A Grotto is an internal organization of the National Speleological Society (NSS). They generally function as the local NSS chapter/club. Many Grottos however, operate in areas outside of their local area, with many operating in several states.[1] Most Grottos also participate in Regions which are loose associations of Grottos.[1] Regions are also an internal organization of the National Speleological Society.[1]
Organization
Grottos are required to meet certain organizational requirements as outlined by the National Speleological Society. These include:[2]
- A constitution and bylaws that are submitted to, and approved by, the NSS
 - A minimum of at least five members of the Society
 - It is NSS policy that full membership in a Grotto requires NSS membership. However, in practice, this is often not the case.
 
An annual report describing various aspects of the Grotto is submitted to the NSS.
History
The New England Grotto was the first NSS Grotto. It was chartered in 1941 with Clay Perry as president and Ned Anderson as vice-president.[3]
Grottos of the NSS
Below are the Grottos of the NSS as listed in 2009.[1][4]
Alabama
- Birmingham Grotto
 - Central Alabama Grotto
 - Cullman Grotto
 - Gadsden Grotto
 - Huntsville Grotto
 - Jackson County Grotto
 - Montgomery Grotto
 
Alaska
- Glacier Grotto
 
Arizona
- Central Arizona Grotto
 - Cochise County Cavers
 - Escabrosa Grotto
 - Mule Mountain Caving Club
 - Northern Arizona Grotto
 - Southern Arizona Grotto
 
Arkansas
- Boston Mountain Grotto
 - Central Region Arkansas Grotto
 - COBRA Grotto
 - Little Rock Grotto[5]
 - Middle Ozark Lower Earth Society MOLES
 
California
- Desert Dog Troglodytes
 - Diablo Grotto
 - Mother Lode Grotto
 - San Diego Grotto
 - San Francisco Bay Chapter of the NSS
 - San Joaquin Valley
 - Shascade Caving Society
 - Shasta Area Grotto
 - Southern California Grotto
 - Stanislaus Speleology Association
 - Waldo Brothers Grotto
 
Colorado
- Colorado Grotto
 - Colorado Western Slope Grotto
 - Front Range Grotto
 - Northern Colorado Grotto
 - Red Canyon Grotto
 - Southern Colorado Mountain
 - Timberline Grotto
 
Connecticut
- Central Connecticut Grotto
 
Delaware
- Commander Cody Caving Club
 
District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Grotto
 
Florida
- Central Florida Grotto
 - Flint River Grotto
 - Florida Speleological Society
 - Tampa Bay Area Grotto
 
Georgia
- Athens Speleological Society
 - Augusta Cave Masters
 - Clayton County Cavers
 - Clock Tower Grotto
 - Dogwood City Grotto
 - Middle Georgia Grotto
 - Pigeon Mountain Grotto
 
Hawaii
- Hawai'i Grotto
 
Idaho
- Bear River Grotto
 - Gem State Grotto
 - Silver Sage Grotto
 
Illinois
- Little Egypt Grotto
 - Near Normal Grotto
 - Rock River Speleological Society
 - Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto
 - Windy City Grotto
 
Indiana
- Bloomington Indian Grotto
 - Central Indiana Grotto
 - Eastern Indiana Grotto
 - Evansville Metropolitan Grotto
 - Harrison-Crawford Grotto
 - Northern Indiana Grotto
 - Saint Joseph Valley Grotto
 - Western Indiana Grotto
 
Iowa
- Iowa Grotto
 
Kansas
- Kansas Speleological Society
 
Kentucky
- Blue Grass Grotto
 - Fort Knox Grotto
 - Green River Grotto
 - Hart of Kentucky Grotto
 - Louisville Grotto
 - Pine Mountain Grotto
 - Rockcastle Regional Grotto
 
Louisiana
- Crescent City Cavers
 
Maine
- none based out of Maine
 
Maryland
- Baltimore Grotto
 - Frederick Grotto
 - Sligo Grotto
 - Western Maryland Grotto
 
Massachusetts
- Boston Grotto
 
Michigan
- Detroit Urban Grotto
 - Michigan Interlakes Grotto
 - Western Michigan Grotto
 
Minnesota
- Minnesota Speleological Society
 
Mississippi
- JUST Cavers
 
Missouri
- Branson Area Tri-Lakes Grotto
 - Chouteau Grotto
 - Kansas City Area Grotto
 - Meramec Valley Grotto
 - Middle Mississippi Valley Grotto
 - Missouri Sch. Mines Spelunkers Club
 - Ozark Highlands Grotto
 - SEMO Grotto
 - Springfield Plateau Grotto
 - Stygian Grotto
 
Montana
- Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto
 
Nebraska
- none based out of Nebraska
 
Nevada
- Northern Nevada Grotto
 - Southern Nevada Grotto
 
New Hampshire
- none based out of New Hampshire
 
New Jersey
- Central New Jersey Grotto
 - New Jersey Tri-State Speleological Society
 - Northern New Jersey Grotto
 
