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 state to Canada and along the Appalachian Mountains to Tennessee. In the last year, it also has been discovered in Missouri and in western Oklahoma.

Although Red Ant Cave on Colorado's White River Plateau contains no bats, a blanket closure of all White River National Forest caves would close this small cave. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2008.)

Even with the closing of all public caves to human visitors, the pathogen continues to spread each year by hundreds of miles. Biologists are now concerned the pathogen might soon spread to Central and South America, killing bats throughout the Western Hemisphere. Equally as alarming, it is possible the pathogen already is present in caves throughout the Hemisphere, and that some environmental factor is triggering it to affect bats, killing 90 to 95 percent of the infected.

Like something out of a horror novel, the pathogen and Syndrome is spreading faster than ever thought possible, catching land managers in a quandary of whether it is better to close to visitation all possible roosts, such as caves and mines, or to allow nature to take its course. What about bats that don’t roost in mines or caves? How do we protect these? One environmental group is suggesting that to protect these bats, the unprecedented action of closing forests to all human visitors must also be taken.

In Colorado, a group of federal land managers, bat biologists, scientists and cavers have met regularly by telephone for honest conversations throughout this last year. Recognizing the fungus could eventually reach the Centennial State, the group worked together to determine a possible action plan for its arrival. Key to this action plan was a determination for openness and aggressive public education and communication, so that all outdoor visitors will be aware of the issues and the challenges.

By Christmas of 2009, the group had tentatively decided that unlike their counterparts in the eastern United States, Colorado would not necessarily close each and every cave and mine in the state when faced with the approaching pathogen. Instead, targeted closures of particularly sensitive caves known to harbor bats in significant quantities in the proper environmental conditions to grow the pathogen might be a sensible alternative. By closing A, B, and C caves with significant colonies, X, Y, and Z caves could remain open for visitors without endangering the bats within the more significant caves.

Recently, a similar multidiscipline committee in Alabama chose a similar plan – sensitive caves with significant bat colonies within the state would be closed to visitation to protect the bats, while other caves without bats or outside the parameters of the pathogen would remain open.

With the identification of the pathogen in a western Oklahoma cave in early May (interestingly, in a cave never open to the public), the Colorado bat committee understandably showed concern that their several year timeline for discussion had suddenly compressed to only weeks or months. In past instances of the discovery of the WNS pathogen, US Fish and Wildlife promptly recommended to state and federal land owners that all caves and mines in adjoining states be closed to visitations. This has not happened as of yet in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas or Texas.

Instead, the state is awaiting direction from federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service as to what route Colorado should take. Given the wide range of elevations, cave types and distances in Colorado, a blanket closure of caves and mines probably does not make sense. Yet, allowing federal agencies based in Washington, with nameless bureaucrats and unnamed industry “friends” to be making the decision for Colorado’s future seems equally as troubling. Simply because Washington says so does not make it right.

Let’s hope Colorado takes a leadership role in the management of White Nose Syndrome in the state. The state and federal agencies should adapt a version of the “Alabama Plan,” specifically modified for the unique nature of the Rocky Mountains. Given the remoteness of Colorado’s caves and their wide spread locations, it will be nearly impossible to patrol all caves to watch for closure violators. A better plan will be to select the top-tier caves with established bat colonies and protect them from unintended human exposure to the White Nose Syndrome pathogen. Even then, entrance signage and public education and communication will be more effective than expending thousands of dollars for entrance gates and protective fencing, not to mention the additional thousands of man hours for law enforcement to patrol the caves.

The news today that the Center for Biological Diversity has decided to sue the federal Department of the Interior over its lack of response to providing a plan to protect America’s bats from White Nose Syndrome is hardly surprising.

The Center’s June 23 announcement about their pending lawsuit is clear that their January 2010 Endangered Species Act petition has not been officially answered by the Department by the legally-stated April deadline provides sufficient reason to take the federal government to court to gain an answer. Yet, the Center’s suggestion that the feds are deliberately stalling and ignoring the petition is ignorant at best.

Colorado cavers may need to avoid caves containing bats. (Mark Maslyn photograph, copyright 2004.)

Vermont conservation advocate and biologist Mollie Matteson has been at the forefront of the Center’s response to the national threat to bats from the White Nose Syndrome pathogen. Since its discovery in a New York state cave in 2006, an estimated one million bats have died owing to the white fungus that coats the faces of infected bats. This fungus is not lethal by itself; rather its presence encourages bats to awaken from hibernation for grooming, using stored body fat and increasing hunger. When the bats fly from their roosts in winter seeking insects to eat, they find none and slowly starve to death.

During the pathogen’s steady spread across the eastern United States and Canada these last four years, Ms. Matteson has been a clear voice calling for the federal government to do something, anything, to save the bats. Extinction of some species is a distinct possibility, yet ongoing scientific study indicates that all bats may not be affected by the pathogen, and that some environments will not support the growth of the fungus associated with the Syndrome. European bats, for instance, have shown signs of the fungus, suggesting the pathogen may have originated on that continent and somehow made its way to North America. Other scientific studies indicate the fungus may not infect some bats, and there may be some air temperatures that do not support its growth. More scientific study is clearly necessary.

At this time, it is still unclear if the pathogen is even spread by bats between colonies, or if unwitting human cave visitors and other animals are helping it spread to new caves and states. Evidence points mostly to bat-to-bat transmission, though careless cave visitors – even bat biologists – may have played a role in the initial spread of the pathogen in the northeastern United States.

Given the uncertainty of the nature of the pathogen, and the unclear method of transmission, it is difficult to fault the Department of the Interior for not providing an immediate response this spring as to their intended methods for protection of uninfected bat colonies. The Center has suggested a complete closure of all caves and mines in the United States, including commercial caves like Colorado’s Cave of the Winds and New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns, might be a good idea. Yet, given the likelihood that bats are spreading the pathogen with no assistance from man, the closure of all caves public and private might only temporarily slow the pathogen’s progression across the continent. Even if only public caves were to be closed by various federal and state agencies, unless the caves are securely gated with electronic alarms linked to waiting patrol officers, it is unlikely that each and every visitor will honor closure orders – even when fines and jail time are possible.

In the western United States, state and federal land owners would have an impossible task to patrol all caves. Given the thousands of caves on public lands, many in remote roadless regions, the federal government would need to hire tens of thousands of rangers to patrol, watching for closure violators. Since the federal government is having a difficult time simply patrolling the nation’s border watching for illegal immigrants, it is unlikely it can manage patrolling all public lands.

