. The judges scoring forms are also provided to the participants at the end of the salon to help improve their skills. There is a separate category for new cartographers to encourage beginners. Merit awards are awarded to recognize all maps which reach a very high standard.
Many thanks goes to the judges. All were very competent and spent a good bit of time judging the maps. The three judges were: Laurie Adams representing North Carolina who has much cartography experience especially in Eastern Tennessee caves; Richard Blackburn representing Georgia who is active officiate of the Georgia Speleological Survey (GSS) and has mapped many Georgia caves; and Gerald Moni representing Tennessee who has been active in mapping from TAG to Mexico and is active officiate in the Tennessee Cave Survey (TCS). There is an attempt to choose judges from different SERA states. We were lucky this year to find a great mix of good judges at the morning of the meeting.
Thanks also goes to the Flittermouse Grotto for there help in setting up displays, with special thanks to Ray Morgan and John Baumgarten for building very nice display boards. Carl Anderson also deserves thanks for taking care of awards.
The map salon is run by a voluntary committee which meets once a year at the SERA Winter Business Meeting. If you are interested in becoming a member of the committee or entering a map, please come to the next SERA Winter Business Meeting with your maps.
Report by Brent T. Aulenbach
The first annual map salon was held at the SERA Winter Business Meeting on 3/11/95.
There were 5 entrants entering 10 maps into three categories. The map entered and awards received were:
Cave Name(s)
Cartographer(s)
Category(ies)
Award(s)
Bud's Valentine Cave, Franklin Co., TN
Brent Aulenbach
Small Caves
Best Small Caves
Hargrove Cave, TN
Dave Doolin
Small Caves
Indian Cave, Franklin Co, TN (TFR13)
Brent Aulenbach
Small Caves
Tag's Finest Pit
Mike Rogers
Small Caves
Merit
Big Hammer, TN
Mike Rogers
Large Caves
Merit
Hunters Well/Redemption Pit, TX*
Alan Cressler
Large Caves
Best of Show/ Best Large Caves
Willoughby Saltpeter Cave, Campbell Co, TN (TCM29)
Mike Rogers/Brent Aulenbach
Large Caves
Merit
Stinging Nettle, TN
Jack Thomison
Electronically Drafted
Vitreous Crawl, TN
Jack Thomison
Electronically Drafted
Merit
Westwing Caverns, TN
Jack Thomison
Electronically Drafted
Best Electronically Drafted
*It should be noted that as rules weren't posted before the salon all maps entered were judged. In '96 only maps from SERA will be judged.
Maps by Pat Kambesis, Carl Anderson, and Bruce Zerr were entered for display only, no judging.
Many thanks to the judges: Bruce Zerr (TN), Jerry Reeves (AL) and Carl Anderson (GA).
It was the general consensus that all of the maps entered were of excellent quality.It is hoped that more maps will be entered next year.
At the conclusion of the salon a SERA map salon committee was formed and agreed on the rules for next years salon.
Report by Carl "fuzzy" Anderson