Got to do some biosurvey studies on a gorgeous property recently. It is nice to work with landowners who want to share their places, learn about the life and ecosystems they have, and work to properly maintain the ecology. Today they were also planting some native trees not seen around in recent years, and tackling invasive species. Caring for nature is bipartisan; keep fighting for our home, the Earth.
#ArtEveryDay is on tour for Cretan fieldwork. I'm enjoying painting little scenes from the week, although some are more rushed than others (and some more raki-affected than others).
For everyone in the world outside the US starting up the isolation process...remember how well that worked in the 1930's. It left tens of millions to die, turning back refugees sent them to their deaths, and fascism still came for their countries anyway. Isolation & abandonment is not a great policy. The world is even more globalized now than it was 100 years ago. The faster we realize we can rise or fall together, the better off everyone will be.
Politics can be complicated, but empathy is not. Empathy demands that we look at what is going on in all oppressed nations and peoples, and bear witness. And no one with empathy can then refuse to help. This is why empathy is being made to be the enemy. This is why individualism is being touted.
So. Let's all climb out of this pit now, and together, as the people of the Earth.
There is a cave which (was) accessed through a pipe culvert. Due to housing development, it is no longer there. It was a historic record site for cave crayfish and I think cave fish as well. The directions to where the culvert intercepts the cave are accurate, but the bottom of the pipe turns to stone, and it appears the cave was filled in.
This is obviously a horrible idea for many reasons - the selfish reason being "your house may literally cave in" as chucking limestone rock into a solution cave that is carving out limestone is obviously not going to work. In the nearby city there is a law against filling a cave because they learned quickly this is horrible structurally. But this is the county where no such regulations exist.
A classic example of how it may sound good in theory to have fewer regulations and oversight so you can "get shit done easier", but the reality is, regulations are there so you don't fuck shit up. Of course, if one also just ignores rules & regs and does whatever they want to whomever they want, we have a different kind of problem. 
I think I am going to get some stickers made. IYKYK. Don't spoil it in comments. Any interest? I'm trying to determine if I need to do a really low volume or if I should just go for 50 or something. I'd ask for $2-$3 which should cover cost + mailing. Vinyl, quality, 3" circle. Pls comment if interested so I have a decent way to get an idea of interest. Thanks!
Keep fighting for the Earth, it is our only home.
Caves are a space highly at risk, and many species in them can be "canaries in the coal mine". The water in them tells the tale of the surface above: pollution, fertilizer, pesticides, microplastics, and more. Too bad wealth doesn't trickle down like pollution into ecosystems. We should really swap those two...
Today went out to an Alabama cave preserve my husband manages and put up some new signs at the parking area then hiked around to look at the cave entrances. One entrance with a waterfall was really nice. There's a 400+ foot pit not too far inside. We ran into some guys who had just rappelled to the bottom and climbed back up. #Caving #Hiking
GIS Corps Is Looking To Help Phreatic With Remote Spatial Volunteers
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https://www.phreatic.org/ <-- shared home page
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https://www.giscorps.org/become-a-volunteer/ <-- shared link to volunteer with GIS Corps
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[want to be a part of some super interesting (remote) GIS volunteer work?!]
#GIS #spatial #mapping #volunteer #phreatic #explore #protect #seacaves #Sardinia #cave #caving #Phreatic #GISCorps #Italy #Supramonte #GulfofOrosei #model #3dmapping #environmental #speleology #hypogene #groundwater #waterresources #marine #marinecaves #coast #coastal
@GISCorps @Phreatic
Happy Valentine's Day from a gypsum heart in a cave.
Speaking of hearts, let's have some Real Talk! About hearts! Today I re-certified in CPR & First Aid. Did you know that socialized as female folk are far more likely to die from a heart attack / cardiac event than men? It's true! A large cause of this is due to the fact that symptoms are often not as-seen-on-TV; instead being brushed off as nausea, acid reflux, or indigestion. And what do we do when we feel ick? We go to the bathroom. So when we collapse, no one is around to see, much less administer CPR. So: check on your friends who disappear to the bathroom for a long time!