Perhaps mindful of these considerations, Colorado’s Division of Wildlife, along with cooperating state and federal agencies, and caving groups like the National Speleological Society’s Colorado Cave Survey, has been quietly discussing an action plan for the last year and how the state might handle an outbreak of White Nose Syndrome within its borders.

With the discovery in May 2010 of White Nose Syndrome in a northwestern Oklahoma gypsum cave, it is reasonable to assume the pathogen may make its way to the Rockies within the next year.

Rather than blanket closing all caves within the state, the informal Colorado bat working group instead is considering closures of specific caves known to hold significant bat colonies that could be at risk from White Nose Syndrome. Other caves with no known bats or very few bats could remain open to visitation under such a plan. By specifically targeting caves that hold large colonies, federal and state authorities have a realistic opportunity to effectively patrol and catch violators.

Instead of legally requiring the federal government to make immediate decisions based upon incomplete scientific study, the Center for Biological Diversity might instead turn its considerable funding toward supporting increased scientific study. Additional fact-based scientific knowledge will be helpful in determining how – and if – the White Nose Syndrome pathogen can be stopped.

The clock is ticking. Should valuable time be spent in federal court arguing among lawyers? Or should qualified scientists be encouraged and funded to find a cure for the Syndrome, or at least a way to stop its spread?

The nature of caves is such that those who explore and study them can sometimes be obsessive. How long is this cave? How deep is it? How does it compare to other caves? This obsession can sometimes be healthy, leading to greater discoveries and scientific knowledge, or it can lead to tragedy.

Outdoor author James M. Tabor, whose 2007 book “Forever on the Mountain” investigated the heartbreaking story of seven men who died on Alaska’s Mt. McKinley in 1967, moves from the heights of North America to the depths of the Earth for his new book, “Blind Descent.” In 2004, American Bill Stone and Ukrainian Alexander Klimchouk sought one of the greatest challenges left on the planet – the exploration of its deepest cave. Only one would be victorious in their “race,” which really wasn’t a race, as much as an obsession to go deep in two caves on two continents.

Released nationally by Random House Publishers in mid June 2010, “Blind Descent” is the highest profile book about caves, cavers and caving in the last decade. In the tradition of classic popular caving books like William R. Halliday’s “Depths of the Earth,” Michael Ray Taylor’s “Dark Life,” and Barbara am Ende’s and Bill Stone’s “Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent Into the World’s Most Treacherous Cave,” Tabor’s new book will bring the sometimes thrilling world of cave exploration to the general population. With much to owe to the classic books, as well as caving-related films and television documentaries that precede it, “Blind Descent” signals a subtle change in the way the public views caves.

Following the 2001 release of MacGillivray-Freeman’s successful IMAX-format documentary “Journey Into Amazing Caves,” Hollywood was awakened to caves and caving as a fascinating subject matter. Featuring former Denver caver Dr. Hazel Barton as one of two scientists exploring caves for science, “Amazing Caves” featured extreme cave environments that emphasized the mysterious, unknown nature of these darkened chambers, corridors and shafts.

Hollywood reacted by releasing in the following years adventure-horror films such as “The Cave,” and “The Descent.” Although caves and caving are prominent in both films, the clear stars are the horrific creatures that live within these fictional caves, who terrorize and devour the hapless cavers and scientists who dare enter their realm.

Documentaries on cable television networks like Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel and The History Channel provided the public with more opportunities to learn about caves and caving. These documentaries used “Amazing Caves” as a starting point, even using the same featured cavers like Nancy Holler Aulenbach and Dr. Barton.

Not surprisingly, Tabor reports his inspiration for “Blind Descent” was direct from Dr. Barton, who told of Stone’s obsession of Mexico’s Sistema Cheve while they participated in a shoot of The History Channel’s 2007 documentary, “Journey to the Center of the World.” Since “Journey” was not picked up by The History Channel as a basis for a new caving series, Tabor decided to pursue Stone’s story of Cheve, and add the story of Klimchouk’s explorations of Krubera-Voronja Cave in the Western Caucasus of the Republic of Georgia. In 2004, the Georgian cave was explored to a depth of 2,080 meters – 6,824 feet – shattering the depth record of Austria’s Lamprechtsofen, and leaving far behind Sistema Cheve, despite Stone’s obsessive effort.

Today, Cheve remains the deepest cave in the Western Hemisphere at 1,484 meters, yet it ranks as only the 11^th deepest in the world. Krubera-Voronja has been further explored in the last six years to a depth of 2,191 meters – an astounding 707 meters deeper than Cheve (that’s 2,320 feet, or the equivalent of two Empire State Buildings).

Tabor’s “Blind Descent” is attracting favorable reviews in the book trades, including Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Amazon.com named Tabor’s book as one of its featured Best Books of the Month for June. Jon Stewart, of Comedy Central’s popular “Daily Show,” invited him as his featured guest on the book’s June 15 release date. The following week, Tabor begins a national book tour with stops at Denver’s Tattered Cover Colfax store and the following evening at the Boulder Bookstore on downtown Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall.

Recognizing this change in public perception, one of Hollywood’s most influential and successful producer/directors, James Cameron, has been busy working with director Alister Grierson on “Sanctum.” A 3D caving movie based upon a 1988 true-life caving adventure in Australia’s Nullarbor, the film tells the story of obsessive cavers who explore an underwater Papua New Guinea cave, only to be trapped within when the entrance collapses. The $30 million film will be released worldwide in March 2011 and could bring to caving the public attention Cameron’s movies have brought to the moon Pandora, the lost luxury liner Titanic and killer robots from the future.

For caves and caving, this new public attention in books, television and film could mean more books and movies in the coming years, as well as more active participants.

Families looking for a great summer vacation are increasingly considering the excitement and romance of exploring the American West. With airfare and destination resorts generally priced beyond the average family budget, traveling by car or mini van and camping out under the stars is an immensely satisfying alternative.

For many families, touring national parks, monuments, national forests and state and federal lands provide an opportunity to see America’s spectacular natural attractions.

A part of the American West that is less visible, yet equally as awe-inspiring and thrilling as Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, are the region’s commercially-operated caves. These ancient natural attractions are expertly-developed, providing a safe opportunity to enter the weird and unexplained underground worlds hidden beneath our feet. Seeing the mountains from the inside out provides a fresh perspective on the geologic processes that shaped the West.

