Forest Service Signs One-Year Extension of Emergency Order to Close Caves and
Abandoned Mines - Closure seeks to protect bat species from White-Nose Syndrome
Release Date: Jul 27, 2011
Contact(s): Janelle Smith, 303.275.5359 or 720.289.7587
DENVER, July 27, 2011—Acting Regional Forester Jerome Thomas signed an
extension to an emergency order yesterday to restrict access to all caves and
abandoned mines on National Forests and Grasslands in the Rocky Mountain Region
of the U.S. Forest Service (Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and
Kansas). The emergency order will extend the initial closure for another 12
months beginning 26 July 2011.
“Although there has been significant progress made in science to better
understand Geomyces destructans, the fungus that is understood to cause WNS,
there is still much we do not know,” said Thomas. “An extension of the closure
order will allow the agency more time to better understand how the disease is
migrating across the country, under what conditions it thrives, and what
measures are most effective in protecting against its spread.”
“White-nose syndrome has killed more than a million hibernating bats in eastern
North America since it was discovered in a single cave near Albany, New York in
2006. The westward migration of this disease threatens to have far-reaching
ecological impacts. Natural resource agencies are concerned because of the
critical role that bats play in maintaining healthy ecosystems and in
agricultural systems. Restricting access to caves and mines on lands managed
by the U.S. Forest Service will help ensure regional bat populations continue
to thrive,” said Steve Guertin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director of the
Mountain–Prairie Region.
The Forest Service does not have comprehensive information about where bats are
roosting and hibernating, making it impossible to rule out specific caves that
do not warrant closures. There are roughly 30,000 abandoned mines and hundreds
of caves on National Forest System lands throughout the Rocky Mountain Region.
In addition, National Forests in the Rocky Mountain Region support about 21
species of bats; 15 of which are hibernating bats.
Due to its geographic location, the Rocky Mountain Region of the National
Forest System has a potentially key role and influence in the continued
westward spread of WNS.
During the second year of the closure of caves and abandoned mines in the Rocky
Mountain Region, scientists and specialists will continue their work to both
monitor for signs of WNS and engage with national, regional and local efforts
committed to advancing our understanding of the disease which will lead to more
informed decisions for the future.
Scientists are certain transmission of WNS is occurring bat-to-bat and
cave-to-bat. Scientists also suspect transmission of WNS may be facilitated by
human activity in caves where bats hibernate, because of the geographically
discontinuous spread of the syndrome. People may be inadvertently transporting
fungal spores from cave to cave, as fungal spores have been detected on gear
exposed to affected sites.
WNS is named for a white fungus that appears on the faces, ears, wings, and
feet of hibernating bats. The disease causes bats to come out of hibernation
severely underweight, often starving before the insects on which they feed
emerge in the spring. Once a colony is infected, it spreads rapidly and can
kill over 90 percent of bats within the cave in just two years.
There have been no reported human illnesses attributed to the fungus.
The Southeastern and Northeastern Cave Conservancies, National Speleological
Society and many states have closed some of their caves because of WNS. In
2009, the Forest Service closed its caves and mines in the southern and eastern
United States, and they remain closed today.
For more information about WNS, visit:
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/
USGS Fort Collins Science Center WNS site: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/WNS/
National Speleological Society: http://www.caves.org/
Bat Conservation International, Inc.: http://www.batcon.org/
The U. S. Geological Survey: http://www.fort.usgs.gov/WNS/
The National Wildlife Health:
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/index.jsp
Rocky Mountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service: http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/
Western Bat Working Group:
http://www.wbwg.org/conservation/whitenosesyndrome/whitenose.html
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