New Mexico
- Guadalupe Grotto
 - Hondo Grotto
 - Mesilla Valley Grotto
 - New Mexico Tech Student Grotto
 - Parajito Grotto
 - Pecos Valley Grotto
 - Sandia Grotto
 - Sierra Blanca Grotto
 - Whites Sands Grotto
 
New York
- Helderberg-Hudson Grotto
 - Met Grotto
 - Niagara Frontier Grotto
 - Rensselaer Outing Club
 - Shawangunk-Catskill Area Grotto
 - Syracuse University Outing
 
North Carolina
- Bryson City Grotto
 - Flittermouse Grotto
 - Triangle Troglodytes
 
North Dakota
- none based out of North Dakota
 
Ohio
- Central Ohio Grotto
 - Cleveland Grotto
 - Dayton Underground Grotto
 - Greater Cincinnati Grotto
 - Miami Valley Grotto
 - Ohio Cavers and Climbers
 - Red-Eye Karst Team
 - Shady Grove Grotto
 - Standing Stone Grotto
 - Wittenberg University Speleological Society
 
Oklahoma
- Arbuckle Mountains Grotto
 - Central Oklahoma Grotto
 - Tulsa Regional OK Grotto
 
Oregon
- Oregon Grotto
 - Oregon High Desert Grotto
 - Willamette Valley Grotto
 
Pennsylvania
- Bald Eagle Grotto
 - Bucks County Grotto
 - Buffalo Valley Grotto
 - Cave Hill Grotto
 - Franklin County Grotto
 - Greater Allentown Grotto
 - Huntingdon County Cave Hunters
 - Loyalhanna Grotto
 - Nittany Grotto
 - Pennsylvania Inner-Earth Grotto
 - Philadelphia Grotto
 - Pittsburgh Grotto
 - Seven Valleys Grotto
 - York Grotto
 
Rhode Island
- none based out of Rhode Island
 
South Carolina
- South Carolina Interstate Grotto
 
South Dakota
- Paha Sapa Grotto
 
Tennessee
- Chattanooga Grotto
 - Clarksville Underground
 - Devilstep Grotto
 - East Tennessee Grotto
 - Mountain Empire Grotto
 - Nashville Grotto
 - Obey River Grotto
 - Sewanee Mountain Grotto
 - Six Ridges Grotto
 - Smoky Mountain Grotto
 - Southport Chronic Cavers
 - Spencer Mountain Grotto
 - Tennessee Central Basin Grotto
 - Upper Cumberland Grotto
 
Texas
- Aggie Speleological Society
 - Bexar Grotto
 - Cowtown Grotto
 - Dallas-Fort Worth Grotto
 - Galveston Grotto
 - Greater Houston Grotto
 - Lubbock Area Grotto
 - Permian Basin Speleological Society
 - UT Grotto
 
Utah
- Salt Lake Grotto
 - Timpanogos Grotto
 - Utah Grotto
 - Wasatch Grotto[6]
 
Vermont
- Vermont Cavers Association
 
Virginia
- Battlefield Area Troglodyte Society
 - Blue Ridge Grotto
 - Charlottesville Grotto
 - Fairfax Underground Network
 - Front Royal Grotto
 - Grapevine Grotto
 - James River Grotto
 - Madison University Student Grotto
 - Mid-Virginia Underground Grotto
 - Mountain Empire Grotto
 - New River Valley Grotto
 - Richmond Area Speleological Society
 - Tidewater Grotto
 - Virginia Highlands Grotto
 - VPI Cave Club
 
Washington
- Cascade Grotto
 
West Virginia
- Charleston Grotto
 - ESSO Grotto
 - Germany Valley Grotto
 - Greater Randolph (GROSS)
 - Monongahela Grotto
 - Monroe County Cavers
 - Mountain State Grotto
 - Parkersburg Area Grotto
 - TRA Grotto
 - Tri-State Grotto
 - West Virginia University Student Grotto
 
Wisconsin
- Great Lakes Cavers
 - Wisconsin Speleological Society[7]
 
Wyoming
- Armpit Grotto
 - Hole-in-the-Wall Grotto
 
International
- Anthros Costa Rica Grotto
 - Balincaguin Conservancy Grotto[8]
 - PAAMUL - Gruta de
 
Traveling
- Gypsy Underground Grotto
 - Stonewall Cavers
 
References
- 1 2 3 4 Weberg, Meredith Hall. NSS News Members Manual. National Speleological Society. p. 2, 53–65.
 - ↑ "Policy for Internal Organizations" (PDF). National Speleological Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-27.
 - ↑ Caving in America. Huntsville, AL: National Speleological Society. 1991. ISBN 0-9615093-7-6.
 - ↑ "List of Grottos". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
 - ↑ "Little Rock Grotto - [LRG] - Arkansas Cavers". caves.org. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
 - ↑ "Wasatch Grotto | Northern Utah Cavers". Retrieved 2021-07-30.
 - ↑ "Wisconsin Speleological Society". www.wisconsincaves.org. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
 - ↑ "Balincaguin Conservancy". www.balincaguinconservancy.org. Retrieved 2021-07-30.