Increasingly sophisticated in their public presentation, many of the commercial caves of the Rockies have invested in new electric lighting systems, recruited and trained competent guides, opened new chambers and passageways, and added kid-friendly attractions, such as sluice boxes, climbing walls, and sandbox digs for gems and fossils. Although corny jokes and entertaining banter from guides may have served a purpose in an earlier era, many of today’s public and private caves tours more resemble nature hikes with knowledgeable naturalists. New lighting, too, eliminates the colorful electric lights that brilliantly illuminated many of the caverns in the 20^th century, and instead emphasizes their natural darkness and mystery.

Cave of the Winds at Manitou Springs, Colorado is one of the most popular privately-owned commercial caves in the United States. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2009.)

Adventure is Underground

For many children, descending deep into a cave is a thrilling experience. Leaving behind the sunlit world, children are intrigued with the darkened underground passageways and the unknown. How far might these caves extend? What life might be found within these passages and chambers? How did these caves form? Is there any gold, treasure or bones within these caves?

A great start for your speleo touring vacation is the National Caves Association. A professional association of the majority of America’s commercially-operated caves, the NCA’s web site includes a directory of more than 80 member caves by state, including direct links to each cave’s web site. The site also includes information about basic cave science, and helpful tips to better enjoy tours.

The National Park Service protects numerous caves across the United States, including several open in the Rocky Mountains. The Park Service’s Cave and Karst Program web site includes listings of parks that feature caves, as well as a photographic gallery, links to other cave-related web sites and downloadable PDF issues of Inside Earth, a quarterly newsletter about Park system caves. These informative newsletters contain fascinating news and information, some of which has not otherwise been announced to the public.

Before heading off on your underground journey, another worthwhile web site is the American Cave Conservation Association. The ACCA is America’s leading conservation group, working to study, preserve and protect caves and karst features. The non-profit association’s site includes many useful pages and sections, including a section specifically for kids. Many puzzles, games, educational activities and even a quiz provide children with a fun opportunity to learn more about caves.

Once you’ve loaded your car, filled up with gas and are on your way, there are numerous opportunities to explore the underground West.

Colorado Cave Destinations

Cave of the Winds – Historic limestone cavern at Manitou Springs in the Pikes Peak region opened to the public in 1880. Three scheduled tours: 45-minute electrically-lit Discovery Tour, 90-minute Manitou Grand Caverns Lantern Tour and new 45-minute EcoVenture Tour with flashlights. Free hiking in Williams Canyon with signed waivers.

Glenwood Caverns – Scenic limestone cavern and adventure park on Iron Mountain overlooking Glenwood Springs. Originally shown as the Fairy Caves in 1895. Three scheduled tours: 70-minute electrically-lit Cave Tour, 2-1/2 hour Adventure Tour and 3-hour Wild Tour. Park includes an alpine coaster, a big swing over Glenwood Canyon, a climbing wall, a 4D movie theater and other attractions. Visitors take a tramway to and from the park.

Yampah Spa Vapor Caves – Hot, vapor-filled limestone cavern at Glenwood Springs features self-guided trips. Most visitors spend 10-12 minutes in the 110-degree Vapor Caves, relaxing on marble benches. Also featured are soothing spa treatments in adjoining spa.

Montana Cave Destinations

Lewis and Clark Caverns – Limestone cavern located west of Bozeman along the Jefferson River. Montana’s first state park, originally designated a national monument. Two hour, entrance-to-entrance guided tour with electric lights. Featuring a new park visitor’s center in 2010, Lewis and Clark Caverns offers a family discount, plus cabins, a campground and hiking trails. Discovered in 1892.

Mystery Cave – Rustic limestone cave in the southern Pryor Mountains, near the Wyoming border. The cave is administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Billings. Until 2009, the cave was open during the summer months to scheduled guided tours, with visitors carrying their own lights. The Bureau closed Mystery Cave to access in 2009 owing to concerns about the spread of White Nose Syndrome to western caves. Check first with the Billings office before visiting. Located within the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.

Idaho Cave Destinations

Minnetonka Cave – Idaho’s only commercially-operated limestone cave, Minnetonka is located in southeastern Idaho, northwest of Bear Lake. Open for visits during the summer, Minnetonka Cave is within the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Commercial tours are operated by a licensee of the US Forest Service. Guided 90 minute tours, electric lighting.

Idaho’s Mammoth Cave – Located near Shoshone, the cave is an extensive lava tube. Visitors carry lanterns along the 30 minute tour route. The Shoshone Bird Museum of Natural History featuring stuffed birds is adjacent to the cave. Discovered in 1902.

Shoshone Ice Caves – Located north of Shoshone. One hour tours in a lava tube featuring an ice-covered floor, keeping it chilly even in the summer. Warm jackets are recommended. Indian artifact and mineral museum adjacent to cave. Nearby, the Bureau of Land Management’s Shoshone Field Office manages 14 undeveloped lava tubes open to the public, including the popular Tee Maze Cave, an extensive, multi-level, branching lava tube.

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve – Established in 1924, contains more than 300 known lava tube, fissure and weathering caves. Located northeast of Shoshone. Jointly managed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the park’s Caves Trail provides access to four caves of interest to visitors – Beauty Cave, Boy Scout Cave, Dew Drop Cave and Indian Tunnel. Excepting the large, multi-entranced Indian Tunnel, each of these lava tubes requires lights and minimal caving equipment to explore.

Utah Cave Destinations

Timpanogos Cave National Monument – Located in American Fork Canyon east of Provo. Reached by a paved 1-1/2 mile long trail gaining 1,160 feet in elevation, the limestone cavern is actually three caves joined together by short, mined tunnels. Established in 1922. Guided, electrically-lit one hour tours by the National Park Service are scheduled throughout the summer. Advance ticket sales are recommended, as tours will sell out.

Crystal Ball Cave – a rustic limestone cave near the Nevada border is located on Bureau of Land Management land. For many years, the cave was operated as a commercial public attraction by Jerald and Marlene Bates, the owners of the Warm Creek Ranch. Discovered in 1956. Unfortunately, the cave did not open for business in 2009, and may not open in 2010 owing to ongoing legalities regarding ownership.

South Dakota Cave Destinations

Wind Cave National Park – An extensive limestone cave located in the Black Hills north of Hot Springs. Wind Cave currently offers five tours for visitors. These include the three tours that are electrically lit: the 1-1/4 hour Natural Entrance Tour; the 1-1/2 hour Fairgrounds Tour; and the ¼ mile Garden of Eden Tour. The two hour Candlelight Tour requires visitors to carry candle buckets for illumination and the four hour Wild Tour visits rooms and chambers not improved or developed.

