By Richard Rhinehart Denver, Colorado, December 21, 2012 – In a letter submitted today to the USDA Forest Service regional office in Lakewood, Colorado, the Colorado Cave Survey of the National Speleological Society calls upon the federal agency to open public caves to visitation, focus White Nose Syndrome management efforts to biologically-important caves, hire a [...]
Denver, Colorado, August 1, 2012 – A new closure order of public caves in the Rocky Mountain Region by the Regional Forester of the U.S. Forest Service signed today in Golden, Colorado will allow exemptions for members of two private cave organizations. Although members of the general public continue to be excluded from entering any [...]
Cavers attending the 2011 National Speleological Society Convention in Glenwood Springs, Colorado may have the opportunity to visit caves in the White River National Forest after all. Although a region-wide closure of caves and non-active mines will remain in effect during the July 18-22, 2011 convention, foresters from the White River National Forest and USFS [...]
Throughout the eastern United States, federal and state land owners have adapted the dramatic step of closing all public caves to visitation in a determined effort to slow the spread of the fungus that leads to White Nose Syndrome among bats. Since first identified in February 2006, the WNS pathogen has spread from New York [...]
Colorado cavers learned May 20 that the owners of the Orient Mine in the San Luis Valley of south central Colorado have decided to close the Orient Mine and caves owing to concerns regarding the spread of White Nose Syndrome. The mine and cave will be closed for public visitation during all of 2009. The historic Orient [...]
Members of the ad-hoc committee creating the new Colorado Cave Survey cave database have undertaken a spirited discussion in recent days regarding the purpose of the database, requirements for reviewing the database, and ultimately, how to protect caves from harm. Some cavers are concerned that the creation of such a database may provide opportunities in [...]