[PBSS] Fw: Article on Wisconsin WNS management rules

[J. LaRue Thomas]

All,
The final chance to speak up on the not very well researched, knee-jerk, 
won't-exactly-help-anyway-but-someone-closer-to-us-may-decide-to-do-this-anyway 
Wisconsin DNR plan for combatting WNS.


I normally try to be a bit more politic in my descriptions of agency follies 
but I'm at work and trying to get things set so I can see you all in 
Carlsbad so my apologies. Please read the the material provided by John 
(links to web material below) and if you can respond, do so before the Dec. 
3 (tomorrow) deadline. Jacqui



- Original Message - 
From: "John Lovaas" 

To: "'J. LaRue Thomas'" 
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2010 11:55 AM
Subject: RE: Article on Wisconsin WNS management rules



Jacqui-

Thanks for doing all that you could to get the information on the WIDNR 
WNS

plan distributed. If there's a chance you could distribute this final
item(shown below)today, I'd appreciate it. There is a final opportunity 
for

written comments to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board; the deadline is
Friday December 3(tomorrow) at 4PM CST.

Thanks very much- John Lovaas

http://www.mss-caving.org/Savethebats.htm






There is still time to comment on the Wisconsin DNR WNS Rules - until Dec 
3

at 4pm.

For everyone that has been following the Wisconsin DNR's misguided WNS
management plan.

It's not too late to submit comments to Wisconsin regarding their WNS
policies which will harm bat populations! We have until Dec 3 at 4pm CST.

Although comments to the DNR were due Nov 29, we can still comment to the
Natural Resources Board directly for their December 8th meeting.

The NRB meeting on Dec 8 will be to discuss the newly revised WNS rules,
from the Nov 29 comments and hearing but the DNR hasn't published the
revised rules yet! Most likely the DNR won't publish the revised rules 
until
right at the edge of the public comment cut off period. We have no reason 
to
believe the revised rules will be substantially different from the 
original

rules, which promote bat exclusion from hibernacula and claim humans are a
major vector for WNS as well as ignores all bat roosts, except caves and
mines, for control. Please comment on the original rules, which are the 
only

ones available to the public to review (and are currently in force via
emergency orders)

For more information, including letter writing help, and copies of letters
from the NSS, BCI, and others to the Wisconsin DNR please visit:

http://www.mss-caving.org/Savethebats.htm


PLEASE forward this email on!!

-Eric McMaster NSS 40642 LF

Minnesota Speleological Survey Save the Bats Committee

　






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[PBSS] Fw: Article on Wisconsin WNS management rules

[J. LaRue Thomas]

Article on Wisconsin WNS management rulesAll,
Apologies if I have already forwarded this--memory says I did but "sent items" 
says not.

Note the deadline for comments, Monday Nov. 29th.  I know this is an extensive 
communication but this is a pretty odd response to WNS (by the Wisconsin 
Natural Resources people) and deserving of comment.   Jacqui

- Original Message - 
From: John Lovaas 
To: jlrbi...@sonoratx.net ; ca...@caver.net 
Sent: Sunday, November 21, 2010 1:40 PM
Subject: Article on Wisconsin WNS management rules


Jacqui and Bill- 

I was wondering if you would be able to coordinate an 'email blast'  of this 
article to your grotto members in the next 

day or two.  I've been working on many ways to get more people to write letters 
to the WI DNR regarding their emergency WNS management plan, as well as to the 
members of the WI Natural Resources Board- the appointed board that votes on 
all DNR rules.  The deadline for written comments is Monday, Nov. 29. 

One way is to contact each NSS Grotto's primary contacts. 

The article below outlines the 3 emergency orders introduced by the WIDNR in 
September and October, and how they negatively impact bats and caves, and do 
little or nothing to manage bats or the disease.  One of the tasks in the plan 
is the removal of bats from caves to create "recreational caves"- caves without 
bats are a WIDNR management option in managing the hypothetical human-bat 
vector.

They've been engaged in bat exclusion and removal work in two northeast WI 
caves so far; bats in one cave were being removed as late as November 9, and 
placed in coolers in Madison.  One commercial cave owner has been asked by 
WIDNR to develop a bat removal and exclusion plan for the 2011-2012 season- a 
cave with an average(over 17 years) winter population of 300 bats.

The plans, as written, allow landowners to choose whether to exclude bat or 
people from hibernacula.  I don't believe any responsible caver would consider 
any kind of cave bat exclusion or removal to be an appropriate management tool.

The Minnesota Speleological Survey set up a small website outlining some of the 
issues: 

http://www.mss-caving.org/Savethebats.htm 

Thanks, 

John Lovaas 
NSS 39799 
Chair, the Save The Bats Fund of the Minnesota Speleological Survey 



**
 
>From the November 2010 Minnesota Speleological Survey newsletter. 

IMPORTANT WNS UPDATE (I know this is really long.  Please read it-it is 
important!) 

   If you haven't been hiding under a rock since the last meeting, you are 
probably aware that the MSS, the NSS, BCI, the NCA, and many cavers have been 
closely following the actions of the Wisconsin DNR and Natural Resources Board 
because of Emergency Rules that were recently passed.  Cavers, 
conservationists, scientists, and bat experts largely agree that the policies 
enacted by these rules do not, in fact protect bats from WNS and may actually 
be detrimental to the population.

  
   Many of you participated in a letter writing campaign last month to 
prevent the passage of an additional Emergency Rule that outlined the DNR's 
(largely flawed) proposals to prevent the spread of WNS in Wisconsin.   So what 
is actually going on here?  In the interest of clearing up some confusion and 
to make sure everyone is up to date on our club's activities, here is a 
timeline highlighting the major events over the last two months.

  
   Most MSS members first became aware of the story when Dawn Ryan posted a 
link to an article in the WI State Journal

 
(http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/environment/article_fa491b50-c432-11df-8d19-001cc4c03286.html)
 

that very briefly outlined the proposal to list WI cave bats as endangered 
species on September 21st.  The reaction on the M-list was a little flutter of 
outrage, and the NSS WNS liaison write the WI DNR a letter asking them to wait 
for a public comment period, but most MSS members (myself included) failed to 
realize that the type of action the DNR proposed meant they could simply put 
the Emergency Rules into effect with very little public notice or comment 
period.

  
   By about September 28th, many members had had an opportunity to actually 
read the proposed emergency orders, and were starting to get nervous about what 
the proposed Emergency Rules involved.  Again, there was a lot of noise on the 
M-list, but very little action.  However, a few people who were concerned about 
the proposal were semi-organizing and noticing some disturbing trends:  Items 
were being added to NRB meeting agendas after the period for public comment had 
ended, dates for meetings and public hearings were changing, and the 
"stakeholders" who allegedly were being represented by the proposals had not 
been contacted.

  
   Also, people were listening to the audio John Lovaas recorded from the 
Sept 21st meeting (you can download the 15MB .mp3 f