texascavers Digest 17 Jun 2009 04:13:36 -0000 Issue 780
Topics (messages 11006 through 11018):
UT Grotto - Wed June 17
11006 by: Gary Franklin
Re: 15th ICS - near-final schedule is available!
11007 by: Mixon Bill
The BBC cave documentary
11008 by: David
Puerto Rico Karst Study Hearing
11009 by: htjohn1.juno.com
commentary
11010 by: David
11011 by: Joe Datri
Jack Burch passing :
11012 by: JerryAtkin.aol.com
11016 by: George Veni
White Nose Syndrome Fungus Named
11013 by: Minton, Mark
More on WNS
11014 by: Minton, Mark
ICS volunteer projectors and laptops
11015 by: Rick Corbell
WNS
11017 by: David
11018 by: Don Cooper
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Underground Texas Grotto meeting June 17, 2009
www.utgrotto.org
The meeting is on Wednesday from 7:45 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.
on the University of Texas Campus in 2.48 Painter Hall
http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/buildings/pai.html
The Presentation will be “Adventures in Belize” by Dr. Ann Scott and Don Arburn
They will share photos from their recent trip to Belize and the adventures that
ensued. Come share in the fun from the tropic paradise.
For information on Underground Texas Grotto activites, please see the website.
All of our information is available through our link including officer contact
info, trips reports, new caver training, event calendar, and posting links to
beginner trips or vertical rope training.
Before the meeting, we go to Sau Paulo www.saopaulos.net for happy hour, then
afterward we go for burgers and beer at Posse East www.posseeast.com
The UT Grotto needs you, the caver with photos and a story to share about your
adventures, scientific research, or something else really cool. Contact Gary
[email protected]
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--- Begin Message ---
Here's a pointer to a near-final ICS schedule, forwarded by Mixon:
Begin forwarded message:
From: ICS 2009 eList <[email protected]>
List-Post: [email protected]
Date: June 15, 2009 8:03:35 PM CDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: 15th ICS - near-final schedule is available!
Dear Friends,
The near-final detailed schedule for the 15th International Congress
of Speleology (ICS) is now available for your review at http://www.ics2009.us/weeklysched.pdf
. In the next few days we will make the schedule final and send it to
the printer with the ICS Program. If you have any questions or see
anything wrong, please reply to me at [email protected]. DO NOT directly
reply to this e-mail message. If you do, your reply will be delayed in
reaching me and any corrections you have may be too late to include. I
do not have a deadline for comments. We will continue making small
revisions until the Program is sent to the printer. We do not expect
to change the time or date of any symposium, session, their papers, or
meetings.
Some of you have reviewed an earlier version of the schedule and your
comments have been addressed in this version. We have made more small
corrections and additions that are not on the posted scheduled. With
over 500 papers and more than 230 meetings, trips, and other
activities, we are busy working on many details to make this ICS as
well organized as possible. We appreciate your patience and support.
And let me repeat… “over 500 papers and more than 230 meetings, trips,
and other activities!” Early registration has closed but regular
registration will open at 0800 on 18 July at the ICS in Kerrville,
Texas. You don’t want to miss this event!
See you soon,
George
George Veni, Ph.D.
Chairman, 15th International Congress of Speleology
Adjunct Secretary, International Union of Speleology
Executive Director, U.S. National Cave and Karst Research Institute
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--- Begin Message ---
The BBC cave documentary is available by itself without having to buy the
entire series.
http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Earth-Vol-Deserts-Worlds/dp/B0012YYZXQ
I saw the disc at Best Buy.
This isn't the hi-def Blu-Ray version, but it should still look awesome if you
have a hi-def TV and an upconverting DVD player. Right ?
If you haven't seen this cave documentary, it is a must see.