Jewel Cave National Monument – The second longest cave known in the world, this limestone cave is located west of Custer in the Black Hills. Jewel Cave offers four guided trips, including two including electrically-lit routes: the 80-minute Scenic Tour and the 20-minute Jewel Cave Discovery Talk. The 105-minute Lantern Tour enters and exits the cave through the natural entrance, located in scenic Hell Canyon. Participants carry hand-held lanterns. The three to four hour Wild Caving Tour includes tight crawls and squeezes as narrow as 8-1/2 inches by 24 inches.

Rushmore Cave – Opened to the public in 1952, Rushmore Cave is located southeast of Keystone in the Black Hills. Two guided tours are offered through this limestone cavern. The one hour electrically-lit Walking Tour follows paved trails, while the 2-1/2 hour Xpedition Adventure Tour requires visitors to carry their own lights and climb and squeeze.

Black Hills Caverns – Located just west of Rapid City in the Black Hills. Discovered in 1882, the limestone cave features two electrically-lit guided tours; the one hour Adventure Tour and the 30 minute Crystal Tour.

Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns – Located southwest of Rapid City in the Black Hills. Features 45-minute electrically-lit guided tour into a limestone cave well-known for its large dogtooth spar. Native American gift shop adjacent to cave. Discovered in 1929.

Wonderland Cave – Located northeast of Nemo in the Black Hills, Wonderland Cave is a part of the Black Hills National Forest but is managed under permit by a private operator. The limestone cave offers a one hour, electrically-lit tour. Gift and rock shop adjacent to cave. Discovered in 1929.

Arizona Cave Destinations

Kartchner Caverns State Park – Located south of Benson, the spectacular limestone Kartchner Caverns offers two electrically-lit guided tours for visitors. The 90-minute Rotunda/Throne Room Tour is available year round, while the 105-minute Big Room Tour is only scheduled during the winter season. Reservations are recommended for all tours. Discovered in 1974. Camping, gift shop, café, and visitor’s center can be found in the park.

Grand Canyon Caverns – Along historic Route 66 northwest of Seligman in northern Arizona, this limestone cavern offers two electrically-lit guided tours. The 45-minute Regular Tour and 25-minute Short Tour each descend and ascend into the cavern by elevator. The Explorers Tour is off-trail and visits rooms not shown on the electrically-lit tours. Also offered is a “Cavern Suite” for a unique underground overnight stay, horseback riding and Jeep Tours to the Grand Canyon. Discovered in 1927.

Colossal Cave Mountain Park – Located southeast of Tucson along the Old Spanish Trail, Colossal Cave offers multiple visitor tours. The 50-minute Colossal Cave Tour is the most popular and the only tour with electrical lighting. More adventuresome is the 90-minute Ladder Tour, which visits partially improved regions of the cave. The 90-minute Candlelight Tour visits the regular tour route, but with only candles for illumination. Most challenging of all the tours is the Wild Cave Tour, which requires basic caving skills and visits unimproved sections of the cave. Exhibits, picnics, camping, and trail rides are also available in the park. Discovered in 1879.

New Mexico Cave Destinations

El Malpais National Monument – South of Grants in northwestern New Mexico, El Malpais National Monument is a rugged volcanic region featuring several undeveloped lava tubes open to the public. Many tubes can be explored, including Junction Cave, Four Windows and Big Skylight Caves. Adjacent is the El Malpais National Conservation Area, managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Horseback riding, hiking and sightseeing are other activities in the region.

Ice Cave – Located southwest of Grants, the Ice Cave and adjacent Bandera Volcano are accessible by self-guided trails. Privately owned, the Ice Cave is a lava tube with a deep ice layer on its floor. A stairway and viewing platform provide access to the cave.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park – Southeastern New Mexico’s Carlsbad Cavern is world-famous, with the National Park Service offering a variety of guided and self-guided tours. Two self-guided electrically-lit tours are available in the limestone cavern, including the Natural Entrance Tour and the Big Room Tour. Each route takes from 90 minutes to two hours to complete. The Kings Palace Tour is a 90-minute guided tour through Carlsbad’s four scenic rooms; the route is illuminated. Three other tours to non-illuminated sections of the Cavern are available: the two-hour lantern-lit Left Hand Tunnel Tour; the three-hour Lower Cave Tour, which includes ladders; and the four-hour Hall of the White Giant Tour, a caving route that includes crawls, squeezes and climbs. Elsewhere in the park, the rustic Slaughter Canyon Cave offers two-hour guided walking tours, including a steep half mile hike to the canyon side entrance. The four-hour Spider Cave Tour includes squeezing, crawling and climbing, plus a half mile hike to the cave entrance.

“If anyone asks you, I’m planning on going to Mexico to go on a caving expedition for a couple weeks,” wrote Colorado Grotto member LeAnn Emry in a January 14, 2003 email to cousin Heather Emry.

Fifteen days later, near a natural gas well in Utah’s lonely Bryson Canyon just west of the Colorado border, Emry was executed by Boulder serial killer Scott Lee Kimball – a bullet to her head at close range. Emry was the first of four known murders by Kimball, who had been released from prison by Colorado US Attorney General John Suthers, now Colorado’s elected Attorney General.

LeAnn Emry in January 2003, a few weeks before her murder. Photograph from Scott Lee Kimball's notebook computer.

Suthers, nominated in July 2001 to the federal position by President George W. Bush, is reported in a May 23, 2010 Denver Post article to have no “specific recollection” about his action releasing the Boulder-born Kimball from prison to serve as a Federal Bureau of Investigation informant. Yet, Kimball’s release from prison on December 18 led directly to his contacting Emry on Christmas Day, and her murder a month later.

Standing for reelection in November 2010, Republican Suthers reported in a May 24, 2010 interview that he “regrets” his decision to release Kimball, but has “no recollection of any involvement in the case.” His Democratic opponent, Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett, told the Post the plea bargain agreement was “one of the worst” to his knowledge, given the subsequent deaths of at least four Colorado residents. Many experienced political pundits suggest this may be the Attorney General’s “Willie Horton” moment, affecting his chances for reelection.

Emry, a frequent and energetic participant in trips to the caves of Williams Canyon near the Cave of the Winds, regularly attended meetings of the Colorado Grotto in Denver. Following her return to Colorado in 2002 from a Texas divorce, the blonde 24-year-old lived with her parents in Centennial, Colorado. Romantically involved with federal inmate Steven Holley, Emry was told by Holley she could trust Kimball. Allegedly, Kimball claimed to be involved in a secret scheme to release Holley from prison so he could move to Mexico with her. Sadly, a few weeks after Emry’s departure from Aurora with Kimball, the two went hiking in the desolate Book Cliffs canyon, a hike from which she never returned. Emry’s Toyota Corolla with its distinctive “Dal Gal” personalized plates was found abandoned by a sheriff’s deputy on February 1, 2003 not far from the canyon, her caving and camping gear still inside. Her bones would not be recovered until March 11, 2009, after Kimball led authorities to the canyon.

