Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.

John Van Swearingen IV Stewardship Award

 

Award Criteria and Procedures

 

 Introduction

 

This award, established in June, 2002 by the SCCi, originated from a request by members of the Huntsville Grotto. They wished to honor one of their dedicated long-term members, John Van Swearingen IV, (known as JV to most) for his years of contribution to the caving community as an explorer, mapper, photographer, conservationist, caving companion, and loyal supporter of the Huntsville Grotto, the NSS, SERA, and the SCCi. Although known by many for various cave related activities, JV demonstrated his personal commitment to cave stewardship by his dedicated efforts to keep Fern Cave open for visitation by qualified cavers. In addition to his many years of service managing Fern Cave for the Wheeler Wildlife Preserve, JV was instrumental in securing the SCCi's 99-year lease of the Surprise Pit section of Fern Cave.

 

John Van Swearingen IV Stewardship Award Committee

 

The John Van Swearingen Stewardship Award Committee was established by an Act of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Cave Conservancy on June 15, 2002. The Committee is made up of three members of the conservancy who are nominated by the Board Chair and appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of three years. Appointments of the committee shall be made at the Winter SCCi Board meeting. Two of the committee members must not be members of the Board of Directors when appointed. The Board Chair will appoint one member as committee chair. The committee shall review the nominations for the award, verify the information provided, inquire about other pertinent information, and submit the qualified nomination forms to the board. The committee shall provide a recommendation to the board, indicating its selection for the award and stating its reasons for the selection. In the event that the committee does not find any suitable nominees, it may recommend that no award be presented for that year.

 

John Van Swearingen IV Stewardship Award Guidelines

 

1.      The name of the award is The John Van Swearingen IV Stewardship Award

 

2.      The purpose of the award is to meaningfully recognize the successful stewardship efforts of an individual, a group of individuals, or an organization that has provided significant stewardship activities for cave(s), cave preserve(s), or karst properties personally conducted over an extended time period.

 

3.      Stewardship award criteria fall into two (2) categories and are defined as "required" and "optional". The categories are further defined as:

 

3.1.   Required Activity Criteria:

·          Actions conducted over a period not less than three (3) consecutive years

·          Actions that are self-performed regarding the activity not just organizational

·          Actions that are more than participatory in nature

·          Actions that demonstrate personal initiative and responsibility

 

3.2.   Optional Activity Criteria:

·          Actions which required overcoming adversity to perform the activity possess extra value in the consideration

·          Actions that are innovative or unique to accomplish the activity possess extra value in the consideration

 

4.      The actual award consists of a certificate, a copy of a JV artistic photographic image provided by the Huntsville Grotto, and an honorarium in the form of an honorary plot of ownership to a SCCi property valued at approximately $250.00.

 

5.      The award frequency is intended to be annual. However, it is recognized that suitable candidates may not be available in a given year. Therefore, the award will be presented only when appropriate candidate(s) meeting the criteria are nominated to the committee and selected to receive the award.

 

6.      Prospective award candidates must be submitted for consideration to the Award Committee by completing a nomination form and submitting the completed form before August 31 of the current calendar year for the intended award year.  Only current members of the SCCi may submit a nomination to the committee.

 

7.      The award will be presented to the recipient(s) at the TAG Fall Cave-In, an event conducted by the Dogwood City Grotto.