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Dr. Kathleen Lavoie Featured on "Amazing Caves"

PLATTSBURGH, NY __ Lights! Camera! Action! Plattsburgh State University of New York's very own Dean of Arts and Science, Dr. Kathleen Lavoie, is featured on a half-hour television show, "Amazing Caves." The show is part of a series, "Living Dangerously," on the National Geographic Channel.

Lavoie loves exploring and investigating caves as a scientist. There's a cave that she's particularly fond of located near Tapijulapa, Mexico. The cave is known as Cueva de Villa Luz, which means cave of the lighted village, so named for the large number of skylight openings in the ceilings in some parts of the cave. It is unique because the energy input is largely based on sulfur that is carried up by slightly heated waters from deep volcanic activity. Lavoie has taken nearly a dozen trips to the cave since 1997, and in the past, has taken Plattsburgh State students along with her.

The footage for the "Amazing Caves" show was shot in this cave in 2001 and was originally destined for a special on the Discovery Channel, which fell through. National Geographic Channel picked up the tape and has included it in its new series.

The half-hour show also features an annual festival associated with the cave. The Pesca Festival celebrates an ancient Mayan ritual where natives prayed for rain and harvested the fish from the water in the cave. The cave also has pools of white water, which made this cave more sacred that others.  In addition, "Amazing Caves" features cave diving in Florida.
 
The following is the schedule for "Amazing Caves" on the National Geographic Channel:
 Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
 Jan. 22 at 2 p.m.
 Jan. 29 at 2:30 p.m.
 March 10 at 7:30 and 11:30 p.m.
 March 17 at 2 p.m.
 March 24 at 2:30 p.m.

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