by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

From July 1-5, 1,200 cavers from across the United States and throughout the world will visit the Plateau for the 81st annual National Speleological Society Convention. Many will camp or stay in dorm rooms at St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School, ground zero for events ranging from rope climbing competitions to instructions on cave surveying. Others will lodge in local motels or rentals. Cavers will be on their own for meals, except for the celebration dinners on the first and last nights. “Cavers will eat in the restaurants, shop at the local stores, and stay in local accommodations,” said conference Chair Maureen Handler, veteran Sewanee area caver for more than 40 years and resident since 2002. “The convention has hired local caterers and encourages attendees to shop local. The economic impact could easily exceed $200,000.”

Tennessee hosted the convention three times previously, in Sewanee in 1989 and 1998 and in Cookeville in 2019, when Handler also served as chair. The 2024 NSS Convention Website toots the event “as the return to one of the premiere caving areas in the United States.” Known as TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia), the region is prized by cavers for its well-decorated caves with stunning karst formations and challenging caves accessible only by rappelling.

“My late husband and I moved to Sewanee in 2004 for the caves,” said 30-year caver Martha Mills, a third time NSS convention staff member and 12th time attendee. “Many people don’t realize caves vary from one area of the country to another. Cavers come to convention to attend workshops and sessions on cave conservation, exploration, and science, to socialize with other cavers and to explore the caves there.”

Handler described the NSS Convention as “summer camp for cavers.” There will be vertical rope climbing contests, a caver obstacle course, storytelling contest, a “Welcome Party” band and dancing; lectures on cave diving, cave geology, biology, and archeology, and caver culture; accounts of domestic and international cave exploration and expeditions; as well as workshops on vertical caving techniques, cave surveying, cave formation repair techniques, and cave photography. Onsite vendors will offer cave gear, cave related books, caver swag, and local rock specimens set in earrings and necklaces.

“The NSS is the largest caving organization in the world,” Handler said. “We are dedicated to the exploration and conservation of cave resources and to education about caves and the need to protect them in order to protect our groundwater resources.” The local cavers group the Sewanee Mountain Grotto has undertaken several cleanups of dumpsites where the watershed threatens fragile cave ecosystems. The Grotto’s service project, recycling aluminum cans from Caverns’ concerts, finances regional and national cave conservation and preservation efforts.

Sponsors for Convention 2024 include the Sewanee Mountain Grotto, area show caves, and the local businesses: Mooney’s Market and The Amish Hippie, with others expected to sign on. “We will be publishing these businesses in our social media and promoting them to our attendees,” Handler said.

A highlight of every convention is the Salon, a fine-arts showcase of cave ballads, cave maps, cartography, graphic arts, cave photography and cave videos. Scheduled for July 4 at the Caverns, at a 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. session, winners will be featured in a big-screen presentation. Admission is free. Request reservations at <https://caves.org/convention/2...;.

The NSS offers both weekly and daily convention registration for those who want to attend the events and lectures. Visit the website 2024 NSS Convention - National Speleological Society <https://caves.org/event/2024-n...; for details and a full events schedule. For those who just want to shop, email Handler at <NSS2024Chair@gmail.com>.

“You can learn about every aspect of caves, the science, caving skills, photography, and see caver friends from all over the country and all over the world,” said Sewanee area resident and veteran caver Anne Grindle. “I’ve attended 18 conventions and look forward to more!”