LeAnn Emry at her 1995 graduation from Centennial, Colorado's Eaglecrest High School. (Idaho Statesman image.)

On February 9, 2010, Emry’s family celebrated her life in a service in Payette, Idaho, where they had moved. In the eulogy, her father Howard stated that “up to the time of her death, she was an active member of the Colorado Grotto Society and was an avid caver. She loved the challenge of exploring caves in her spare time.”

Kimball is currently serving a 70-year sentence at the 2,500-bed Sterling Correctional Facility in Sterling, Colorado. Recently, he told Denver’s Fox31 there is a criminal conspiracy surrounding the circumstances of the deaths and that he was simply a gun for hire. He is confident he will be released before his 70 years are served.

At Kimball’s October 8, 2009 sentencing in Boulder, Emry’s mother Darlene told the court: “LeAnn was nothing more to Mr. Kimball than an expendable item and once dead she was no more important to him than the carcass of a dead animal. He is a monster with no conscience and should be treated as such.”

Regarding Suthers, it is reported he received about five requests for transfers and releases each month by the FBI. None of the transfers indicated the reason behind the requests. Since Kimball was a non-violent offender, he approved the release without further investigation.

Little data exists as to how many people actively visit undeveloped caves in the United States. Though commercial caves such as Colorado’s Glenwood Caverns and the Cave of the Winds regularly attract more than 100,000 visitors annually, no organization or governmental agency has attempted to determine the overall number of visitors to developed or undeveloped caves. Most certainly, it is in the millions, given that America’s commercial caves collectively attract upwards of one million customers each year.

Of those who visit caves on even an occasional basis, anecdotal evidence suggests that only a fraction seek out meetings of a local chapter of the National Speleological Society. America’s only national organization of cavers, cave conservationists and cave scientists, the Society was chartered in 1941. Headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, about 11,000 members in all 50 states comprise the Society today. Many states, including Colorado, have local chapters called grottos.

Like many outdoor enthusiast groups, grottos include men and women of all ages and abilities who enjoy caves and caving. They gather together regularly to report on recent cave trips, discuss news, and arrange future outings. Meeting at libraries, restaurants, public meeting rooms, and even private homes, chapters of the Society commonly meet monthly. Many grotto meetings are informal, with conversation dominating. Others are a little more formal, with a business meeting. Some meetings feature video or PowerPoint programs or talks about caves and caving, be it local, national or international.

Membership in a grotto is very inexpensive, with annual fees ranging from $5 to $10. Some grottos offer family memberships, allowing a family to join at a discounted rate. For grottos in Colorado, membership is encouraged, both in the chapter and in the Society, though not required.

Colorado cavers enjoy getting together for occasional events like the Mad Rats weekend. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2006.)

Although grottos offer open trips to area caves, most do not provide guide services. Unlike other outdoor organizations, published trip schedules are rare. More often, cavers will announce trips at meetings, passing around sign up sheets or informally talking with interested cavers following the meeting. Some grottos such as the Colorado Grotto schedule weekends at area caving areas that are open to all interested cavers. Larger gatherings, such as Colorado’s annual Mad Rats weekend, attract cavers from across the state.

Grottos also offer training for new members, including rope work and basic caving skills. Jason Conner of the Red Canyon Grotto offers a caving class, and the Southern Colorado Mountain Grotto regularly schedules vertical training sessions.

Colorado Grottos You Can Join

Active chapters of the National Speleological Society in Colorado are located in Fort Collins/Loveland, Northglenn, Denver, Colorado Springs, Canon City, Glenwood Springs and Rifle.

For cavers in the Fort Collins/Loveland area, the Northern Colorado Grotto meets the second Tuesday of each month at a member’s house. Originally begun in 1968 as a student grotto with Colorado State University, the chapter rechartered as a standard grotto in the 1980s.

In the summer of 2011, Denver’s Colorado Grotto will celebrate its 60^th anniversary. Founded by Dr. William R. Halliday, author of such caving classics as Adventure is Underground, Depths of the Earth and American Caves and Caving, the chapter was one of  the Society’s first west of the Mississippi River. Colorado’s largest chapter in terms of membership, the grotto meets regularly at the Friends Meeting House just east of Denver University on the first Thursday of each month. The Colorado Grotto is a member of the Wind Cave Project, at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Survey and exploration trips to this large Black Hills cavern are held regularly throughout the year.

The Denver metropolitan area’s second chapter, the Front Range Grotto, was begun in 1962 as a student grotto at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. In 1976, the grotto reorganized as a standard grotto, changed its name to the Colorado Mines Grotto, and met at a variety of locations in Lakewood and Denver. In the mid 1980s, the chapter renamed itself again and moved to Northglenn, where it has stayed ever since. It currently meets on the third Wednesday of each month at the public meeting room at O’Meara Ford.

Colorado Springs is home to Colorado’s second largest grotto, the Southern Colorado Mountain Grotto, chartered in 1977. Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month at Jack Quinn’s in downtown Colorado Springs, and are usually well-attended. With Cave of the Winds only minutes from Colorado Springs, the grotto hosts an annual holiday dinner and party for members at the cave each December.

For cavers in the Canon City/Pueblo area, the Red Canyon Grotto in Canon City provides a local opportunity to become involved in caves and caving. Meeting the second Wednesday of each month at McLellen’s Grill and Brewing Company in downtown Canon City, the grotto has a small but energetic membership. It was chartered in 2007 and is Colorado’s newest grotto.

In western Colorado, two chapters of the Society offer the opportunity for fellowship and cave activities. The Timberline Grotto in Glenwood Springs was founded in 1987 and meets the second Saturday of March, September and December at member’s homes. The grotto also hosts a weekend of caving on the White River Plateau each Memorial Day weekend.

The Colorado Western Slope Grotto, chartered in 2006, is based in Rifle. With members from Rifle, Grand Junction, Montrose other western Colorado cities and towns, the chapter meets online the second Wednesday of each month. Visit the grotto’s web site for additional information regarding these unique online meetings.

Other Colorado Caving Organizations

All Colorado grottos are members of the Colorado Cave Survey, the non-profit state organization that manages cave access and management with private and public land owners. The Survey also maintains files on Colorado caves, old cave registers, cave survey notes, and documentation on various caves. The Survey is an organization of the Society and includes representatives from each member grotto.

