BY RICHARD RHINEHART Denver, Colo., November 16, 2012 – The US Forest Service regional office in Golden, Colorado is seeking comments from the public in their ongoing evaluation of the cave and abandoned mine closure policy for public caves in Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, most of South Dakota and most of Wyoming. The current closure order, [...]
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 [...]
Breaking from the blanket closure policies of the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management Renewable Resources and Planning Office in Washington has directed state offices to take the lead in determining if targeted cave and non-active mine closures are advantageous to protecting bats from the spread of the Geomyces destructans pathogen. The [...]
For many visitors to scenic Williams Canyon, north of Manitou Springs, Colorado, the aging bronze plaque was a curiosity. Erected on the Ordovician-age Manitou limestone wall near the locked Williams Canyon gate, the plaque commemorated Henry Truman Williams, a New York City author and editor, who died in 1915. Sometime between June 22 and June [...]
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 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 [...]
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, [...]