ABOUT THE EDITOR OF
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CAVING

Rocky Mountain Caving's editor, Richard Rhinehart, is the founding editor of the journal. A veteran Colorado caver since 1973, Mr. Rhinehart joined the National Speleological Society in August 1974. The Society recognized him as a Fellow of the scientific, conservation and recreational association in 1988.

Mr. Rhinehart is a journalist by training, having graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder in May, 1979 with a degree in Journalism. Prior to editing Rocky Mountain Caving, Mr. Rhinehart served for several years as editor of the Colorado Grotto's bi-monthly newsletter, Caving in the Rockies, and the Colorado Mines Grotto's bi-monthly newsletter, Virgin Passage.

A prolific writer, Mr. Rhinehart is the author of "Colorado Caves" (Westcliffe Publishers, 2001), and "Without Rival: The History of the Wonderful Cave of the Winds" (Donning Company Publishers, 2000). Mr. Rhinehart also served as co-editor of the 1996 National Speleological Society Convention Guidebook, "The Caves and Karst of Colorado," and the 2001 Williams Canyon Project book, "The Caves of Williams Canyon." He has published articles in the National Speleological Society's NSS News, the American Cave Conservation Association's American Caves, and other publications.

Serving as the founding chairman of the Williams Canyon Project of the National Speleological Society, Mr. Rhinehart retired from the project's board in January 2006 after 20 years. Mr. Rhinehart served for several years as an elected representative to the Colorado Cave Survey of the Society, including a year as its chairman in 2001. Mr. Rhinehart is currently serving as a volunteer with the Survey, coordinating access to southern Colorado's Fly and Marble Caves and maintaining the liability waiver file for the caves. Mr. Rhinehart also has coordinated cave projects for the Survey, including projects at Colorado's Elephant Mountain, Steamboat Springs' Sulphur Cave, and the caves of Dinosaur National Monument. Previously, Mr. Rhinehart served several years in the mid 1980s as one of the Groaning Cave access and management volunteers for the White River National Forest.

Mr. Rhinehart is an experienced caver and surveyor, having participated in numerous cave projects, expeditions and trips over the last three decades. Currently, Mr. Rhinehart is an active participant of the Sulphur Cave Group, investigating and studying the sulfur caves of the American West, including Sulphur Cave at Steamboat Springs, the Vapor Caves at Glenwood Springs, and the Shoshone Canyon caves west of Cody, Wyoming. In the 1980s, Mr. Rhinehart participated as a joint-venturer with the Cave Research Foundation at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Mr. Rhinehart has been involved with several discoveries in the caves of Williams Canyon, Colorado, including the 1993 discovery of Breezeway Cave, and the 1984 discovery of Silent Splendor in the Cave of the Winds. Other discoveries include Spectre Cave, Summer's End Cave, and the caves of the White River Plateau's Guardian block. A cave historian, Mr. Rhinehart currently serves as the chair of the Williams Canyon Project's history committee. Other historical research studies include the early history of the White River National Forest's Fulford Cave, Steamboat Springs' Sulphur Cave and Glenwood Springs' Fairy Cave and Cave of the Clouds.

Currently a member of the Colorado and Front Range Grottos of the Society, Mr. Rhinehart is coordinating the Public Session at the July 2011 National Speleological Society Convention in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He makes his home in Denver. Contact him at <editor(at)rockymountaincaving.com>.