Most Colorado grottos are also members of the Williams Canyon Project of the National Speleological Society. Chartered in 1989, the Project assists the privately-owned Cave of the Winds manage the many caves of Williams Canyon and Cavern Gulch. The Project also oversees activities in the caves, including recreational, exploration, scientific and conservation trips. The Project board of directors and interested cavers meet three times annually, in September, January and April at the Cave of the Winds.

Many grottos maintain membership in the Fairy Caves Project at Glenwood Caverns. Organized in 1999, the project works closely with the management of the commercial cave, helping coordinate caver projects and activities, including science, exploration, conservation and recreation.

Although many of the grottos maintain membership newsletters and email lists, many are publishing partners of Rocky Mountain Caving, Colorado’s state caving journal. Published quarterly, the journal was founded in 1984 when the newsletters from the Southern Colorado Mountain Grotto, Colorado Mines and Colorado grottos joined together. Professionally designed and published, Rocky Mountain Caving is one of America’s leading caving journals, having published over 100 editions in the last 26 years. It includes news and information about caves, cavers and caving in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West. Subscriptions are available through the member grottos, or direct from the publisher.

Colorado chapters are also members of the Society’s Rocky Mountain Region. Comprised of grottos in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota and Montana, the region often hosts a regional gathering in a caving area during a summer weekend, Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Although new cavers usually attend grotto meetings seeking information about local caves and caving, the fellowship, knowledge and experience of the members offer an excellent reason to join and actively participate. Whether you are interested in cave exploration, science, conservation or simply enjoying caves, National Speleological Society grottos provide an opportunity to become a part of a larger state and national community.

Follow in the footsteps of Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher this summer and visit a cave for an out-of-the-ordinary vacation activity.

Whether you’re seeking the thrill and adventure of an undeveloped cave or prefer the comfort and safety of a commercially-developed cave, there are numerous options available for beginning and experienced underground visitors.

If you’ve never visited a cave before, a commercial cave with trails, lights and guides can provide a taste of the darkness of the underground. In Colorado, Cave of the Winds at Manitou Springs and Glenwood Caverns at Glenwood Springs provide two very different visitor experiences.

Cave of the Winds is one of the Pikes Peak region’s most historic attractions, providing underground tours since 1881. Incorporating both the Cave of the Winds and 19^th century rival Manitou Grand Caverns, the 45 minute Discovery Tour leads visitors through narrow corridors to stalactite and stalagmite-filled chambers such as the Temple of Silence, the Valley of Dreams, Canopy Hall and the Bridal Chamber. With paved trails, electric lights, handrails and an experienced tour guide, the tour includes an entertaining mixture of science and history, humor and tall tales.

Cave of the Winds at Manitou Springs, Colorado has been open for public tours since 1881. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2009.)

New for 2010, the Cave of the Winds is offering an alternative tour during evening hours along the Discovery Tour route. Called the Eco/Venture Tour, this special evening tour turns out the electric lights. Visitors carry flashlights to see the cave in a more natural environment and learn about cave ecology.

A popular, more adventuresome option for visitors at the Cave of the Winds is the 90 minute Lantern Tour. This longer tour includes a portion of the Discovery Tour route, but the main attraction is the Manitou Grand Caverns by lantern light. Visitors carry hand-held kerosene lanterns along an unpaved route from the turnaround point of the Discovery Tour deep into the mountain. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, visitors see chambers and rooms shown to the public from 1885 to 1906. The route includes one of the largest underground rooms in Colorado, the Grand Concert Hall, and an unusual “monument within a mountain,” the historic 1885 stone monument to President Ulysses S. Grant. Tours hear stories of the cave’s history, as well as spooky tales of ghosts and spirits that are said to haunt the passageways and chambers.

Even if you don’t like caves, the visitors center and gift shop at the Cave of the Winds provides a spectacular view of Manitou Springs and rugged Williams Canyon, a narrow gorge with high limestone cliffs. Hiking is permitted in the canyon to registered hikers who have completed liability waivers and registered at the gift shop; scenic Bridal Veil Falls is a popular destination.

At west central Colorado’s resort community of Glenwood Springs, the reopening of the former Fairy Caves in 1999 provided Colorado with a second commercial cave. Originally shown to the public from 1896 through about 1915, the Fairy Caves was sadly abandoned to tours owing to the outbreak of the “Great War” in Europe. Considered for reopening as Colorado Caverns in the mid 1960s, it was not until new ownership excavated a second entrance in 1999 that the cave was reopened for visitor tours.

The new attraction, named Glenwood Caverns, offers visitors the opportunity to explore the historic 1890s commercial tour route, one of the first cave routes in the United States to be illuminated by electric lights. The 70 minute tour includes the winding Darrow Tunnel, leading from the cave’s upper level to Exclamation Point, a scenic overlook of Glenwood Canyon from the middle of a precipitous cliff.

Exiting the cave, tour groups then enter the excavated 1999 tunnel into lower level chambers discovered in 1961 by cavers from the Colorado Grotto of the National Speleological Society. Their discoveries of the cave’s lower levels revealed some of Colorado’s finest decorated chambers and passageways, filled with pristine stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone. The tour visits The Barn, one of Colorado’s largest underground chambers, and King’s Row, a dazzling corridor filled with white and tan calcite dripstone and flowstone.

Seeking a more exciting tour? Glenwood Caverns offers 90 minute and 3 hour wild tours to undeveloped portions of the extensive, multi-mile cave. These trips provide an experienced guide and caving gear, including helmets and lights. Coveralls are available for rental, though visitors may bring their own caving clothes. Sturdy footwear is a must. The tours visit a section of the cave discovered in the mid 1950s by cavers seeking new passages and chambers.

Glenwood Caverns at Glenwood Springs, Colorado has become one of the city's major attractions in only ten years. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2005.)

Visitors to Glenwood Caverns arrive and depart via the Iron Mountain Tramway, featuring modern high speed gondolas from the tram station in Glenwood Springs to the mountainside gift shop and restaurant. The cave’s owners have added a variety of attractions on the mountain to entertain and delight visitors of all ages, including a unique mountainside roller coaster, a giant swing that swings out over Glenwood Canyon, three “4D” motion pictures, a climbing wall, a maze and many other activities.

