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1999 Homecoming

Wildcats on the Move

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	Wildcat Highlight: John Lane Wildcat Highlight: Karen Seccombe In Memoriam Ella C. Sapp 1898 - 1999

Chapters & Clubs

Imagine gasping for air as you float down a river, dodging poisonous snakes, chopping your way through heavy vegetation, walking gingerly to avoid deadly ground-nesting hornets-all on your way home from a day's work documenting a portion of the world's second largest limestone formation. These were just part of the excitement experienced by John Lane when he and partner Todd Burks (B.A., English, '92) led an expedition team of thirty-five, including geologists, entomologists, herpetologists, and ichthyologists, to Borneo, Malaysia, in 1996.The team spent six weeks researching ten kilometers of previously unexplored caves.

The expedition was made possible in part through funding from the Minister of Environment and National Parks in Sarowack, Malaysia, whom Lane had contacted on a previous trip. The team's activities in the massive cave system attracted the attention of the television channel Outdoor Life, which aired a video of the expedition, and National Geographic, which ran an article on the expedition in its September 1998 issue.

The team discovered three new species of fish, one species of snake, and hundreds of species of insects, which are still being cataloged. As a result of Lane's discoveries, the Malaysian environment minister has deemed the area a national park, something Lane had hoped would happen because, he said, the surrounding area had largely been decimated by logging or cement plants.

While Lane was in Malaysia, he also performed a hydro-chemical characterization of the area. This was necessary research for the thesis of his master's degree in geosciences, which he is currently completing at CSU, Chico.Lane currently works for Dames and Moore in Chico. He and his wife, Anna, reside in Forest Ranch. Lane's hobbies include caving, climbing, and mountain climbing. Together, John and Anna enjoy rafting, hiking, golf, and SCUBA diving. Lane has recently made trips to both Peru and Bolivia, and is planning a trip to Sumatra. The latter of these destinations will be the site of a new expedition, which is to be similar to his expedition to Borneo.

-- Jason Willmon, University Publications