USFWS issued the following response to the CBD petition last summer basically calling it ridiculous:
http://nrmg.cavesofmontana.org/content/bats-wns/2011_07_USFWS-response-to-CBD.pdf I think this is a dead issue. Joe Sent from my iPhone On Apr 13, 2012, at 2:42 PM, Linda Palit <[email protected]> wrote: > Forwarded from SWR > > As you may know, the CBD is petitioning the White House to close all > public caves and fine private landowners who keep their caves open. > This is a serious threat to the caves, which are often vandalized when > responsible visitation is removed, and does nothing to protect the > bats since WNS is spread bat-to-bat. Human contributions to spread can > be effectively controlled with decon, assuming a human vector ever > existed. Closing publicly owned caves to the public is a threat to > conservation, a limitation of freedom, and is based on bad science, > and I am tired of not standing up to say that. If you support this > cause, please sign this counter petition to keep the caves open. > > https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/support-conservation-recreation-science-and-personal-freedom-mandating-public-access-caves-public/YX8Bjp3F
