Mindful of past inaction that may have resulted in the unintended spread of the White Nose Syndrome fungus to additional caves and inactive mines on federal property in the eastern United States, Deputy Regional Forester Tony Dixon’s bold July 27 order to immediately close entry to thousands of caves and mines in the five state [...]
President Abraham Lincoln, in his First Inaugural Address on March 4, 1861, appealed to a country facing an impassable division that would ultimately result in Civil War. He plead to his countrymen for reason and caution and to not allow passions of the day to rule: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not [...]
Colorado cavers have been notified that all Colorado, South Dakota and most Wyoming caves with the US Forest Service will be closed the week of July 12, 2010 owing to the presence of the White Nose Syndrome fungus in a state-owned cave in west-central Oklahoma. Here is the official Colorado Cave Survey notification from chair [...]
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 [...]
Concerned with the spread of White Nose Syndrome among bat species in the northeastern United States, a powerful non-profit environmental lobbying group filed a petition with the federal government January 21 to close to humans all caves in the country known to harbor bats. The Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity, through its Richmond, Vermont office, [...]
Cavers in the eastern United States are facing an interesting dilemma. In many eastern states, cavers are deciding if they should respect wide cave closure orders from the federal government put in place to protect bats from the possible spread of the White Nose Syndrome, or if they should go caving and face a stiff [...]
If the federal government asked you to stop caving today, possibly for the remainder of your life, would you be willing to do so? For northeastern American cavers, that particular question is being asked of them today. The US Fish and Wildlife Service in the northeastern United States, watching with concern the spread of the [...]