[IOCA] Cave closures in the Northeast

[Michael Chu]

Due to the white nose syndrome (WNS), both the NSS and NCC have closed all their caves as a precaution. The NCC's closures include all their properties and are in effect until May 15th, while the NSS's include all their preserves in the eastern US (includes NY, PA, WV). 

In addition, the NCC (in conjunction with the US Fish and Wildlife Service) are putting together a cave visitation list, to help the scientists better understand and track WNS as it relates to humans. Please visit the NCC website at www.necaveconservancy.org and fill out the trip info form if you have been to Knox, Schoharie, Gage, and Hailes since January 2007.  This data may help determine that humans are not involved in this problem and thus open all the caves sooner...

Please see the NCC press release below.

Mike
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bill Folsom 
To: northeastcaveconservancy at yahoogroups.com ; NRO list ; Met Grotto - NYC Caving Club ; nnjg at yahoogroups.com ; VCA at topica.com 
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 3:21 PM
Subject: [northeastcaveconservancy] NORTHEASTERN CAVE CONSERVANCY CLOSES CAVES


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2008
NORTHEASTERN CAVE CONSERVANCY CLOSES CAVES -
Cavers asked to assist in combating bat deaths

Contact:
Robert Addis, President (518) 237-1165
Peter Youngbaer, Vice President (802) 272-3802
Christa Hay, Publicity Chair (518) 786-7518

Latham, New York -
The Northeastern Cave Conservancy voted Sunday, February 10, at an emergency
Board meeting, to immediately close all its caves to visitation in order to 
help
protect thousands of hibernating bats that are threatened by a mysterious 
illness
known as White Nose Syndrome.

The NCC Trustees also advised all cavers - casual and otherwise - to 
voluntarily
restrict their caving until May 15, 2008, in any cave known to host bats and to
help develop a cave visitation data base in order to assist scientists to 
track human
movement in affected caves.

White Nose Syndrome has been linked by scientists to the death of thousands of
bats in New York and Vermont, and has been confirmed in two of the NCC
Caves.

The caves affected by closure include: Clarksville Cave, Ladder Cave, Knox
Cave, Crossbones Cave, Ella Armstrong Cave, and Onesquethaw Cave in Albany
County, and Selleck's Cave, Cave 575, and Levy's Cave in Schoharie County.
The closure will last until the end of bat hibernation, May 15, 2008, with the
proviso that pending further studies and recommendations from the appropriate
state and federal agencies, bat scientists, or others, this closure may be 
extended
or modified.

Only entry authorized by the property managers for scientific and research
purposes will be permitted.

Several of these caves are highly visited by youth groups, including camps,
church groups, outing clubs, and scouts. These groups may make plans for the
summer, but are warned that continued closure is possible, or even likely. 
Groups
should continue to contact the cave group liaison on the NCC Website
(www.necaveconservancy.org) for up to date information.

The NCC's action follows on the heels of the National Speleological Society's
closure of its northeastern cave preserves, Schoharie Caverns, Barton Hill 
(Gage's
Cave), McFail's Cave Preserve, all in New York, and Tytoona Cave Preserve, in
Pennsylvania. The Cave Manager of the NSS-owned John Guilday Cave
Preserve, in West Virginia (Trout and Hamilton Caves) has also closed those
caves, as a preventative measure.

While no evidence at this time demonstrates that people are responsible for
spreading the White Nose Syndrome, it is clear that many of the bats are under
stress.

A common symptom has been that the fat stores they need for a successful
hibernation have been depleted. Human presence generally disturbs the bats, and
causes them to increase their movement and metabolism, using up precious stored
resources. Thus, cavers are advised to stay out of caves or mines with bats 
at this
time.

It is important to note that this advisory does not include any commercial 
caves.
These caves generally take measures to isolate any bats from the general 
public.
Visitors to these tourist attractions are also not likely to then visit 
wild caves and
risk spreading any contaminants.

The NCC also urgently requests cavers to send in data on visits to the four New
York caves where there were large bat mortalities in 2007: Knox Cave, Gage
Caverns, Schoharie Caverns, and Haile's Cave.

Anyone who has visited any of these four caves since January 1, 2007, is 
asked to
log onto the NCC website (see above) and fill in a trip log. Respondents 
will then
be asked to list all other caves visited since then - no matter where.

By focusing on these four caves, it will enable scientists and cavers in 
other states
and countries to look for any similar occurrences, and help determine whether
people are spreading the condition. This will be critical information in
determining when to reopen caves.

Bill Folsom, Treasurer
Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
http://www.necaveconservancy.org 



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