Sadly, there is also a huge disparity between races in survival as well. Not only does lack of medical access and environment & social factors mean there is higher risk (systematic racism), but overt racism also prevents bystanders from stepping in to help. Black & Latinx people suffer the most. (https://newsroom.heart.org/news/cardiovascular-health-risks-continue-to-grow-within-black-communities-action-needed)
CPR is not that difficult! It is more the mental challenge of being prepared to step in and help. If you can't get to a class (hands on with the training manikins is certainly recommended if you can!) still learn about it. All 50 states have Good Samaritan laws.
I personally know two people who are alive thanks to a normal everyday person knowing CPR, and intervening. This is community building, y'all! Take care of each other out there.
Some additional tips:
1. If someone has a medical emergency and you end up leading the way, always point and directly tell people what to do (ex: you in the blue shirt *pointing at them* call 911). If you just shout things, people will not jump into action. Be specific & direct.
2. Always check for a pulse on the same side you are kneeling on, you don't want to reach across their neck.
3. If there are enough people, direct folk not involved in helping to form a circle looking *out*. This gives some privacy, very important in these days of cell phone cameras and the fact that say, once the AED shows up, their chest will be made bare. Help protect the patient's privacy!
4. Good Samaritan laws generally have caveats such as never accept anything as a thank you (not even flowers, *nothing*) and stay with the person until someone of equal or greater training arrives. So if you say, start CPR then just get tired and stop with no one equal or higher taking over, then you are liable.
Seems I missed #WomenInSTEM day. Let's support each other, okay? Diversity is our strength.
No big deal, just out here finding new locales and new species all the time...but sure, fuck over our funding. If we don't know they exist we don't have to worry about protecting them, duuuuuh.
(This pseudoscorpion today was quite the surprise! Identification TBD.)
Into the Depths
We descended into the abyss by abseiling down before crawling 200 meters through mud to reach the fossil gallery, a silent witness to an ancient underground river. The slow dance of time has sculpted these breathtaking draperies.
The Jonquilles stands among the most decorated caves in the region, testament to the relentless work of water and minerals over millennia. Unfortunately, the active section was too flooded to continue
Nikon Z6 | 14-24mm | 5s | f/8 | ISO100
@sunguramy This is brilliant, as usual.
On a tangent: I've done most of my caving in the UK and France, and the scene is about 100% white (including me). I don't know if this is just a reflection of the demographics of the local (rural) area where the caves are or what. I have no idea how things look like at the uni / big city clubs.
Black Adventure Crew goes caving! Good start for #BlackHistoryMonth - making new memories :)
I approached this group about caving what now feels like a lifetime ago...an outdoor group focused on getting Black and Brown people outside into nature. They were interested in trying it, and now they do trips every year.
While it sucks that DEI is getting canned federally and in some states (why trying to equally include everyone is a bad thing I'll never understand), that doesn't mean we as individuals can't pick up the slack. There are so many stories from folk who say their white friends just never ask them to join for xyz activity...so check yourself. Ask your friends to join you. If you don't have diverse friendships, ask yourself why that is. Then go forth and foster community!
I randomly came across this video in my archives...I miss caving with these two that you hear singing! People get older, they move away, they stop caving...I should teach my current cave crew this song, I just find it hauntingly beautiful.
They made it up on the spot, how is that for talent!? I was just climbing along and all of a sudden heard them singing below...I asked them to sing again after I got my camera out to record it!
Looking forward to presenting about the Ashley Caves Project in Vernal, #Utah next week. #caves #caving #geology #libraries #scienceoutreach
update: I got the bill covered for my pup. I am leaving this up in case anyone wants to purchase anything else; I always have and will continue to share to other's mutual aids when I have extra, so even if I don't need it, someone who needs it will get it. And you get cool art then! From an actual person! No AI here!
Well since I could use some money now, the whole scientist-without-funding-now thing thanks to stupid executive orders, I got out my prints I have from back when I did art shows and maybe people will...buy some? :) I can sign them if you like. I can also drop ship prints of any of my photography, just DM to ask! It would be nice if I could at least make a couple hundred as my dog had another seizure and I have bills to pay.
To not "spam" ya'll I am going to post each as a reply to this. So, you can just mute this thread if you don't want to see.
Please reply with DM on the photo you'd like to purchase, I can send an invoice to pay. Shipping will be about $10 within the US, $20-$50 for outside the US.
Greg Cocks 
