Kristen Alvey-Mudd Braves WNS Monitoring and Bat Counts in Cold Weather after Extensive Surgery

Alvey-Mudd is the president and founder of Missouri Bat Cencus, a nonprofit that helps cave owners and cave management organizations care for and monitor bats. She was also featured in the EWLS annual magazine as an Extraordinary Woman Caver this year. On Dec. 30 she reported about her trip to monitor bats in one of her organizations five NE Missouri sites where they counted 4 species in the 236 bats and found that 43 had been affected by WNS. "One site had over 50% saturation," she wrote, " ... [no] mortalities were seen although it seemed imminent in at least 5 bats."

Alvey-Mudd lead this trip with only 3 1/2 months of recovery from major surgery on her heel in 12 degree weather with a -4 wind chill. She was injured in a caving accident years ago and had to have a bone in her foot replaced with a cadaver bone. Despite this physical challenge, Alvey-Mudd continues to push forward regarding caving as a way of life. "[I get] much more practical physical therapy in the field than in the gym ... not bad for an infused heel with 2x3.5 inch screws." she wrote. Way to go Kirsten. Now that is leadership in action!

SOURCES
Missouri Bat Cencus Facebook post to the NSS page

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QUOTE: Marie M. Daly

"Courage is like — it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: you get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging." Marie M. Daly (1921–2003), Biochemist & the first African American woman in the US to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry. #ScienceWomen #WLeadership #ewls

Jessica Deli

Jessica Deli has been Central Region Coordinator for the NCRC since 2012 but before then she had already made her mark as a rescue specialist and cave conservationist all over the US. Deli has been involved with the National Cave Rescue Commission since 2005. With a simple Google search you will find her name everywhere participating in cave rescue training efforts. She appeared in the New York Grotto 2008 report for the Cave rescue Seminar and 2013 Orientation to Cave Rescue. In 2006 Kansas City Grotto mentioned her in the Orientation to Cave Rescue at Indiana University. Central Indiana Grotto enjoyed her demos in 2012 at the club's Vertical training. At the 2011 NSS Convention she presented "Atmospheric Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide Levels in Caves: What is Normal? Preliminary Results" with Anmar Mirza. And in 2005 she was involved in the Buckner's Cave clean-up project at Indiana University Bloomington. Deli's credentials in civilian life are impressive too! T

800 Facebook Likes!

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Extraordinary Women Leaders in Speleology (EWLS)

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