For just a few more dollars, you can order the entire series in hi-def
( HD-DVD ),
but good luck finding an HD-DVD player.
http://hddvdboxsets.com/hddvd1-387548011-B000MRAAJW-Planet_Earth_The_Complete_BBC_Series_HD_DVD.html
If money is no object,
you can have the whole series plus 3 other nature programs in hi-def:
http://www.amazon.com/Definition-Natural-History-Collection-Galapagos/dp/B0019MG35O/ref=pd_cp_d_2
That is 8 Blu-ray disc for only $ 96 plus tax and shipping ( and only
$ 82 if you buy the
used version )
On a personal note,
I can't watch a nature movie without thinking of the movie
"Soylent Green." Near the end of the movie, Charlton Heston's buddy,
a guy named Roth, decides its
his time to die, and goes to a facility where nurses put you to sleep
forever as you watch
a nature movie. I was only 9 when I saw that at the drive-in
theater. Those were the
good ole days. Right ?
David Locklear
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The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) has
just announced that it will be holding a public hearing to present the results
of a study conducted by the agency and required by the Karst Protection and
Conservation Act (Law No. 292 of 1999), hereinafter “Karst Law”. Public notice
is attached.
In this study, known as the Karst Study, the DNER identified and delineated
those areas within the karst region in Puerto Rico that should be conserved and
protected from the establishment of quarries due to their hydrological,
geological and ecological value (hereinafter “Karst Conservation Priority Areas
or “KCPA”). The area identified by the DNER covers nearly 35% of the whole
karst region found in the north, south and interior of the Island.
The Karst Study also recommends the adoption of various specific zoning
districts established by the Puerto Rico Planning Board to promote the
conservation or preservation of ecological sensitive lands in the Island (i.e.
forests, caves, etc.) from which this agency or the municipalities will choose
and assign to the identified KCPAs as part of their respective land use plans.
The Karst Study was completed in September 2008, as a result of a lawsuit filed
against the DNER by Ciudadanos del Karso (CDK) in October 2002, after the
agency failed to comply with the study’s deadline of August 2001, set by the
Karst Law.
Unfortunately, the hearings announced by the DNER go against the court sentence
that was issued last January, in which the Karst Study was considered final, as
agreed by the agency. It seems that now the DNER, and through the hearings,
wants to amend the Karst Study to eliminate areas already identified as KCPA.
The hearing set by the agency is also against what the Karst Law requires, that
is, to hold hearings to amend the DNER’s Regulation for the Excavation, Removal
and Dredging of Materials from the Earth’s Crust (mainly for limestone
quarries), based on the recommendations included in the Karst Study.
Although the Karst Study does not include all of the areas the we believe
should have been identified as KCPA, it is still a great improvement from what
we had to this date, and it does not limit in any way that other areas be
included in the future.
Based on the above, we hereby request your help as experts in several fields
related to the karst, in order that you provide comments in writing and sent by
email in favor of the Karst Study and the urgent need to protect this important
area in Puerto Rico. The hearing will be held on Friday, June 26, 2009, in the
Conference Room at the 4th Floor of the DNER’s building in Río Piedras. Your
comments should be received not later than June 26, 2009 and we will appreciate
if you can send us a copy of your comments for our records.
Again, we acknowledge that the Karst Study could be improved, but this should
not be an excuse to delay or further postpone the implementation of its
recommendations, especially when it was supposed to be completed almost 8 years
ago, or even worst, as a justification to remove areas that have been already
identified as critical for conservation.
You can download the Karst Study, which is only available in Spanish, from the
following website:
http://www.drna.gobierno.pr/oficinas/secretarias-auxiliares/secretaria-auxiliar-de-planificacion-integral/INFORME_KARSO_FINAL_OCT_2008%20-%20Revisado.pdf
Please respond if you are available to submit comments. If you need additional
information, please feel free to contact me as soon as possible. You can also
contact Luis Jorge Rivera Herrera, who also works for CDK, at 787-755-0410, or
by e-mail at [email protected].
Please feel free to forward this e-mail to anyone else of your colleagues who
you think would be interested in submitting comments in favor of the Karst
Study and the protection of this area of extraordinary natural value in Puerto
Rico.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter,
Abel Vale
President CDK
____________________________________________________________
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Is anybody out there still not convinced you will miss a whole lot
of fun if you skip the ICS event ?
