KWI Conduit

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Volume VIII, Number 1

Spring 2000

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Dave Culver

The Karst Waters Institute and Board concluded its 9th annual meeting.  The highlight of the weekend was the second annual karst awards banquet, held at Claymont Court, a splended early nineteenth century mansion near Charles Town, West Virginia.  This year's recipient was Professor Jill Yager of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.  One of the world's best cave divers, Jill discovered a new class of crustaceans called remipedes, probably the most primitive crustaceans known.  She joins the distinguished company of Professor Derek Ford of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, last year's recipient.  There will be a third karst awards banquet next March.  It will also mark our tenth anniversary.  Details will be available soon.

The Board authorized the creation of a Center for Subterranean Biodiversity, with some start up funds.  The purpose of the Center will be to assemble, disseminate, and interpret geographic information on biodiversity in subterranean habitats, both in the U.S. and worldwide.  Its first "product" is the list of all cave-limited species in the United States and Canada, for each state, county, and province.  It is available on the KWI website. Additional projects include a web-published key to species which is being developed by Dan Fong, and a more detailed data set on distribution is being prepared by Dave Culver.  The Cave Conservancy of the Virginias, several state Natural Heritage programs, and the Association for Biological Information are being approached about possibilities for support.

In a related matter, the Board re-authorized the KWI Annual List of Ten Endangered Ecosystems.  This will also be part of the Center for Subterranean Biodiversity.  Chris Belson is sprearheading this project. Finally, there is some preliminary planning for a possible meeting/workshop on mapping subterranean biodiversity, to be held in summer or fall of 2001.

Plans are proceeding for a meeting on Florida karst to be held in the early spring of 2002.  Under the direction of board members John Mylroie and Horton Hobbs, this meeting will bring together geologists and biologists with a special interest in the endangered Florida karst, as well as others with an interest in young carbonate aquifers.

There was also considerable discussion at the institute meeting about the possibility and desirability of publishing a set of annotated papers that represent the benchmark papers in karst science.  Tentatively titled "Benchmarks in Karst Science:  1950-2000", Will White and Dave Culver are developing a preliminary list in conjunction with Ira Sasowsky, who heads up the Communications Department for KWI.

These and other ongoing projects promise to make this an exciting year for KWI.
 

Best Wishes,
Dave Culver
President, Karst Waters Institute

KWI Conduit
(c) 2000 Karst Waters Institute