Extraordinary Women Leaders in Speleology (EWLS)

"All my caving is geared towards education, conservation, exploration, and especially fun.” Gayle Chaney Audiologist, caver for 24 years, and 2014 EWC #ScienceWomen #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

Cristina was born in Mexico in 1966. She is a photographer as well as a Marine Biologist. For the past 20 years she has been working as a writer and photographer. In 2005 she funded the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP). Cristina has elevated conservation photography to a whole new level. Back then when she started out with Nature and conservation photography it was considered taboo to talk about the environment. In 2010 she was awarded the Mission Award from North American Nature Photography Association; an organization that experiments with ideas to show how photographers can have an impact on conservation. The organization is now launching a non-profit called Sea Legacy whose mission is to share the power of photography and story-telling to raise awareness of biodiversity and marine conservation. Cristina uses her photography to show the importance of cave conservation. The destruction of species and landscapes ignited by her passion for conservation. S

“I love exploration. There is something about being the first person in a passage ... it becomes yours.” Chrissy Richards Cave Diver with a Masters of Fisheries and Aquatic Science and 2014 EWC #ScienceWomen #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

Montreal (Quebec) at TOHU March 23 to May 8, 2016 After its great impact at the UNESCO House in Paris in January 2015, the exhibit highlighting the importance of these geological riches in the culture and history of Haiti is now invited to Montreal (Quebec) at TOHU, from March 23 to May 8, 2016. This multimedia exhibit, presented by the Association Hommes des Cavernes , displays works by three cave photographers: EWLS Social Media Reporter Carole Devillers, Jean-François Fabriol, and Olivier Testa of the http://www.Cavesofhaiti.org team. It was put together by curator and caver Stéphanie Jagou, of the same team. Come and discover it! #speleology #womencavers #ewls #cavesofhaiti SOURCES Carole Devillers, EWLS Social Media Reporter tohu.ca grottesdhaiti.org  cavesofhaiti.org facebook.com/CavesofHaiti

“When I cave, I feel a connection to the Creator. The beauty leaves me speechless. The awesomeness of it all is breathtaking.” Carole Devillers Expedition Photographer Caves of Haiti Project EWLS News Reporter & 2014 EWC #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

Over the years EWLS has found a many women leaders who have worked to contribute in cave archaeology. Read our top 10 below! Anges Milowka (23 December 1981 – 27 February 2011) was an Australian technical diver, underwater photographer, author, and cave explorer. She gained international recognition for penetrating deeper than previous explorers into cave systems across Australia and Florida, and as a public speaker and author on the subjects of diving and maritime archaeology. Read more here . Elen Feuerriegel was featured in our annual 2015 publication this April as an Extraordinary Woman Caver (EWC) and was one of the 6 women scientists who recovered and cataloged than 1200 hominid fossil elements in the South African Rising Star Cave. Congrats Elen. Read more here . Florence Guillot, speleologist for the past thirty years, is co-responsible for the speleological expedition IOWA 2014 in Papua-New Guinea. Guillot has a PhD in History and is an archaeologist and

"I feel at home underground ... it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful it is ... we cavers must be the only ones, other than astronauts, who are aware of how sweet our lovely planet is.” Carol Whalley Cave Explorer and Photographer for 47 years #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org

“My most memorable achievement as a caver was perhaps helping Claude Koch, Scott Linn, and Ken Stickney open Cry Wolf Cave in April 2007.” Ruth Stickney Registered nurse, author, and 16-year caver #WLeadership #ewls www.ewls.org