Surely most of the CaveTex readers by now have already decided on
whether or not they are going to ICS.
I am posting this because I wish someone had tried harder to convince
me to attend the caving conventions when I was a newbie.
Many of you that attend will arrive on or before Friday night the 17th.
That is only 31 days away.
Meaning anyone who has not yet heard of ICS or hasn't made up their
mind yet, has little time to get fired up for it.
It is possible that there are cavers out there who have lost contact
with their nearest grotto and may not have heard about ICS.
If you know some caver like that, call them up and invite them at least to the
Howdy Party. I called an Aggie caver that I haven't caved with in 22 years,
and a Houston caver I haven't caved with in almost 10 years. They could
not come.
But just in case you are still procrastinating about going:
I think if you can only attend one day, then you probably don't want to
miss the big slide show.
I hope I don't miss the Terminal Siphons concert. Rumor is that they
are going to have a great saxophonist this year. So don't miss that.
Seeing all the maps, photos, and artwork on display is an opportunity
that you won't get again.
The Speleo-olympics should be quite exciting, with some of the fastest
froggers in the world.
And listening to the exploration talks by the caver's that made the
latest discoveries,
connections, and record-breaking trips is very motivating. ( Do you
remember the
1st time your eyes saw The Chandelier ? )
It is fun to make new friends, and this event will be a good place to do that.
( for me, I think that is the best reason )
And hopefully, you will have an opportunity to go in a cave that you might
otherwise never have a chance to go in, or at least to go caving with a
famous caver that you may never get to go caving with. You will get
that warm fuzzy feeling by being able to say "oh yeh, I have caved with
her."
And meeting the cavers that work as vendors is a real treat,
and watching them custom make your gear on site is fun.
I imagine a few cavers will go to a good swimming hole like
Krause Springs and you can join them and have a lot of fun.
I want to do that.
I encourage newbies to try to get to know the old-timers there,
like Dick Blenz. You would be surprised how dedicated to
caving they still are.
For those of you who have never camped in Texas in July,
you don't need a sleeping bag. Just wrap up in a large
cotton sheet. Wash off with a wet rag before going to bed
and wipe the sweat off of you until your body cools down.
I prefer sleeping on a cot as opposed to sleeping on the
ground. Just spray a little bug spray on you.
And the best tents are the ones with lots of netting and the
bigger the tent the better. Don't use a Goretex single wall tent.
You will be miserable. And having your tent under some
kind of canopy or tarp is a big help especially if you plan to camp
all week.
If you are on a really tight budget like I am going to be. Here
are some tips: Learn to like cheap sardines. Any fruit you
buy will probably spoil thus wasting your money. If you must
go to a restaurant, order a bowl of soup and drink water. You
can survive for a week on a few cans of cheap beanie-wienies.
There is a salad restaurant in downtown Kerrville. Their
Taco Soup is the best I have ever had.
I guess my last thoughts are that you won't be able to reminisce
about the convention someday unless you attend it. Cavers
will probably be talking about this event around the campfire
for many years to come, and you will just have to shrug your
shoulders and say, I wasn't there.
Bring a nylon pvc-coated poncho, if you have one. A golf
umbrella comes in handy as several cavers can stand under
it to walk between the events during the storm.
Has anyone ever seen a caving convention without a storm ?
Cheers,
David Locklear
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--- Begin Message ---
David,
You forgot to mention one thing that people should not miss at the ICS
this year.
The worldwide premiere of the film "Texas Cavers"
It will be playing on Monday July 20th @ 6pm in the Dietert
Auditorium. It is only one hour, so you will still be able to make
the Howdy Party afterwards.
Oh, and David, you are in it.
If you have not heard about it yet, then you need to check out the
website and watch the trailer.
www.texascaversmovie.com
-Joe Datri
On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 3:25 PM, David<[email protected]> wrote:
> Is anybody out there still not convinced you will miss a whole lot
> of fun if you skip the ICS event ?
>
> Surely most of the CaveTex readers by now have already decided on
> whether or not they are going to ICS.