Glenwood Springs also features another commercial cave that doesn’t offer visitors guided tours. Located at the western portal to Glenwood Canyon, the Yampah Spa Vapor Caves is a natural limestone cave with an active hot spring emerging from the cavern floor. The hot water and vapor fills the cave, providing an ideal opportunity to rest and relax on marble benches. Owing to the 110 degree heat and high humidity, most visitors spend only 10-12 minutes within the Vapor Caves, and then retreat to the coolness of the spa above.

If commercial caves seem a bit tame, consider visiting one of Colorado’s natural caves on public lands. Dinosaur National Monument in northwestern Colorado features an interesting non-solutional cave, located along the seasonal road to Echo Park. Whistling Cave is high and narrow, the result of a fracture along the sandstone cliff. Rifle Falls State Park, north of Rifle, includes several interesting caves in travertine. Up to 250 feet in length, some of these caves reach total darkness and even offer some crawling and squeezing for those wanting to test their caving skills. Rifle Mountain Park, just north of Rifle Falls, is a scenic Leadville Limestone canyon with several large shelter caves on both sides of the canyon.

South of Eagle, near Sylvan Lake State Park, Fulford Cave is a very popular summer destination. Most weekends, dozens of visitors follow the switch backing CCC-constructed foot trail from the Fulford Cave Campground to the cave’s entrance overlooking the scenic East Brush Creek valley.

From the cave’s culvert entrance, a mile of cave passageways, chambers and pits await exploration. Popular destinations include the stream gallery and waterfall, the Register Room, Moonmilk Corridor, the Attic, and the Cathedral Room. Steep pits and slippery slopes, tight crawlways and other challenges can be found within the cave, owned and managed by the White River National Forest. Warm clothing, sturdy footwear, multiple light sources, gloves and a helmet are highly recommended for all visitors who explore Fulford and other undeveloped caves.

Another popular White River National Forest cave is Spring Cave, located on the western White River Plateau near the South Fork Campground southeast of Meeker. Spring Cave contains a sizable underground stream and from May through July, many of the passages are usually flooded. Later in the summer and in the fall, the stream decreases in volume, allowing exploration of over a mile of cave passage.

While many visitors are content to visit Thunder Road and the Emerald Pool near the cave’s large entrance, more challenging routes lead to large stream galleries deeper in the mountain. Full wet suits and flotation devices are required for exploration beyond Jones Beach, where visitors have to wade and swim through the icy stream to Sump One. Exploration beyond Sump One is limited to experienced, trained cave divers, who in the 1970s and 1980s discovered additional passage beyond and three more sumps. The full extent of Spring Cave is as yet unknown.

Hubbard Cave, located along the south rim of Glenwood Canyon east of Glenwood Springs, is another popular undeveloped White River National Forest cave. Reached by a challenging four wheel drive road leads about seven miles to the Deadman’s Creek trailhead to the cave, Hubbard Cave receives less visitation than either Fulford or Spring Cave. The access road is narrow and steep, and can be impassable in rainy or snowy weather.

At Hubbard Cave, a series of large, parallel walking passages provide easy access to much of the known cave, making it an ideal destination for novice cavers and children. A low, tight squeeze in the back of the cave leads to the Grape Room and beyond, the Gypsum Room, the largest known chamber in Hubbard Cave.

South of the college community of Boulder, the Boulder Mountain Parks includes an established trail to Mallory Cave, a large sandstone shelter cave reached by a steep scramble. This cave is found near the popular Flatirons, and is seasonally closed each April through September to protect roosting Townsend’s Big Eared bats.

Sulphur Cave at Steamboat Springs, located on the ski slope at Howelsen Hill and reached by a city trail, is an unusual cave. Owing to the deadly carbon-dioxide atmosphere within the hot spring cave, visitors peer over the fence surrounding the entrance down into the cave’s shadowy entrance chamber. Unusual and rare cave life can be found within this cave, including strange worms similar to those found in the deep oceans adjacent to the “black smoker” vents and microbial sulfur-loving colonies living in gooey “snottites.” Sulphur Cave is Colorado’s first documented cave, having been described in an 1843 book regarding a trip through the Rocky Mountains to Oregon.

For very young children, an artificial cave at The Wildlife Experience in Parker offers an entertaining cave-like experience. Included in the Globeology exhibit, the cave is modeled after natural caves in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains and includes interactive exhibits about geology and biology.

If you’re seeking a different destination for a vacation, don’t overlook Colorado’s caves. They’re truly like no place on Earth.

This April, one of the first public attractions of the Pikes Peak region is celebrating its 135^th anniversary. Opened to visitors to the new resort community of Manitou in early April 1875, Mammoth Cave offered an opportunity to see a pristine Colorado cave, previously unknown to even the Native Americans who frequented the area’s bubbling mineral springs.

Williams Canyon north of Manitou Springs, Colorado. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2005.)

The April 10, 1875 Colorado Springs Weekly Gazette told breathlessly of the excitement at Manitou, nestled in the foothills of Pikes Peak: “Mr. Case, the proprietor, is having stairs constructed for the various descents, and suitable clothing and other conveniences are soon to be prepared for the use of parties desiring to visit the cave. Last Saturday, about 150 persons, some of them ladies, went through the cavern, and many others only await the promised preparations for a comfortable visit to make the tour of this subterranean wonder.”

Manitou itself was only four years old, having been founded in 1871 as a planned resort. Hotels as yet were few in the new community, but included the two-year-old Cliff House on the north bank of Fountain Creek. Advertising itself as the closest hotel to Mammoth Cave, the Cliff House looked to the new underground attraction as a means to bring visitors to Manitou, which lacked direct railroad access.

Mammoth Cave was discovered by quarrymen, who were excavating the limestone in scenic Williams Canyon above the famous Narrows. Reported the April 10 Weekly Gazette: “The mouth of the cave was discovered, as almost everything is, by accident. Some persons were blasting rock near by and noticed that the amount of chips and stones that flew into an almost hidden opening had no effect toward filling the hole, and so they threw in a quantity of loose stone, which gave no sound of striking the bottom. Tearing away the rubbish, the opening was fully exposed, and measured nearly six feet in diameter. A narrow passage down an inclined plane about twelve feet, widens into a crevasse about two feet wide and fourteen feet long. The descent from this is rapid, and a rope is used to accomplish it safely.”

News of the discovery quickly passed throughout the Colorado territory. Denver’s Rocky Mountain News reported on the cave in its April 21 edition. “Doubtless nearly every one who visits Manitou this season will visit the cave, though a great many more flights of stairs and bridges are needed before the trip can be comfortably and easily made.” The News reported that trips cost 50 cents and the proprietor furnishes “suitable clothing, lights, and a guide free, when there is a party of six to go in at one time.”

