GROTTOS

AGGIE SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Newsletter: The A.S.S. Explorer

ASS is a recognized student organization at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas; it is an officially recognized grotto by the National Speleological Society (NSS). Its stated purpose is "to create an interest in caving and conservation among the student body and provide the resources necessary to explore and learn about caves throughout Texas and elsewhere." The club mainly consists of currently enrolled students as well as a few unofficial members from outside the university. During the regular school year, meetings are held weekly, and there several trips planned every month to a number of not-too-far-away Texas caves. Longer (4+ day) trips are common during the holidays and spring break, often to New Mexico, Alabama or another exotic caving destination. Other non-caving social events and outdoor trips are not uncommon. The grotto participates in many caving projects, works with various caving organizations performing volunteer work, and visits many caves throughout Texas. Once or twice a year during the summer or holidays, ASS will take a trip to Mexico or New Mexico.
Instagram Page | Grotto Website

BEXAR GROTTO
Newsletter: The Bexar Facts

Since 1983, Bexar Grotto has provided a forum for cavers to meet and participate in various caving activities, including surveying/mapping, exploration, and conservation projects.The Bexar Grotto is committed to the protection of caves and cave conservation activities. These activities include exploration, education, restoration, protection, and assisting government agencies and private landowners in developing management plans for caves and karst. Bexar Grotto members have contributed many hours of volunteer time and effort to study and protect these valuable resources and enjoyed themselves in the process! The Bexar Grotto is a chapter of the National Speleological Society (NSS). It is an active grotto with a diverse and dedicated group of people. Many of the members provide local educational outreach and are active in cave management and conservation activities. The grotto supports a number of ongoing caving projects including:

• Robber Baron Cave: Joe Mitchell manager w/ TCMA
• Government Canyon SNA: Marvin Miller w/ Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
• Honey Creek Cave: Kurt Menking
• Bracken Bat Cave
• Cascade Caverns

COMAL COUNTY GROTTO
The now-defunct Comal County Grotto was an informal group of persons interested in caves, caverns, karst, exploration and cave rescue. They had no formal meetings established - "just friends getting together." The website has been preserved, but no new information has been posted since 2004.

DFW GROTTO
Newsletter: The Oztotl Caver

The Dallas/Fort Worth (D/FW) Grotto is a chapter of the National Speleological Society. Many members of the D/FW Grotto participate in other organizations such as the Cave Research Foundation, and the Texas Speleological Association. The grotto is active in Texas, Mexico, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Members are involved in are cave conservation, restoration, surveying, and research. Monthly meeting dates are posted on their website.
Note that the Fort Worth based Cowtown Grotto and Maverick Grotto disbanded as of 2009; this grotto is the successor.
Facebook page

GALVESTON GROTTO
A caving organization concentrating on promoting training, conservation, and an increased knowledge of the cave enviroment in the exploration of caves. Contact information on page.

GREATER HOUSTON GROTTO
Newsletter: Speleospace
We are a community of cavers based in Houston, Texas. There are no caves in Houston, but many caves in Texas are only a few hours away! We typically make weekend caving trips that also involve camping, hiking, and plenty of fun before and after caving. Many trips consist of recreational and work projects ranging from gate building to restoration, in Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. Monthly meetings are posted on their website.
Facebook page

LUBBOCK AREA GROTTO
Newsletter: LAG
The Lubbock Area Grotto (LAG) was chartered in 1985 and has been active in caving, cave restoration, cave conservation, cave surveying, public education and in exploration of new karst features since the club's inception. LAG likes to cave in Texas and keep in touch with our many Texas caving friends. However, due to our isolated western locale, most of our time is spent in southeast New Mexico. This karst region of New Mexico is only a three hour drive, versus a five to seven hour drive to the karst regions of Texas. LAG performs volunteer work for the Bureau of Land Management, The National Forest Service and the National Park Service. LAG members help other members with research projects which benefit not only the government entities managing the caves, but also speleology in general. See their website for ongoing projects and meeting times.
Facebook page

PERMIAN BASIN SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Newsletter: The Hole News
Address: 12157 E. Hwy 158, Gardendale, Texas 79758

The Permian Basin Speleological Society located in the Midland-Odessa area was founded by Tony Grieco and Bill Bentley in October 1983. The grotto is active in West Texas and S.E. New Mexico. Ongoing projects include CRF Carlsbad Caverns, High Guads Restoration Project (HGRP), and the PBSS Rock Haul at Carlsbad Caverns. The grotto also manages several caves in West Texas for friendly ranchers who have given them access for recreational caving and exploration.
Facebook page

UT GROTTO
Address: P.O. Box 7672, Austin, TX 78713
The UT Grotto of the National Speleological Society is the oldest caving organization in the state; it was originally charted as the University of Texas Speleological Society. Note that it has occasionally been referred to by "Underground Texas Grotto" for legal purposes. Members explore caves in Central Texas and beyond, including all levels of caving, from beginners to international expedition explorers, especially those working on the extensive cave systems of Mexico. Meetings are the first, third, and (if applicable) fifth Wednesdays of the month at 7:45 pm, on the University of Texas at Austin campus; see its Calendar for current program and location; it also aggregates many caving events from Texas and the region. After grotto meetings, members typically head to the nearby Posse for refreshments and the after-the-meeting meeting, which has been known to go on until the Posse closes. The UTG also sponsors training sessions and visits to caves, all announced on the Calendar.
Facebook page