Draft Schedule
Opening Segment
| Time | Presentation | Duration | Status | Abstract Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | Welcome, Introductions & Agenda Aaron Bird & Matt Selig, Session Co-Chairs |
5 min | Confirmed | — |
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| 9:05 AM | Regional Geology and GIS Overview Rai Bosch |
10 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 9:15 AM | Ohio Cave Survey — State Overview Ohio Frank Vlchek |
10 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 9:25 AM | Indiana Cave Survey — State Overview Indiana Dave Everton |
10 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 9:35 AM | Kentucky Speleological Survey — State Overview Kentucky Stephanie Suen |
10 min | Confirmed | Yes |
Morning Exploration
| Time | Presentation | Duration | Status | Abstract Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:45 AM | Exploring Courtesy Cave and the Cave Systems of Central Ohio's Scioto River Corridor Ohio Ryan Braga |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 10:05 AM | Caves of Edwards Mountain & Wayne County Kentucky Lee Florea & Chris Bauer Including Spelunger Cave |
40 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 10:45 AM | 10 minute break | 10 min | ||
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| 10:55 AM | Modern Exploration in Big Bat Cave Kentucky Adam Hjermenrud |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 11:15 AM | Pless Cave Exploration & Mapping Indiana Dave Everton |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 11:35 PM | James Cave, The Cave, The Exploration Kentucky Charlie Bishop |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 12:00 PM | Lunch Break | 45 min | ||
Afternoon Exploration
| Time | Presentation | Duration | Status | Abstract Received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:55 PM | Welcome Back & Afternoon Schedule Aaron Bird & Matt Selig |
5 min | Confirmed | — |
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| 1:00 PM | Big Bat Cave — A Brief History of Exploration Kentucky Ken Bailey |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 1:20 PM | Sandstone Caves in Northeast Ohio Ohio Frank Vlchek |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 1:40 PM | Great Caves, Great Survey Projects in Rockcastle County, KY Kentucky Mary Gratsch |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 2:00 PM | 10 minute break | 10 min | ||
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| 2:10 PM | Twenty Kentucky Caves That Might Be Bigger Than Mammoth Kentucky Catherine Bishop |
40 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 2:50 PM | Fisher Ridge Cave System Project 2023–2026 Update Kentucky Sean Lewis / Ben Tobin |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 3:10 PM | Roppel Cave Kentucky Jim Borden, Holly McClintock &/or Matt Mezydlo |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 3:30 PM | History of Cave Exploration in Wayne Co., KY Kentucky Janeen Sharpshair and Harry Goepel |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 3:50 PM | Cedar Grove Cave — Discovery of a Virgin Cave Kentucky Gary O'Dell |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 4:10 PM | Whigpistle Cave Project Update 2026 Kentucky Joel Despain, Niles Lathrop & Pat Kambesis |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
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| 4:30 PM | Cave Mapping and Inventory of a Significant KY National Forest Kentucky Stephanie Suen Greater Cincinnati Grotto · Daniel Boone National Forest partnership |
20 min | Confirmed | Yes |
Between-Presentation Transition Slides
- Project name and representative image
- Large QR code linking to additional project resources
- The team's "ask" — contributors and skills needed
- Contact information
- Non-presenting projects may also submit a slide
Abstracts
Regional Geology and GIS Overview
This presentation covers the cave-forming geology of the Ohio Valley Region and provides a geographic overview of cave distribution across Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio — setting the stage for the exploration stories to follow throughout the day.
Ohio Cave Survey — State Overview
Ohio isn't known as a big cave state, but there's more going on underground than most people realize. This presentation will give a quick overview of caves in the state of Ohio, a brief history of the Ohio Cave Survey, and what the survey is currently doing.
Indiana Cave Survey — State Overview
A brief overview of caves in Indiana, the history of the Indiana Cave Survey, and what the survey is currently working on.
