----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Steve Smith <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] Sent: Sat, January 23, 2010 9:16:06 PM Subject: Statement from Peter Youngbaer, WNS liaison for the NSS I just received this statement from Peter Youngbaer, White Nose Syndrome (WNS) liaison for the NSS, who requested it be sent out on the Grotto Conservation Network (GCN). Please fire it out soonest to your folks within your IO. In my never-ending quest to keep the GCN addressee list as current as possible, I'd appreciate it greatly if each IO would send me their "druthers" on who within the IO they'd like to receive this info. Normally, I send it to the IO's Conservation Chair. But if the IO doesn't have a designated Conservation Chair, then I send it to the overall IO Chair. Please send me any addressee changes/updates due to IO internal elections, folks moving out of town, etc. Thanks! For Val Hildreth-Werker and Jim Werker, NSS Conservation Co-Chairs Steve Smith, GCN coordinator .................................................................... ------ Original Message ------ Received: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 From: Peter Youngbaer ALERT A national organization, the Center for Biological Diversity, has filed emergency petitions that would radically affect access to caves in the continental United States, and more. In the press release are links to their formal petitions. Please take the time to fully read the petitions, especially the first, which deals most directly with cave access. In brief, they have petitioned the federal government to close all caves and mines on federal lands within the continental U.S., designating all caves and mines on federal land within the continental United States as "significant", promulgate a new rule defining "taking" under the Endangered Species Act that would ban traveling between any caves on public or private land, making both cavers and landowners legally liable; and adding two bat species - Eastern Small-footed, and Northern Long-eared - to the federal Endangered Species list. They cite White Nose Syndrome (WNS) as the reason for doing all of this. _http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bats-01-21-2010.html_ (http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bats-01-21-2010.html) As the WNS Liaison for the NSS, I believe this is an extremely serious threat from a well-funded and litigious organization, and should be responded to at all levels, including by cave conservancies as organizations. I shudder to think of the possible conservation ramifications: sealing of caves by blasting, bulldozing, refilling sinkholes with rubbish that we worked so hard to pull out, groundwater pollution, vandalism, long-established collaborative relationships with landowners and agencies, and ironically, the destruction of cave habitat. I strongly suggest a prompt and professional response, sending any correspondence to pertinent parties at the Center for Biological Diversity and IMPORTANTLY to the federal officials to whom they sent petitions. Those federal officials are listed within the petitions. The key CBD personnel are : Mollie Matteson, Conservation Advocate, author of the material: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Kieran Suckling, Executive Director and founder: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Thank you for your attention to this matter. Peter Youngbaer NSS WNS Liaison [email protected] _______________________________________________ NMCAVER mailing list [email protected] http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/nmcaver_caver.net
