French federation of speleology

The French federation of speleology (FFS) is a founded association French in 1963 working in the field of the Spéléologie. The FFS is invested of a mission of Public service by the ministry for Youth and the Sports. Recognized like association of protection of nature, it holds the approval of the Department of the Environment.

Presentation

The French federation of speleology is given for objective:

union of all people practitioner or studying speleology, and in particular the exploration and the knowledge of the natural or artificial underground medium and the descent of canyon;
the scientific research, the promotion and the teaching of the speleology and the descent of canyon, the protection and the defense of the underground world and its environment;
the contribution of its contest and that of its members to missions of prevention, training and help in underground medium in bond with the competent authorities;
the organization, only or associated, of demonstrations having a relationship with the speleology or the descent of canyon.

Structure

It is directed by a management committee and an federal office, to which are added:

of the executive commissions : insurance, audio-visual, canyon (EFC), communication, documentation (CoDoc), teaching (EFS), environment, young people (CoJ), bookstore SPELUNCA and federal products, medical (CoMed), plunged underground (EFPS), scientist, publications, helps (SSF), statutes and payments federal;
of the permanent delegations : Academy of the souterain medium, prices federal.

It is represented:

on the regional plan, by regional speleological committees (CSR) - or regional leagues;
on the departmental level, by departmental committees of speleology (CDS).

Publications

The French federation of speleology publishes many publications paper and electronics of which most famous are:

SPELUNCA (quarterly - official body)
KARSTOLOGIA (semi-annual - in partnership with the French Association of karstology)
gate FFS (official site http://ffspeleo.fr)
the dedicated site of the national Days of speleology (JNS - http://jns.ffspeleo.fr)

Many other publications are available in particular near the speleological National center of documentation (CNDS) which functions like a specialized library.

History

The Company of speleology (1895 - 1914)

February 1st, 1895, Edouard-Alfred Martel founds the Company of speleology. Among a hundred and fifty members: Gaupillat, Pons, Toff and Armand Viré. It is then about an association mainly of people and not yet of federations. Indeed only three clubs there are counted: two sections of the alpine Club French (Lons-le-Saulnier, Lozere and Causses) as well as the Cevennes Club. The majority of the members were not explorers, but people of good company: geographers or archeologists, gathered in what being a Learned society appears.

The object of this company was thus written:

“ the Company of speleology is instituted to ensure exploration, to facilitate the general study and to contribute to installation or the development of the underground of all kinds, known or unknown cavities, either natural or artificial; to encourage and subsidize the investigations which are referred to it in an unspecified way; in a word, to popularize and develop, in an interest at the same time practical and theoretical, utility and scientific, the searchs for any nature in the interior of the ground. ”

The Company of speleology published, upon the departure (of 1895 to 1900) an end-of-term report named Spelunca , supplemented by Mémoires . From 1900 to 1914, bulletins and memories were gathered in a single booklet, always called Spelunca .

The Company of speleology disappeared at the beginning from the war from 1914.

The Spéléo-club of France (1930 - 1936)

After the war of 14-18, French speleology was especially represented by Norbert Casteret and Robert of Jolly. This last takes again the stopped work of the Company of speleology of Martel.

March 18th, 1930, a constitutive assembly ends to the creation of the Spéléo-club of France whose head office was fixed at Montpellier, in the House of Agriculture. In formed part: Martel (honorary president), Robert of Jolly (president), Degrully (vice-president), Norbert Casteret, Bernard Gèze, the Giry Abbot, Guy de Lavaur, Baker, Milhau, Contejean… Its goal was to ensure the connection between speleologists and to help with the development of the activity of the prospectors of the basement. Association proposed to bring a help (including financial) to the speleologists and to prepare a special legislation of the prospection, the discovery and the exploitation of the underground richnesses.

The Spéléo-club of France published an end-of-term report as well as a Spelunca (2nd series) for the impression of the scientific articles and the detailed reports of explorations. Enough quickly, the speleological activity leaves the restricted framework of the Languedoc. In 1934, Felix Trombe explores the underground Comminges. In 1935, Andre Bourgin, very concerned about practical applications, is activated in the Dévoluy and the Vercors, Dujardin-Weber in Marseilles. The Glory Abbot animates Alsace. In January 1936, Henri Guerin founds the Spéléo-club of Paris with Raymond Gaché, Jean Deudon, Jean Knew (editor), Marcel Ichac (pioneer of the cinema of motagne), Maud Guerin (sister of Jacques Ertaud), Bernard Gèze, Gustave Boissière, Guy de Lavaur, Felix Trombe, Pierre Chevalier, etc a team of good part of the Groupe of Bleau.

The speleological Company of France (SSF) (1936 - 1963)

March 1st, 1936, on proposal of Bernard Gèze, the Spéléo-club of France becomes the speleological Company of France, domiciled with Nimes with the Natural history museum of natural history. The intention was to give a national vocation to a regrouping hitherto only regional. The SSF admitted affiliated subsidiary companies and companies. It continued in addition the publication of Spelunca . Speleology was then represented out of the causses: in 1937, Pierre Knight and the Spéléo-club of Lyon were distinguished in the Massif from Chartreuse. The first National congress of speleology took place with Mazamet in 1939.

Contrary to that of 1914, the war of 1939-1945 did not see ceasing underground explorations. However, in 1944, the caves were used more refuges for the maquis than of places of visit. Volume X of Spelunca 2nd series was published during the German Occupation. The shortly after the war, French speleology presented a face completely modified. The SSF was not any more single national association: the alpine Club French (CIF) gathered within its speleological commission its local sections, which had with their credit of fort beautiful achievements.

