Special Interest Groups

This page is an overview of BCRA's Special Interest Groups. If you are looking for information on BCRA's Cave Science Datasets, please navigate to Cave Science Datasets.

BCRA supports a number of Special Interest Groups that allow BCRA members to associate and communicate in a more detailed way than is possible amongst the general membership. Some SIGs produce a newsletter or journal; some organise regular field meetings and training sessions. Some of the Groups are less active than others.

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Cave Archaeology

BCRA's Cave Archaeology Group (CAG) was launched in October 2011 to promote interest and understanding of archaeology in and around caves. The Group's target 'audience' are members of the caving community, who regularly visit or explore caves and who are in an ideal position to identify archaeological or paleontological material within cave environments. The creation of CAG has come about following the achievements of the Upland Caves Network - a discussion group of experts and interested parties drawn from various areas of discipline within cave research. The UCN was given a finite two-year lifespan and was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

The group hopes to enlist support and interest from anyone who spends leisure or professional time in caves, or who require a 'first stop' point of contact for advice, information, or other help with finds of potential archaeological material in caves. It is hoped that group activities will be developed over time to include guided site visits, lectures, and the dissemination of information on cave archaeology projects. The success of CAG will depend largely on the level of interest and support shown by those with an interest in cave archaeology, who are also invited to come forward with their own suggestions regarding the development of the group.

The online journal, Cave Archaeology and Palaeontology Research Archive (CAPRA) (1999 to 2007) was originally sponsored by BCRA. The journal is no longer active, but an archive copy is available via the Wayback Machine at web.archive.org. A brief index to the CAPRA journals, linking to that archive, can be found on the UBSS web site at caveburial.ubss.org.uk/capraindex.htm.

Cave Biology

BCRA now hosts Andy Lewington's Cave life of Britain website. The site is aimed at helping cavers to identify the organisms they see whilst visiting the caves of Britain, and to help them understand the relationships between these organisms. The site includes life around cave entrances, temporary visitors to caves as well as the inhabitants of the dark zone. The scientific terminology has been kept to a minimum to help the non specialist - there is a glossary to help with the unfamiliar words. Each region has pages written specifically for that area along with photographs taken from caves in that region.

The regions currently include Devon, Mendip, Wales (includes the Forest of Dean), Peak District and Yorkshire (includes parts of neighbouring counties such as Lancashire, Cumbria and County Durham). The caves are predominantly in limestone.

Hopefully the site will inspire you to take a second look at the creatures you see underground - many caves do not have a comprehensive list of organisms and there are many new discoveries to be made.

Cave Radio & Electronics

CREG logo

The UK-based Cave Radio & Electronics Group (CREG) is probably the world's leading organisation of its kind. Its aims are "to encourage the development and use of radio communication and other electronic and computer equipment in caving and related activities". CREG is the most long-standing special interest group of BCRA, being established in 1987. Its followers include cavers, radio amateurs, electronic engineers and professional & industrial organisations.

CREG publishes a quarterly Journal (ISSN 1361-4800) that provides a forum for people to discuss ideas and exchange information, as well as publishing some innovative and original articles. The journal is available on paper and online. Online access is free to BCRA members and costs a small amount for non-members. CREG also produces other publications, organises field meetings and, although its main role is one of information gathering and dissemination, it also has some items of equipment for hire. From 2007 to 2012 the Surveying and Cave Radio Groups organised a 'Cave Technology Symposium' in the spring. Currently (2018) CREG organises at least one field meeting per year.

The CREG journals are searchable using CREG's Search Engine. There is also a separately compiled 'legacy'Index

Cave Surveying

CSG logo

Also see... BCRA Survey Grades

The UK-based Cave Surveying Group (CSG) was established in 1993. The Group is a forum for the discussion of everything "surveyesque" - techniques, data capture & processing, standards, survey archiving policy, instruments etc. The Group used to publish a quarterly 16 page A4 newsletter called Compass Points (ISSN 1361-8962). This is available online with a searchable index. The Group organises field meetings and training sessions, is involved in current re-surveying projects and administers the Cave Registry Data Archive. Members of CSG have been involved in the development of a comprehensive software package for survey-processing and production. This is known as Survex, and this open-source software is available for free download from www.survex.com. CSG members were involved in the setting up of a BCRA standard for the processing of cave survey data, and the definition of a survey data processing language. The CSG web site is at cavesurveying.org.uk. A couple of articles from an older website are archived here. The Group currently communicates with its followers online, with occasional postings to the UK Caving Forum and the cave-surveying mailing list, but these are not CSG forums.

Explosives Users

EUG logo

The UK-based Explosives User Group was set up in 1991 to act as a forum for the benefit of cavers using explosives for cave exploration and rescue. The Group has developed links with the Health and Safety Executive, the Police, the Institute of Explosives Engineers and with manufacturers of explosives. The Group operates by means of a private Internet-based mailing list - please enquire. Occasional publications are also available to members and a programme of seminars is organised around the country. The principal objectives of the Group are

In addition the Group attempts, where possible, to give individual advice to members on matters related to explosives such as the design of stores, application for licences and the installation of security systems. But please note that the Group does not seek to have control over the issue of any individual's licence: this is the responsibility of the Police. The Group can put potential licence holders in touch with individuals who might act as referees to an application, but will not recommend the issue or denial of a licence to any individual.

Groups no longer active or dissolved

Also see some old SIG logos.

Rules and Guidelines for the SIGs

The latest set of rules and guidelines for the SIGs are available as a PDF, here.



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