>
> I am posting this because I wish someone had tried harder to convince
> me to attend the caving conventions when I was a newbie.
>
> Many of you that attend will arrive on or before Friday night the 17th.
> That is only 31 days away.
>
> Meaning anyone who has not yet heard of ICS or hasn't made up their
> mind yet, has little time to get fired up for it.
>
> It is possible that there are cavers out there who have lost contact
> with their nearest grotto and may not have heard about ICS.
>
> If you know some caver like that, call them up and invite them at least to the
> Howdy Party. I called an Aggie caver that I haven't caved with in 22 years,
> and a Houston caver I haven't caved with in almost 10 years. They could
> not come.
>
>
> But just in case you are still procrastinating about going:
>
> I think if you can only attend one day, then you probably don't want to
> miss the big slide show.
>
> I hope I don't miss the Terminal Siphons concert. Rumor is that they
> are going to have a great saxophonist this year. So don't miss that.
>
> Seeing all the maps, photos, and artwork on display is an opportunity
> that you won't get again.
>
> The Speleo-olympics should be quite exciting, with some of the fastest
> froggers in the world.
>
> And listening to the exploration talks by the caver's that made the
> latest discoveries,
> connections, and record-breaking trips is very motivating. ( Do you
> remember the
> 1st time your eyes saw The Chandelier ? )
>
> It is fun to make new friends, and this event will be a good place to do that.
> ( for me, I think that is the best reason )
>
> And hopefully, you will have an opportunity to go in a cave that you might
> otherwise never have a chance to go in, or at least to go caving with a
> famous caver that you may never get to go caving with. You will get
> that warm fuzzy feeling by being able to say "oh yeh, I have caved with
> her."
>
> And meeting the cavers that work as vendors is a real treat,
> and watching them custom make your gear on site is fun.
>
> I imagine a few cavers will go to a good swimming hole like
> Krause Springs and you can join them and have a lot of fun.
> I want to do that.
>
> I encourage newbies to try to get to know the old-timers there,
> like Dick Blenz. You would be surprised how dedicated to
> caving they still are.
>
> For those of you who have never camped in Texas in July,
> you don't need a sleeping bag. Just wrap up in a large
> cotton sheet. Wash off with a wet rag before going to bed
> and wipe the sweat off of you until your body cools down.
> I prefer sleeping on a cot as opposed to sleeping on the
> ground. Just spray a little bug spray on you.
>
> And the best tents are the ones with lots of netting and the
> bigger the tent the better. Don't use a Goretex single wall tent.
> You will be miserable. And having your tent under some
> kind of canopy or tarp is a big help especially if you plan to camp
> all week.
>
> If you are on a really tight budget like I am going to be. Here
> are some tips: Learn to like cheap sardines. Any fruit you
> buy will probably spoil thus wasting your money. If you must
> go to a restaurant, order a bowl of soup and drink water. You
> can survive for a week on a few cans of cheap beanie-wienies.
> There is a salad restaurant in downtown Kerrville. Their
> Taco Soup is the best I have ever had.
>
> I guess my last thoughts are that you won't be able to reminisce
> about the convention someday unless you attend it. Cavers
> will probably be talking about this event around the campfire
> for many years to come, and you will just have to shrug your
> shoulders and say, I wasn't there.
>
> Bring a nylon pvc-coated poncho, if you have one. A golf
> umbrella comes in handy as several cavers can stand under
> it to walk between the events during the storm.
>
> Has anyone ever seen a caving convention without a storm ?
>
> Cheers,
>
> David Locklear
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
> To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
> For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
>
>
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IMPORTANT NOTICE: The contents of this email and any attachments are
confidential and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended
recipient, please notify the sender immediately and do not disclose
the contents to any other person, use it for any purpose, or store or
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The caving world has lost one of its grand old gentlemen. Jack C. Burch
(NSS #2175) passed away on Monday from complications due to Alzheimer's
Disease. Services will be held on either Thursday or Friday of this week.
