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SERA Map Salon Results

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2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

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 Aulenbach
https://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

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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 Aulenbach
https://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)

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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.htm
https://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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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


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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.

 

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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

 

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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


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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


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2011 SERA Map Salon

 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

 

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2010 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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2009 SERA Map Salon

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

 


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2008 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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2007 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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2006 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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2005 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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2004 SERA Map Salon

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 Rogers

 

Merit

Howard Collins Cave, Putnum Co., TN

Mike Rogers

 

Merit

Runa Rift, Bedford Co., TN

Brian Roebuck

 

Merit

 

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2003 SERA Map Salon

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 Moltz 

 

Merit

Hurt Tree Pit, Jackson Co, AL

David Cole 

 

Merit

Lord Milo Cave, Chatooga Co, GA 

Tom Moltz 

 

Merit

 

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2002 SERA Map Salon

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.

 

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2001 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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2000 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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1999 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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1998 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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1997 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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1996 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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1995 SERA Map Salon

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

 

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