Scintilena - English Version

Speleoklub Warszawski would like to cordially invite you to take part in the VIth International Cave Photography Contest in commemoration of Waldemar Burkacki. The Contest is open for amateurs and pros alike. We are looking forward to receiving your photos!

The winners will receive financial prizes
The deadline for submission of the pieces is September the 30th 2009.

The Statute and Contestant’s form can be found on the Contest website: www.speleo.waw.pl/konkurs

We also encourage you to see the photos from the previious editions of the Contest.

In case you have any doubts, please do not hesitate and contact us at: konkurs@speleo.waw.pl

Yours sincerely,

Adam Zozula
on behalf of the Contest Organising Comittee.

Dear Caving Friends, Chers Amis Spéléo,

The Bureau of the European Olympic Commitees in Brussels informed us that the EU Comission is launching a call for projects 2010-2011 in the 4 following areas of sport (Health, Education, Handicap, Women). This is the result of the work on the EU White book on sport in which the FSE has participated on the previous years. 16 projects will be selected for total amount of 4 millions euros. The projects must gather between 4 to 9 countries minimum. More About.. »

Attn. To all national speleological organisations in Europe /

Dear Caving Friends,

Following the great success that have been the EuroSpeleo Forum Icnussa 2009 in Sardinia with more than 1600 cavers coming from more than 10 European countries, we send you here attached the Call for proposal for the EuroSpeleo Forum for the year 2010, 2011 & 2012 (the 2010 Spanish project has been cancelled because of cancellation of public subsidies).

The deadlines are the following :
EuroSpeleo Forum 2010 : 20th of July 2009
EuroSpeleo Forum 2011 & 2012 : 20st of September 2009

Should you have any questions or remarks, please let us know,
Looking forward your applications for next EuroSpeleo Forum editions,
Kind Regards,

for the FSE Bureau,
Olivier Vidal
Secr.General FSE
contact@eurospeleo.org

Valencia, 10-12 July 2009

The next July in Valencia celebrate the First Iberian Meeting of Subterranean Biology gather prophessionals, (natutralists) and lovers of the caves and.

Biospeleologists and speleologists meeting to discuss about biodiversity and conservation of caves in the Karstic areas of Iberian Peninsula and Balearic, Canaries and Azores Island.

The meeting enclose a morning cycle of lectures of Valencian karst, the evolution of the karstic relief, the particular vegetation, the bats colonies and the ocupacion caves by the human being will be the topicts to speak about.

To the end, the organization invite to the participants to visit two emblematic caves of the valencian subterranen environment, the Avenc Ample (Vall d’Ebo) and the Somo cave (Castell de Castells) from the Alicante province.

More info: www.naturamuseo.org

Dear Caving Friends

As you might know, in 2008 seven speleological projects have asked a EuroSpeleo Projects (ESP) funding : expeditions, congresses, publications, protection and scientific projects. On this year 2009, we can help you fincancing your speleological project if it includes at least 5 European countries (members or not of the EU). For the moment the grants are between 100 to 500 euros, and they might be increased on the 2nd semester 2009.

And a great news is that we have negociated an official partnership with Beal ropes manufacturer that is starting today 1st of March. Now, every ESP projects will receive over the financial grant, a donation of 500 meters of More About.. »

Between December and January the Adriatic Society of Speleology in Trieste has completed some explorations in different branches from the ceiling of the Trebiciano Abyss. The flood of the Timavo has been used, with the water about fifty meters taller than the level usually, to reach them from the dinghies. On www.facciapienadilarve.it you can read the reports of the explorations, see the survey done, and a video.