Jack's contributions to caving are legion and I'm not the person that
should put them to paper as others were much more familiar with him and his
accomplishments. I'm sure a more detailed accounting of his life will be
forthcoming in the NSS News and Texas Caver. Until then, here are a few
remembrances :
Jack started his caving career in Oklahoma as a young man in the 1950s.
He is regarded by many as the Father of Oklahoma Caving and founded the
Arbuckle Mountain Grotto, the first NSS grotto in Oklahoma, in the 1950s.
Jack received the April 1956 NSS News and saw an article written by Bart
Crisman describing a "Secret Cave" in west Texas with extraordinary
speleothems.
He was immediately interested and soon paid a visit to Crisman to find
out more about the cave. The cave was Mayfield Cave (Caverns of Sonora) and
Jack made his first visit there on June 15, 1957. After a few more visits
to the cave, Jack decided that "conservation by commercialization" was the
only way to save the cave from future degradation. He and James Papadakis
(NSS #3630) formed a partnership and negotiated a lease from the landowner,
Stanley Mayfield. After conducting a transit survey of the main portion
of the cave in 1959, construction of the commercial trail began in 1960.
Visitors to the cave still marvel at the masterful engineering and meticulous
attention to detail which was taken to construct the trail with as little
damage as possible to the fragile speleothems. The cave was open for tours
on July 16, 1960, less than 6 months since trail building began.
Jack's career as a professional commercial cave consultant and trail
builder was not over. He built several more extensions to the trail in
Caverns of Sonora, and was hired to commercialize Natural Bridge Caverns in
1963. Trail building began in NBC on March 7, 1963 and was completed to the
Hall of the Mountain Kings by June of the following year, just in time for
the first public viewing of the cave by attendees of the 1964 NSS Convention
in New Braunfels, Texas. Jack assisted in the commercialization plans for
the Rio Camuy Cave in Puerto Rico in the mid-1960s. In 1967, Jack served
as the chairman of the Texas Speleological Association. He was made a
Fellow of the NSS in 1969. He was subsequently honored as a pioneer of
Oklahoma
caving in 1986 by the newly formed Southern Plains Region of the NSS.
He will be missed.
**************Download the AOL Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at your
fingertips.
(http://toolbar.aol.com/aolclassifieds/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000004)
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--- Begin Message ---
Jack is also widely acknowledged as the father of modern show cave
development. As a caver, he understood that a cave is not best appreciated
if the wires, bulbs, and other constructed features are exposed. He
pioneered hiding the infrastructure, designing trails that are not obtrusive
and minimize the need for railings, and he would not use colored light so a
cave's natural beauty could shine through.
Funeral services will be at the gravesite in the town of Sonora's cemetery
at 2 p.m. this Saturday.
George
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:29 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Texascavers] Jack Burch passing :
The caving world has lost one of its grand old gentlemen. Jack C. Burch
(NSS #2175) passed away on Monday from complications due to Alzheimer's
Disease. Services will be held on either Thursday or Friday of this week.
Jack's contributions to caving are legion and I'm not the person that should
put them to paper as others were much more familiar with him and his
accomplishments. I'm sure a more detailed accounting of his life will be
forthcoming in the NSS News and Texas Caver. Until then, here are a few
remembrances :
Jack started his caving career in Oklahoma as a young man in the 1950s.
He is regarded by many as the Father of Oklahoma Caving and founded the
Arbuckle Mountain Grotto, the first NSS grotto in Oklahoma, in the 1950s.
Jack received the April 1956 NSS News and saw an article written by Bart
Crisman describing a "Secret Cave" in west Texas with extraordinary
speleothems. He was immediately interested and soon paid a visit to Crisman
to find out more about the cave. The cave was Mayfield Cave (Caverns of
Sonora) and Jack made his first visit there on June 15, 1957. After a few
more visits to the cave, Jack decided that "conservation by
commercialization" was the only way to save the cave from future
degradation. He and James Papadakis (NSS #3630) formed a partnership and
negotiated a lease from the landowner, Stanley Mayfield. After conducting a
transit survey of the main portion of the cave in 1959, construction of the
commercial trail began in 1960. Visitors to the cave still marvel at the
masterful engineering and meticulous attention to detail which was taken to
construct the trail with as little damage as possible to the fragile
speleothems. The cave was open for tours on July 16, 1960, less than 6
months since trail building began.
