So you've just paid the OHG Treasurer some of your hard-earned cash. Most likely, it is one of the cheaper membership fees to any organization (some memberships to some clubs are two to three times that amount). Still, in case you're wondering what you get, read on. You would be amazed at what you get for your money!

• First, you have someone to go caving with! (Ah, the camaraderie!) Just like you, there are many people interested in caves. Some like to explore, some like to photograph, some like to map caves. Others like to study the geology or biology in caves. But, the one thing you have in common is that you are interested in caves. Use the membership list to call up people to go caving with. Attending meetings and scheduled cave trips gives you the opportunity of meeting fellow members and finding out who's interested in the same things that you are.
  
  
• Access to the OHG library! In the library, we have books and videos on caves and caving. Some are about specific caves. Others are how-to books on correct caving techniques and equipment. You are encouraged to read these books to further your caving education and make you a better caver. Some books teach you about speleology, the science of caves. Some teach you how to photograph caves. Others teach you how to map caves. Some teach you how to become a vertical caver. (On Rope is excellent, but be sure you get proper "on the job training" by experienced vertical cavers to complement your reading!) Contact the OHG Librarian, Michael Carter, to set up an appointment to visit the library.
  
  
• A monthly newsletter! This publication details upcoming meeting and cave trips -- sometimes it's the only word on this information. It also contains news items that may be of interest to you in case you missed the last meeting. Upcoming scheduled cave trips are announced with the time and place in which to meet for the event. Our recreational trips often feature the most spectacular caves in the region and, once a year, the club schedules a trip out of the region to visit spectacular caves in other caving areas of the country: the Guadalupe Mountains of New Mexico, the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Cumberland Plateau of TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia), Kentucky, etc. Approximately one-third of your membership fees are used to pay the monthly cost of this publication.
  
  
• A quarterly magazine! This in-depth journal contains detailed reports on recent caving trips, including maps and photographs taken during these trips. A typical issue may be anywhere from 15 to 50 pages, depending on how many authors contributed to the magazine. You, of course, are encouraged to write about your cave trips and submit these articles to the editor. You don't have to be a professional writer to have your articles printed, just enjoy writing! Our magazine has won several awards for its outstanding photography. The remaining two-thirds of your membership fees are used to pay for the printing and mailing of the publication (that's right, except for yearly incidental costs, all of your membership fees go to our publication costs).
  
  
• A chance to become involved! Many of our members are elected and appointed officers of the club. Some members belong to committees. Volunteer and become involved! The more you put into OHG, the more you will get out of OHG! Take a look at the list of things you can volunteer for:
  
  
  • Elected Officers (elected each December):
    
    President
    Vice President
    Secretary
    Treasurer
    MSS Director
    
    
  • Appointed Officers (appointed by the president):
    
    Magazine Editor
    Newsletter Editor
    Librarian
    
    
  • Committees (appointed by the president):
    
    Membership Committee (help for new members)
    Recreational Cave Trip Committee (schedule monthly cave trips)
    Survey Committee (schedule cave mapping trips)
    Cave Management Committee (manage the caves that we control)
    Cave Conservation Committee (cave restoration, clean-ups)
    Public Education Committee (guided cave tours, slide shows)
    Nomination Committee (they hunt for volunteers to be nominated for the elected offices)
    
    
• Access to the caves we manage! The caves that OHG manages are managed for a variety of reasons, but the one thing all gated caves have in common is the protection of the caves and their features from trespassers and vandals. Each gated cave can only be entered if an OHG member with the key is present. The following gated caves, located on private property, are managed by Ozark Highlands Grotto. The reasons for managing each cave are briefly described.
  
  
  • Breakdown Cave -- This cave was gated in June of 1983 to stop rampant vandalism and trespassing. Several hundred stalactites and stalagmites were broken in just a few years by vandals, who also left hundreds of pounds of trash in the cave and spray painted graffiti on its walls. After its gating by OHG, it has been utilized as a restoration laboratory and speleology classroom. Guided educational trips to the cave can be arranged at the discretion of the cave managers.
    
    
  • Garrison Cave #2 -- This cave was gated in 1997 to prevent unauthorized traffic from entering the cave. The cave is a protected refuge for the largest known population of the rare bristly cave crayfish, a blind, albino crustacean found only in southwest Missouri and adjacent counties in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
    
    
  • Lon Odell Memorial Cave -- This cave was gated in July of 1986 to protect its resources from vandals. It is one of only a few caves in the United States with prehistoric human footprints, and also contains prehistoric torch remains. The cave is closed to visitation except for work and research trips to the cave by the management.
    
    
  • Fox Creek Cave -- This cave was gated in 1995 to prevent further vandalism and trespassing. Restoration work has been in progress with several stalagmite repairs and cleaning of sections of the walls and ceiling blackened by campfires in the 20th century.
    
    
  • Watterson Cave -- This cave was gated in 1995 to prevent the owner’s cattle from accidentally falling into the pit entrance and to keep unauthorized traffic out of the cave. At 130 feet deep, it is one of the deepest caves in southwest Missouri and located near a major fault zone.
    
    
  • Fourteen Forty Cave -- This cave was gated in 1995 to protect the ecosystem in the cave and to prevent damage to the cave's pristine features. The cave is known for its salamander population and unvandalized passages.
    
    
  • Dream Cave -- This cave was gated in 2001 to prevent vandalism to the cave’s important features and to protect its bat population from disturbance. It is co-managed by OHG and the Missouri Caves and Karst Conservancy (MCKC). The cave is most known for its profuse fossil stromatolites that are found in most areas of the cave. (These stromatolites were large 3-foot high colonies of cyanobacteria that lived in ancient shallow seas.) The cave also contains delicate features that are easily damaged by careless visitors.
    
    
• You also have access to the OHG Store (available at most grotto meetings), which usually has in stock carbide lamp parts, batteries, electric lamp bulbs, chin straps, cyalume lights, carabiners and several other items of caving equipment. If the store doesn't have it, it can be ordered.