Kentucky Speleological Survey — State Overview
The Kentucky Speleological Survey (KSS) is an organization dedicated to the study of cave and karst resources throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky. With over 5,100 known caves in the state and many more being discovered every year, organizing data on these resources is critically important. Through the development of the Planarian archiving tool, the KSS has led the way in digital tools for cataloguing cave and karst information.
Exploring Courtesy Cave and the Cave Systems of Central Ohio's Scioto River Corridor
Central Ohio is not typically regarded as prime karst territory, yet the Scioto River corridor harbors a collection of caves carved into the region's limestone. Among them, Courtesy Cave stands out — both in passage development and the exploration it inspired. This presentation covers the history of exploration at Courtesy Cave, from fragmented early accounts to methodical modern survey, and places it in the context of the broader cave systems along the Scioto corridor that collectively speak to the karst potential of a region often overlooked by the caving community.
Caves of Edwards Mountain & Wayne County
Cave exploration in Wayne County, Kentucky since the 1960s have revealed world- class caves. The current generation of cavers, starting with the survey of Grayson Gunnar Cave in 2002-2008, has unveiled important caves and transformational science. Many classic caves in the region have been resurveyed, such as in Triple-S and Blowing caves. In addition, more than 45 miles of new passages have been discovered, including major discoveries in Shearer Valley, Redmond Creek, Rice Hollow, Jennings Hollow, and Dry Hollow. Technical advancements in single rope techniques and the adoption of European style rigging methods have made otherwise unexplored passages accessible. In this way, cave explorers and scientists continue to uncover and map amazing caves, including Edwards Mountain where we feature the exploration of 10.1 km of passage in Spelunger Cave, located in an anticline and along a fault, that may become the deepest cave in Kentucky. At nearby Sulfur Mountain, we feature the exploration of 16.3 km in Bowman’s Pit and its connection to Skert Well. Finally, we describe our initial efforts in Disappointment Chasm and Procrastination Pit, which, like many legacy leads in Wayne County, have enormous potential for connection and expansion.
Modern Exploration in Big Bat Cave
Since the first surveys in 1966, participation and interest in the survey of Big Bat Cave has ebbed and flowed. This presentation explores the leaps and bounds of progress made by dedicated cavers over the last half decade.
Pless Cave Exploration & Mapping
Pless Cave near Bedford, Indiana was mapped to 2.7 miles by the Mid Illinois Grotto in the 1960s, then largely set aside. Recent exploration has added more than 6,000 feet of new passage — most of it surveyed in 2025 — and has raised the exciting possibility of a connection to nearby Blue Spring Cave, one of Indiana's longest at nearly 21 mapped miles.
James Cave, The Cave, The Exploration
James Cave is located in Edmonson County, Kentucky a few miles south of Mammoth Cave. The cave is an anomaly in the region due to its location and complexity. Formed in Bald Knob at the southern edge of the Dripping Springs Escarpment, the cave's passage density is significantly higher than in other caves in the region. There are 10.5 miles of surveyed passage under approximately 30 acres, developed on five levels and both horizontally and vertically complex. Exploration by organized cavers began in the early 1950s, was very intense in the 1960s and 1970s, and continues at present. During the 70 years since exploration began, cavers have had to adapt to the concerns and requirements of five different property owners, while cave surveying and mapping techniques have evolved exponentially. This presentation will focus on a description of James Cave and the years from 1955 to 1985.
Big Bat Cave — A Brief History of Exploration
Big Bat Cave in Breckinridge County, Kentucky ranks among the longest caves in the United States at nearly 17 miles of mapped passage. Exploration by organized cavers began in the late 1950s through a chance encounter at a country store, and has continued ever since through the Kentucky Cave Survey, the University of Louisville, and generations of dedicated cavers. This presentation tells the story of how Big Bat was found, who explored it, and how the Kentucky Karst Conservancy was formed to purchase and protect the Mushroom Entrance — ensuring the cave remains open to cavers for generations to come.