Jack's career as a professional commercial cave consultant and trail
builder was not over. He built several more extensions to the trail in
Caverns of Sonora, and was hired to commercialize Natural Bridge Caverns in
1963. Trail building began in NBC on March 7, 1963 and was completed to the
Hall of the Mountain Kings by June of the following year, just in time for
the first public viewing of the cave by attendees of the 1964 NSS Convention
in New Braunfels, Texas. Jack assisted in the commercialization plans for
the Rio Camuy Cave in Puerto Rico in the mid-1960s. In 1967, Jack served as
the chairman of the Texas Speleological Association. He was made a Fellow
of the NSS in 1969. He was subsequently honored as a pioneer of Oklahoma
caving in 1986 by the newly formed Southern Plains Region of the NSS.
He will be missed.
_____
Download the AOL
<http://toolbar.aol.com/aolclassifieds/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown000000
04> Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at your fingertips.
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|
The fungus responsible for White Nose Syndrome in bats has been described as a new species and named Geomyces destructans. <http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2009.html> There is a link to the scientific publication, which is a free download.
Mark Minton
|
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The following is excerpted from a rather lengthy report of conversations BCCS member and USGS geologist Chris Swezey had with David Blehert, a USGS microbiologist working on the White Nose fungus. I found it to be quite interesting. Part of it is now out of date, since the scientific description of the fungus has just been published. The attached article that is mentioned is Science v. 323, p. 227 (2009).
Mark Minton
>I would like to communicate some information that I have gleaned during the past several days from telephone conversations with Dr. David S. Blehert, a USGS microbiologist who is working with a bat ecologist named Paul Cryan on White Nose Syndrome (WNS). David Blehert lives and works in Madison (Wisconsin), he is the person who first identified the fungus that is associated with WNS, and he has published his results in two scientific articles (which I shall attach at the bottom of this email message).
>>From my conversations with David Blehert, it appears to me that he is not a caver and he is not fully aware of all of the issues that concern cavers, but he is in contact with NSS folks (he mentioned Peter Youngbaer, specifically) and he is very appreciative of the assistance that he has received from cavers. David is an extremely articulate scientist, and on 4 June 2009 he testified before the U.S. Congress on the White Nose Syndrome problem that is afflicting bats. He is also an extremely cautious person scientifically, and is very careful to separate observations from interpretations and conclusions. He is also working very hard to understand the WNS problem.
>So, some information that David Blehert communicated to me:
(1) The first evidence of bat WNS was documented at Howes Cave, 52 km west of Albany, New York, on 16 February 2006. Howes Cave is a commercial cave that is visited by many people.
(2) Bats afflicted during the winter by WNS show a tendency to shift to colder roost sites, such as cave entrances, and they exhibit erratic behavior such as flying around outside during the daytime in winter. In 2006-2007, many of these bats exhibiting erratic behavior in New York were tested for rabies, and no bat tested positive for rabies.
(3) So far, WNS appears to be a condition that affects only bats that hibernate in groups.
(4) David Blehert performed autopsies on WNS affected bats, but he did not find any problems with bat internal organs. Furthermore, with the afflicted bats, he was not able to identify any disease-causing parasites, any known viral pathogens, or any bacteriological problems.
(5) Bats normally have lots of biota on their skin, and David was able to identify several white fungi on the skin of afflicted bats. The problem that David faced was to identify which fungus was causing the problems. He was able to see a white fungus in the field, but was having trouble identifying the fungus in the lab. Eventually, he was successful, and David was able to identify the culprit as a specific fungus.
>What David has learned about this fungus:
- The fungus has only been found where WNS is seen, and it has only been identified conclusively in the WNS-affected area in the United States.
- In caves with affected bats, the fungus is seen on sick bats but not on healthy bats.
