Although US Forest Service officials seem all but certain to issue a blanket cave closure order for all caves and inactive mines on Forest lands in the Rocky Mountain region owing to concerns about the spread of the White Nose Syndrome fungus, Colorado’s three commercially-operated caves will remain open for business.

Cave of the Winds and Glenwood Caverns have issued statements in July reporting they will remain open for business and visitor tours, even if the Forest Service closes public caves in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas.

Cave of the Winds General Manager Grant Carey stated that “having an informed and experienced show cave community visible to and interfacing with the public is one of the most comprehensive ways to inform, protect and conserve caves and all the resources they hold, including bats.”

“We are working with the U.S. Forest Service and want to reassure our customers that Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves are not affected and are open for business as usual,” reported Steve Beckley, owner of Glenwood Caverns in west central Colorado.

The National Caves Association, America’s organization for commercial cave owners and management, reports that in Indiana and Missouri, media reports of Forest cave closures by the federal government has resulted in a reduction of paying visitors, owing to public confusion over the closure. In some instances, media reports have been unclear, suggesting all caves, regardless of ownership or access, have been closed, rather than public caves on Forest lands.

In Cave of the Winds and Glenwood Caverns, bats are not commonly seen. The identification of the fungus causing White Nose Syndrome on a bat in a non-public west-central Oklahoma cave has resulted in Forest officials in Colorado to consider implementation of a minimum one-year full closure of caves in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas, even though the fungus has not been found in any of these states and no bats are currently known to be infected. However, the Forest Service has repeatedly said they prefer an early closure of caves and mines to the public rather than wait until the region has become infected, as happened in states in the northeast.

Bat biologists are conflicted whether the fungus is spread by humans to bats, or whether bat-to-bat transmission is the primary vector. Increasing scientific evidence suggests that bat-to-bat transmission is the leading cause of infection among new bat colonies. Additional research is needed, however.

Cave of the Winds also reports they are closing two non-developed caves in Williams Canyon near Manitou Springs, Colorado. Myotis and Natural Bridges caves are closed to cavers as they have been found in the past to contain significant bat colonies, with 20 or more bats. The cave’s management is working with the National Speleological Society’s Williams Canyon Project, which has provided assistance in cave access and management policies for the more than 70 caves in Williams Canyon and adjacent Cavern Gulch. “I strongly believe that maintaining a collaborative relationship is the best course for a long-term cave conservation and access,” stated Jeremy Stiles, the Cave of the Winds manager.

Stiles indicates some skepticism as to the effectiveness of a blanket closure on Forest lands. “Perhaps the proposed closing of caves is both premature in timing and unnecessarily broad in its scope,” Stiles reported on July 15. “Why close caves that bats don’t actually inhabit on a regular or seasonal basis? What will happen to other equally important scientific exploration, inquiry and study in these caves in the interim? Has the economic impact, including tourism fallout, been appropriately taken into account?”

Both the National Speleological Society and Bat Conservation International have advised federal authorities that targeted closures of significant bat caves is the best option for cave management.

The Colorado Cave Survey of the National Speleological Society announced on July 17 they are beginning a Colorado bat database for cave visitors to report sightings of bats in caves in the state. This database will allow cave visitors to also report numbers of bats seen and the condition of the bats. Collected data will be made available to selected land use partners and for accredited scientific study.

Forest officials are expected to issue a closure order for regional public Forest caves in the coming days or weeks.

The Yampah Spa Vapor Caves at Glenwood Springs also is unaffected by the pending Forest closure order. It is privately owned, and no bats have ever been seen within the cave’s naturally hot and humid atmosphere.

Tags: bats, Cave of the Winds, closure, Glenwood Caverns, US Forest Service, White Nose Syndrome, Williams Canyon Project, Yampah Spa Vapor Caves