In 1945, various official organizations recognized the value of the underground studies:

the National center of the scientific research (CNRS) created a commission of speleology with Fage, Gèze, Jeannel, Felix Trombe, Vandel, etc which carried out with the Muséum of natural history of Paris a laboratory of Biospéologie;
the Office of geological research and geophysics (BRGG, future BRGM) had a service of speleology which entrusted to Gèze the responsibility to draw up a repertory of the cavities (work resumed by Rouire in 1948);
the French national committee of Geodesy and Géophysique had a section of hydrology where the speleologists were present (Bourgin, Norbert Casteret, Bernard Gèze and Felix Trombe).

It is with assistance of these organizations and support of these great names that Bernard Gèze founded into 1946 the Annales of speleology , which constituted the 3rd series of Spelunca , under the double label of the SSF and the CIF.

In 1948, the head office of the SSF was transferred to the seat from the BRGG. CNRS brought its financial assistance to the publications of 1947 to 1956, date on which CNRS began again on its account and its profit the edition of the Annales of speleology , which became the body of the Laboratory of Moulis. The Spelunca title remained the property of the SSF and the National committee of speleology.

The National committee of speleology (CNS) (1948 - 1963)

Rene-Gabriel Jeannel, known for its biospeologic research with Emil Racovitza, had created within the National center of the scientific research (CNRS) a commission of speleology.

May 28th, 1948, Jeannel joined together in Paris in constitutive assembly, under the aegis of CNRS, the presidents of the known clubs spéléos like various eminent speleological personalities. It was the birth of the National committee of speleology (CNS), whose head office was fixed at the Muséum of natural history of Paris. The CNS gathered the presidents of the speleological groups and exceptionally certain personalities having “particularly concourru, by their work, with the rise of French speleology”. The Committee of patronage gathered blackjack organizations or personalities whose majority were scientists. One can also note the presence of the director of Youth and the Sports.

Belonged to the first office and board of directors first:

president: Rene-Gabriel Jeannel
vice-president: Pierre Knight
general secretary: Guy de Lavaur
among the members: Robert of Jolly.

From August 22nd to 25th 1949, the CNS animated an international meeting with the Valence-on-Rhone. It gathered the representatives of seven nations (France, England, Cuba, Spain, Greece, Italy and Suisse). The decision was made there to organize international congresses of speleology.

Since 1950, the CNS represented by Guy de Lavaur obtained a subsidy of the Management of the Sports for the organization of the helps.

After two years of operation, the CNS became aware that it needed a body of expression. It tied contact with the alpine Club French and the speleological Company of France (SSF), which published the Annales , then managed in 1951 and during 10 years a quarterly review of connection: the Bulletin of the CNS . At the same time, the SSF ceased the publication of its official periodic bulletin to give its information to the new bulletin of the CNS.

Since 1952, training courses with speleology were organized in partnership with the Head office of Youth and the Sports.

As from 1953, Guy de Lavaur organized the activities of underground diving. In connection with the National federation of rescue, a training certificate of first degree was created in 1954.

The first international congress of speleology was held in Paris from September 7th to 12th 1953 under high patronage of the Minister of State education, but also of the Secretary of State to Youth and the Sports. This double patronage was intended to mark at the same time scientific and sporting vocation of speleology. This congress comprised seven sections of work: hydrogeology and karstic morphology, physicochemistry, meteorology and crystallography, biology, human habitat, file and topography, photograph and cinema, material and techniques of exploration. More than one hundred communications and ten films was presented.

In 1957, a modification of the statutes made CNS an association of clubs (and not of presidents of clubs), with the exlusion of individual members. The financial position became extremely delicate, on the one hand because of its intense activity and on the other hand because of the many publications of which Acts of the international Congress of 1953.

The general meeting of the CNS of May 10th, 1958 indicated Géo Marchand to organize with Cahors in 1959 the 2nd national congress of speleology, while being based on the speleological group of Quercy, of which he was President. Three hundred speleologists of the CNS and the speleological Company of France took part from September 6th to 10th 1959 in it. He gave place to the presentation of twenty-six various communications and five films. He emerged from the participants a desire of regrouping.

The year 1961 was one year particularly active. She saw the Bulletin of the CNS first of all taking again the name of Spelunca (4th series), under double patronage CNS-SSF.

The French federation of speleology (FFS) (as from 1963)

At the conclusion of their respective general meetings of the November 25th and 26th 1961, the National committee of speleology (CNS) and the speleological Company of France (SSF), decided to create a Joint Committee, intended to study all the possible solutions, since the fusion of two associations until a possible complete separation.

After a consultation of the speleologists on June 1st, 1963, at the time of the national congress of Millau, CNS and SSF met to form the French federation of speleology (FFS).

June 3rd, 1963, the new board of directors elected the first office of the federation which was thus composed:

president: Cavaillé
vice-president: Guy de Lavaur and Dubois
general secretary: Commercial Géo (current honorary president of the FFS)
assistant general secretary: Lautier
treasurer: Nuffer
assistant treasurer: Apple tree

The FFS was gradually affirmed like an entity representative of the French speleological activity. It is délégataire today public service missions in the promotion and training area of the speleological practice in all its forms. It counts nearly 8000 members in 2007.

References

“How is born a Federation”, article of Géo Marchand, in Spelunca , n° 10,1983
Statuts of the French federation of speleology (2005)

External bond

Official site of the French federation of speleology

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