News from Olivier Vidal 

Dear FriendsDespite the European cave protection declaration didn’t gather enough signatures to be presented as a law project at the EU Parliement, there has been a huge conscientization of the Euro-deputees about the protection of caves in Europe. For all the great job that has been done for the WD66, we would like to warmly congratulate Christiane Grebe and all the ECPC team, because with this project, Speleology has made a great step beyond among the European institutions. All the news about the WD66 are on :

http://www.cavedeclaration.eu/news.php

2009 will be also very active for the Cave Protection Commission of the FSE : The ECPC will held its official meeting during the Balkan Caver Camp 2009 from 24th-28th June near Antalia,Turkey. If you are interested to receive the news about it, please send an email to protection@eurospeleo.org

This year, the Commission is also developping new projects as the GIS project

(cf : http://fsue.ffspeleo.fr/forums/viewtopic.php?id=244 )

and the “European Cave Day”. More information are avaliable on :

http://www.zenas.gr/site/home/eng_detail.asp?iData=6318

ICS 2009 : More About.. »

We kindly remind you that it remains only 8 days for applying for the EuroSpeleo Forum 2009 (see email below).
2009 will be important since there will be a FSE general assembly also.

Call for application for the organization of EuroSpeleo Forums for 2009 and 2011
Appel à candidature pour l’organisation des EuroSpeleo Forums en 2009 et 2011

The European Speleological Federation (FSE) is calling every national speleological organisations in Europe (EU or non-EU member states) for the organisation of the next European meetings for 2009 and 2011 : the « EuroSpeleo Forum », a label, created in 2005, granted every year to a national caving meeting that would like to get a European dimension for that year (only). This multi-national event would be chosen for that year, as the « Meeting-Point » for every cavers in Europe. An exchange moment to meet and also work about FSE workgroups’ European projects.

NB1 : If your events includes European Films Festival (eventually including slideshows & 3D), you can mention the request of use of the FSE name “2nd EuroSpeleo Image’In” in your application.

NB2 : For the editions 2010 & 2011 only (or 2012), if your proposal would like to include the “8th European Expeditions Speleology Symposium” or the 2nd European Cave Protection Symposium (“EuroSpeleo Protection”), please include your request inside your request.

These events are important for the life of European speleology, and the development of the exchanges among European cavers. Some key points are essential : Friendliness, very reasonable prices, good organization, pre-event advertising, multi-languages, facilities for meetings inside, internet communication facilities, access and hosting facilities, etc. The national speleological organisations willing to apply for the organization of one or more of these events should send by email at contact@eurospeleo.org the 1-page application form here enclosed + an exhaustive proposal before the informed deadline indicatied on the following form. Please fell free to ask your questions by email.

Very Best Speleo Wishes

for the Bureau FSE,
Olivier Vidal
Secr. General FSE
contact.eurospeleo.org

Traslated - Claudia Rossetti
Yesterday morning has been installed into Oliero Springs (Valstagna, Vicenza province) a multichannel probe for continuous measurement of temperature, conductivity and water level in a project that involves besides the Speleological Club Proteo Vicenza also some other local groups : Valstagna, Sette Comuni e Schio, the Federazione Spelologica Veneta (which gave us the sponsorship), and some organization ,Province of Vicenza, which has funded the project, and Arpav.
It is a research project on groundwater circulating within the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni, aimed at the collection of important information on their dynamic and, above all, their vulnerability, especially since it comes to resources used for drinking water (currently being pumped toward Asiago neighboring centers to meet local water shortage).The value of water resources “karst water” of the Altopiano is even more important when considering that it is the only group of springs in the area of Valstagna having an overall average flood estimated at 15 mc/s.
The primary objective of the project is to know the paths of water inside the karst massive and mainly to evaluate the journey times of groundwater and then to understand how pollutants transfer within the water flood. Further purpose is to assess the possibility of determining the hydrodynamic and hydrochemical characteristics of the flood trough measurements of chemical and physical parameters of the water with the continuous monitoring of one of the two main springs (Covolo dei Veci).
It is also planned to trace the underground water, introducing the tracer in Ghelpach creek, somewhere westward of Asiago town; tinopal will be used as a tracer, while the laying places for the captors have been identified in some springs at the base of the plateau along the Valsugana and the Astico valley.

Luca Dal Molin
Club Speleologico Proteo Vicenza

Traslated by Elio Sbrocchi
On the web site www.puliamoilbuio.it the three days, that have seen the caving men employed to clear the caves, are available and are updating every moment.

The demonstration, promoted by the Italian Caving Society, was side deal with the widest of Legambiente’s Clear the World.