- The fungus is a new species that has not been named or described before.
- The fungus has spores that have an unusual hook shape.
- All isolates of the fungus are identical. Interpretation: David says that this observation suggests that the fungus has disseminated from a point source (e.g., Howes Cave).
- The fungus invades the skin of bats, and attacks the skin tissues.
- The fungus requires cold for growth, and does not grow at temperatures above 24 degrees C (75 degrees Fahrenheit). At high temperatures, the fungus goes dormant.
- The fungus likes high humidity.
>Other than attacking skin tissue, David does not yet know all of the ways in which the fungus affects bats. It is not known if the fungus is the primary cause of bat mortality, or if the fungus is a secondary infection that is associated with something else that is killing the bats. However, David noted that the fungus grows on bat wings, and that bat wings are very important for flight, heat dissipation, water control, gas exchange, and blood pressure regulation.
>New information not yet published: David Blehert has identified a similar white fungus with the same unusual hook shape in several European countries. It appears that this fungus may have existed in European bat populations since the 1980s, but in Europe this fungus is not associated with unusual bat mortality. David plans to investigate this topic further. A working hypothesis at the moment is that the European fungus is identical to the U.S. fungus, but European bats hibernate in smaller groups and there is something specific about bat hibernating behavior in the U.S. that causes bat mortality associated with this fungus. Again, David plans to investigate this further.
>I specifically asked David how he thought that the fungus spread, and I stated that this question was of great concern to cavers. In response, David said that it appears to be able to spread by at least two ways:
(1) Bat-to-Bat Transmission, especially in large groups of hibernating bats. Regarding this method of transmission, David made an analogy of children in school (lots of individuals in close contact) spreading colds from one to another.
(2) Human-to-Bat Transmission. Regarding this method of transmission, David thinks that the fungus was transmitted from Europe to Howes Cave, and then it spread from Howes Cave to many other locations in the eastern U.S. David noted that bats do not migrate from Europe to New York, and that the sudden first appearance of the fungus in Howes Cave (a commercial cave) suggests that the initial transmission to the U.S. was by humans.
>I specifically asked David if he knew of ways to kill the fungus. He said that he had not done much work on this topic, but he thought that bleach and standard antimicrobial compounds might be effective. He seemed to think that some other people might be working on this question.
>I specifically asked David if he thought that other mammals are (or could be) affected by the fungus. He said that he did not know, and that he did not think that anyone was working on this question.
>David Blehert is a microbiologist, he is being bombarded by questions from a lot of people right now, and he does not have all of the answers to these questions. Nevertheless, here is a list of some analyses that he would like to do and some questions that he would like to answer:
(1) Additional analyses of the white fungus in Europe, in order to determine if it is indeed the same fungus.
(2) Genome analysis of the fungus in the U.S. This analysis would help David predict and model the spread of the fungus, and it might tell us how long the fungus has been in European bats (if it is indeed the same fungus in Europe).
(3) What specific environmental conditions does the fungus prefer? There may be certain temperature and humidity conditions that could slow down or stop the spread of the fungus. David noted that at present the Appalachian Mountains appear to be a temporary barrier to westward movement of the fungus.
(4) Are there biological or chemical means to control WNS?
(5) Do some bats survive? – If so, then is the survival because of development of antibodies, changes in hibernating behavior, or something else.
>What can BCCS do to help?
David was talking to me about WNS because I am a geologist, and he wanted information about the geology and general environmental conditions of caves. Specifically, we talked about the following four items:
>(1) Plotting the distribution of WNS-infected caves on topographic maps, in order to see if there is any correlation with elevation. In other words, there may be a need for good cave elevation data. Personally, I do not think that there is a correlation with elevation, but it would be worthwhile to look at this with real numbers.