Sandstone Caves in Northeast Ohio
The state of Ohio can be divided almost in half between limestone bedrock and sandstone. This presentation will give a brief discussion on the different ways Sharon Conglomerate sandstone caves develop and how these caves have been located. This will be followed by recent discoveries and surveys from the last couple of years.
Great Caves, Great Survey Projects in Rockcastle County, KY
Many of the large cave systems in Rockcastle County, Kentucky were explored and surveyed in the 1960s and 1970s. By today's standards the maps are primitive, yet these caves — Pine Hill, Smokehole, Mullin Springs, Marler Hollow, and Roundstone — contain trunk passages, large galleries, active streams, and real potential for virgin cave. This presentation will revisit those early survey efforts, including the equipment and techniques of the era, and will display the original maps. The goal: to stir interest in resurveying these significant but overlooked systems.
Twenty Kentucky Caves That Might Be Bigger Than Mammoth
Kentucky has lots of caves, and hundreds — maybe thousands — in the Bluegrass region, on the Cumberland Plateau, and along the Pine Hill Thrust Fault have not been fully explored or even located. It's unlikely that any of these caves can rival Mammoth Cave in length, but no one knows for certain. Each Kentucky cave explored and surveyed by Blue Grass Grotto members has a unique feature, a fascinating legend, or an interesting story. As part of Kentucky's culture, these tales should be shared.
Fisher Ridge Cave System Project 2023–2026 Update
This presentation gives an update on exploration and survey in the Fisher Ridge Cave System over the last few years. New discoveries include a borehole breakout in the eastern frontier of Fisher Ridge leading to approximately a mile of new passage, along with a significant rescue in that area. Additional work includes mopup trips in Northtown Ridge and ongoing exploration and cartography in Vinegar Ridge Cave — which is within sound connection of Fisher Ridge but remains unconnected. Vinegar Ridge is now safer to access and continues to yield new findings.
Roppel Cave
Roppel, with nearly 100 miles of surveyed cave passages, is a very significant part of the Mammoth Cave System. While connected to the other caves of the system, Roppel has a distinct character in many ways from passage morphology to its history of exploration. In this presentation, recent exploration efforts will be highlighted including opportunities for future discoveries.
History of Cave Exploration in Wayne Co., KY
Wayne County, Kentucky is home to significant cave systems — including Grayson Gunnar Cave, Redmond Creek, Spelunger and Bowman's Cave — all on private land. This presentation tells the story of how a dedicated group of cavers built the landowner relationships that made access possible, and honors those who led the way and made it all happen.
Cedar Grove Cave — Discovery of a Virgin Cave
Cedar Grove Cave in Rockcastle County, Kentucky had never been entered by human hands — from prehistoric times to the present — until Gary O'Dell discovered it in 1985. This presentation tells the story of that discovery and the exploration that followed, offering a rare glimpse into what it means to be the first person to set foot in a place that existed in complete isolation for thousands of years.
Whigpistle Cave Project Update 2026
The Whigpistle Cave Project is in its 21st year with exploration and discovery taking place all over this large and growing central Kentucky cave system, which now has more than 43 miles of mapped length. Trips are often long, vertical, and wet, with both weekend local caver trips and annual expeditions drawing cavers from across the country. Recent highlights include a climb by Bram Lovelace leading to an extensive upper level with no ends in sight, new surveys in the Jackpot Cave section mapping 4,500 feet of large passage, and the Hennion family actively quarrying a new entrance into the remote Martin Ridge section of the cave. Many climbs, blowing digs, and open leads remain.
Cave Mapping and Inventory of a Significant KY National Forest
The Greater Cincinnati Grotto formed a partnership with the US Fish & Wildlife Services and Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife for an agreement and operational procedures to document, survey & inventory caves, and nominate significant caves. This project is an ongoing successful model for how cavers can work together with land management groups to achieve mutual objectives and has also been a great training ground for cavers who are new and interested in learning techniques for surveying caves.