Mammoth Cave brought in business to the sleepy hotels of Manitou and increased awareness of the community across Colorado. Pueblo’s Colorado Daily Chieftain in its June 9 edition reported on the financial bonanza the cave has brought: “An explorer has discovered another vacuum in the rocks, styled the ‘Mammoth Cave’ – six hundred feet long – admission, fifty cents. It is said the proprietor has been offered $5,000 for it. I shall leave for my departed spirit, the subterranean business. There are other holes in these upheavals, but if they want their pedigrees given, they must pay for it.”

Given the popularity of Mammoth Cave, visitors and local residents explored the nooks and crannies of rugged Williams Canyon for other caves. A large natural archway, known since at least 1869, received the most attention. The celebrated national illustrated periodical, Harpers Weekly, in its October 2, 1875 edition, featured engravings by J.A. Randolph of the Manitou region. The page of illustrations included an image of the spectacular natural feature called “The Cave of the Winds.”

The October 2, 1875 edition of Harpers Weekly featured Manitou, Colorado and attractions such as Cave of the Winds.

Until July, 1880, Mammoth Cave stood alone as Colorado’s only commercial cave. Mammoth’s first competitor, the Cave of the Winds, opened to visitors that month, showing a section of the cave discovered by two young boys on a church outing. These boys, John and George Pickett, were participants of a boy’s exploring group organized by the Rev. R.T. Cross of the First Congregational Church of Colorado Springs. Ironically, the group had intended to explore Mammoth Cave, but was turned away by the cave’s proprietor, who steadfastly insisted that each boy pay the full 50 cent admission fee.

Although the Cave of the Winds was open for only a few months during the summer of 1880, its development killed public interest in Mammoth Cave. In the coming decades, as additional chambers and passages were discovered in the Cave of the Winds and in the nearby Manitou Grand Caverns, the public completely forgot about Mammoth Cave. By the end of the 19^th century, only adventuresome school children visited the cave that once attracted thousands of paying visitors. In the first decade of the 20^th century, even the name of the cave was forgotten when it was renamed Hucacode Cave.

Today, the Cave of the Winds owns their 19^th century rival. No public visits are permitted into the securely gated cave, but experienced cavers with the Williams Canyon Project of the National Speleological Society continue to visit and explore. Today’s Huccacove Cave would hardly be recognized by the cave’s original proprietors – its walls are covered with graffiti from decades of abandonment.  Yet, discoveries within Huccacove, such as 1990’s Mammoth Extension, help build upon the promise the cave had in 1875, when Manitou and the cave were fresh and new.

Recognizing that cooperation and consultation is the best tool in combating the spread of the devastating White-Nose Syndrome among bats, the National Speleological Society today offered to several federal agencies the assistance of more than 11,000 members nationally.

Dr. Fred Luiszer of the University of Colorado in Glenwood Canyon's Cave of the Clouds, once home to a major bat colony. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2006.)

The Huntsville, Alabama-based Society, chartered in 1941, is one of the largest cave exploration, science and conservation organizations in the world. With members in every state, the Society has unique resources available to federal, state and local agencies and land managers to investigate and combat the continued spread of the Syndrome.

With active Memorandums of Understanding already in place between the Society and the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Society and its membership has increasingly found itself identified by these agencies as a primary source of transmission of the fungus to uninfected bats in the eastern United States. Although research indicates that bat-to-bat transmission is probably a major source of transmission, and human transmission a secondary source, many bat biologists and federal and state land managers incorrectly believe human transmission is the only vector.

In its March 1 press release, the Society calls upon focusing strategies, resources and research on the primary source of transmission – bat to bat.

The Society also recommends working with private cave conservancies across the country to assist with monitoring of their caves and bats, targeting cave closures to priority bat roosting sites and adapting scientifically-sound cleaning and decontamination procedures for visitors to caves, both for casual visitors and scientific researchers.

Noting that Society cavers have been “at the forefront” of identifying and studying White-Nose Syndrome since it was first noticed in 2006, the Society’s President, Gordon Birkhimer, states cavers “bring a lot to the table – nearly 70 years of cave resource conservation experience.” Working together with agencies and groups that have cooperatively worked with the Society on a variety of projects these last seven decades simply is good common sense.

The National Speleological Society maintains one of the most complete and informative online resources on White Nose Syndrome, updated regularly with new reports.

The federal Department of the Interior’s US Fish and Wildlife Service has announced they are dropping funding of monitoring the spread of the devastating White Nose Syndrome among bats in Fiscal Year 2011. Under a new budget proposed by President Obama’s administration, US Fish and Wildlife will devote resources to “higher priority conservation activities.”

Important bat habitats like the Elephant Mountain Mines and Caves in Colorado are monitored by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. (Richard Rhinehart photograph, copyright 2005.)

Announced in the Budget Justifications and Performance Information for Fiscal Year 2011 for the United States Department of the Interior, the $500,000 granted by the Congress for White Nose Syndrome studies in Fiscal Year 2010 will not be requested again. The report states:

Monitoring for White Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Bats (-$1,900,000/+0 FTE) In FY 2010, Congress provided $500,000 in unrequested funding targeted for surveying, sampling, and diagnostics needed to monitor the spread of white nose syndrome (WNS) disease, as well as developing and utilizing a comprehensive electronic format for the data management required for the collection and maintenance of the information. The WNS has primarily affected bats in the northeast, but experts believe that the disease will spread to the very diverse, high density bat population areas in the Midwest and Southeast. The Service has been working with conservation partners throughout the country to address the cause and spread of this disease. The Service proposes to discontinue this unrequested funding in FY 2011 in order to fund higher priority conservation activities elsewhere in the budget request. In addition to these earmarked appropriations, WNS related projects are being funded through grant opportunities, funding provided by our conservation partners, and other Service funds such as the Preventing Extinction initiative.

National Speleological Society White Nose Syndrome Liaison Peter Youngbaer reports also that the $1.9 million appropriated by Congress for 2010 has yet to be used by US Fish & Wildlife. About $1 million in appropriated funds will be applied to research, with the remaining $.9 million used to support internal staffing and coordination with state wildlife and management agencies.

According to Youngbaer, the “higher priority” tasks for US Fish & Wildlife will be in alternative energy consultation, such as the installation of wind turbines and their affect on area wildlife.

Meanwhile, biologists in Pennsylvania have discovered additional bat colonies have become infected this year with the White Nose Syndrome fungus. Mortality rates in infected colonies have been found to be from 95 to 100 percent.