>(2) Plotting the distribution of WNS-infected caves on geologic maps, in order to see if there is any correlation with stratigraphy. In other words, there may be a need for good geologic maps of caves. I suspect that there may not be much of a correlation with stratigraphy, but it would be worthwhile to look at this in a rigorous manner. FYI – To my knowledge, George Deike’s map of Breathing Cave is the most detailed geologic map of any of the WNS-infected caves. In addition, I have geologic maps of two other infected caves (Hamilton Cave, and Cave Mountain Cave) and three non-infected caves (Haynes Cave, Sinnett Cave, and Trout Cave).
>(3) Is there a relation between fungal infection and chemistry of cave soil? To answer this question, we would need soil samples from caves prior to fungal infection. We want to think about this idea some more, and then we may submit a proposal for a grant to collect and analyze soil samples from caves that are currently not in the infected areas. Nadine Piatak (USGS) and I already have some soil samples that we collected in 2002-2004 for a study of nitrate concentrations in cave soil (Organ Cave, Sinnett Cave, Trout Cave, Cave Mountain Cave).
>(4) The WNS fungus appears to prefer certain temperature and humidity conditions in caves. Thus, detailed data on cave temperature and humidity might help David to predict the spread of the fungus. However, such information is not available for most caves.
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Cavers,
This is an appeal from your 15th ICS Audio Visual coordinator. Thirty one days
from today begins the events and meetings at Kerrville. The recently released
schedule is dense with all kinds of fun and interesting things. Looking over
the full schedule the last couple days has me nervous that my planning needs
help. There are by far more meetings and presentations than ever before. I
have been fairly confident that we are prepared for just about anything that
might be needed. Still am, but would feel much better if I had a few more data
projectors to count on just in case we overwork some. Budget retraints have
eliminated the possibility of paying to have spares sitting around. So, if you
are driving to Kerrville, have access to a projector and can talk the boss out
of it, borrow, beg, or just do what you have to to get it Kerrville, please do
so. Let me know you have brought a volunteer projector (or more than one) and
I’ll call you or find you when a need arises. I'll have secure storage, too.
Same goes for that extra PC laptop you have gathering dust in the corner as
long as it has a good working version of Power Point.
My nerves, the treasurer, and the presenters will thank you.
Rick Corbell – 15ICS AV coordinator – 210-313-6084 cell-
Ps. If you have access to other caver list-serves please forward this. RC
_________________________________________________________________
Lauren found her dream laptop. Find the PC that’s right for you.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/choosepc/?ocid=ftp_val_wl_290
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Since the fungus is dormant above 75 degrees, then many Texas bat
caves should be o.k.
to visit. Right ?
If someone enters the shaft at Honeycreek and exits at the small wet
entrance, how could
they possibly transmit WNS to any bats roosting in the dry entrance ?
Any WNS on them
would have been washed off.
If a Texas bat had the fungus but left the cave to eat ( where the
temperature is 100 degrees )
that would kill the fungus. Right ?
Did anybody see the news-story about American crops being destroyed by WNS ?
I think it was a tabloid story in Israel.
Have any new cases of WNS been found in the past month ?
I bet if you leave your caving gear out in the 100 degree sun for
about an hour, that will
be all the decon you will need.
David Locklear
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No, David.
Ambient average cave temps in Texas are below 75 degrees.
Bats are not big consumers of Honey Creek either.
Spores easily survive temps above and beyond typical exposure temperature.
-cd
On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 11:02 PM, David <[email protected]> wrote:
> Since the fungus is dormant above 75 degrees, then many Texas bat
> caves should be o.k.
> to visit. Right ?
>
> If someone enters the shaft at Honeycreek and exits at the small wet
> entrance, how could
> they possibly transmit WNS to any bats roosting in the dry entrance ?
> Any WNS on them
> would have been washed off.
>
> If a Texas bat had the fungus but left the cave to eat ( where the
> temperature is 100 degrees )
> that would kill the fungus. Right ?
>
> Did anybody see the news-story about American crops being destroyed by WNS
> ?
> I think it was a tabloid story in Israel.
>
> Have any new cases of WNS been found in the past month ?
>
> I bet if you leave your caving gear out in the 100 degree sun for
> about an hour, that will
> be all the decon you will need.
>
> David Locklear
>
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