May 10, 2004

Sign-up under way for teen caving trip

by Paula M. Davenport

CARBONDALE, Ill. --Teen-agers: Want to jump start your extreme summer vacation? Sign up now for a full day of caving.

You'll leave Murphysboro at 8 a.m. Friday, June 18, and head to Illinois Caverns, in Monroe County -- about 35 miles south of St. Louis.

Experienced cavers from Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Environmental Ed-Ventures program will guide you through a subterranean wonderland full of formations such as "soda straws," stalactites, stalagmites and rimstone dams and home to an array of cave-adapted critters, including salamanders and two species of bats.

The trip is open to guys and girls, ages 13-18 and costs $30. It's a collaborative offering by SIUC and the U of I Extension Services' Jackson County 4-H Program.

Space is limited. To register, call Angelique J. Kuehl at 618/687-1727. She'll send you a packet of information on what to wear, what to bring (like a sack lunch, something to drink) and all the other particulars.

SIUC will provide all your gear, including helmets and lights, and will give you safety training and be responsible for round-trip transportation.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, be sure to contact Keuhl at the number above.

Providing service to others and fostering collaborations are among the tenets of Southern@150, a plan geared to helping SIUC become a top research university by its 150th birthday in 2019.