-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: [Colorado Cave Survey] USFS Region 2 Cave Closures
List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:26:36 -0600 (MDT)
From: DONALD G. DAVIS <dgda...@nyx.net>
To: colorado-cave-sur...@googlegroups.com
CC: skin...@thuntek.net
Dear Colleagues:
In a Friday afternoon discussion with Phil Nyland, the White River National
Forest Wildlife Biologist at the Aspen District Office, he reported that the
report of private concessionaires continuing to be allowed to visit caves
was incorrect. He said that the USFS was contacting the concessionaires and
alerting them of the pending closure. Phil also reported that the WRNF was
insistent that the Colorado Cave Survey be notified prior to the official
release of the closure order since the Forest and the Survey have been
working partners for more than 40 years. Though he said there won't be much
of a "silver lining" to the closure order, he did hope that the Forest and
cavers can continue working together and not sever their relationship.
Although Phil and the District 2 Public Affairs person both independently
confirmed the announcement would be forthcoming today, a reporter from
Channel 9 KUSA alerted me this afternoon the District office in Golden
reported to them that the closure order was being reconsidered. This
suggests there may be a tiny window of hope.
Perhaps forests like the WRNF are alerting the District Forester that such a
closure order will be violated and that another course of action might be
more prudent and supported by the people of the states. We can always hope!
Rick Rhinehart
I found USFS Public Information Specialist Janelle Smith's e-mail
address on the Web (janellesm...@fs.fed.us), and rather than calling her,
sent her the following modified and corrected version of my previous
message from this list (with expanded explanation and with reference to
private concessionnaires removed), to get it into written record.
Lee Skinner--I'm not a member of any Texas or Arizona lists, but
you have my permission to pass on the present message to those (and NM).
--Donald
----------------
From dgdavis Mon Jul 12 17:02:53 2010
To: janellesm...@fs.fed.us
Subject: Re: [Colorado Cave Survey] USFS Region 2 Cave Closures
Dave Lambert and Carl Bern wrote on July 9 on the Colorado Cave
Survey Google Group:
Fellow cavers,
Carl and I have received word that US Forest Service Region 2 plans to
announce early next week, a Special Order for closing all caves region-wide
in response to White Nose Syndrome. Region 2 includes all Forest and
Grasslands within Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, most of Wyoming and most of
South Dakota. This order will be in effect for 12 months. We have been told
that re-opening any of the affected caves by subsequent Special Order or
permit is extremely unlikely in the next 12 months. [DETAILS CLIPPED]
Dave Lambert
Chairman
Colorado Cave Survey
Carl Bern
Vice-Chairman
Colorado Cave Survey
In 53 years of caving, this blanket closure of public caves because
of White Nose Syndrome is clearly the worst crisis I've seen. It is
apparently being imposed without justifying logic and does not merit our
support. I can cite a disturbingly instructive historical precedent: the
enactment of the prohibition of selling alcoholic liquor in the early 20th
century. Both measures were well-intentioned and addressed real problems,
but were ill-considered. Like Prohibition, a general cave closure is very
unpopular and so full of loopholes that it cannot accomplish the desired
goal, but will criminalize those who reject it. In the present case, one
bad result will be that the managing agency will receive less timely
information about the possible appearance of WNS in USFS caves, because
cavers who abide by the closure will not see sick bats in the first place,
while those who defy it will not risk punishment by reporting them (except
perhaps anonymously).
In reality, this arbitrary cave closure is apt to be even less
effective than Prohibition was. Prohibition only had to deal with human
actions. While the first appearance of WNS at Knox Caverns, NY is
strongly suggestive of human introduction, its subsequent spread is, with
little doubt, overwhelmingly via bat-to-bat transmission, so that
restricting human cave visits will not much slow the spread. Moreover,
unless the closure also covers abandoned mines, it cannot possibly be
effective, since in many areas mines are the primary cave-bat habitat.
There will be other major negative repercussions. If instituted,
the closure will effectively prevent caving at next year's National
Speleological Society Convention at Glenwood Springs. This can be
expected to reduce attendance considerably. Even if it is revoked before
then, the longer it remains in effect, the more people will decide not to
attend on that basis. And without a public caving resource where the vast
majority of caves are on public land, will any western state's cavers
volunteer to host an NSS Convention again? I doubt it.
Looking farther, such a closure could literally mean the death of
organized caving in the western U.S., where most caves are on public land,
and weaken it nationally. What motive is there for people to belong to
caving groups when few if any caves are left for them to visit? This in
turn will leave caving increasingly to uninformed spelunkers with no
concept of cave ethical issues, either about bats or otherwise. And the
progress of cave-related science, which had been flowering in recent
years, will be severely impacted by loss of access and by reduction of
information flow about caves as less material is published.
Finally, the closure sets a bad example that may be imitated by
other USFS regions and other agencies. If not aborted, this closure will,
in my opinion, destroy the relationship of decades of mutual trust and
cooperation between the caving community and governmental agencies (e.g.,
in the management of Groaning Cave since the 1970s, protection of the
Elephant Mountain caves, and provision of information about the effect of
timber sales on nearby caves). Just the preliminary announcement has
already caused widespread caver consternation not only in USFS Region 2,
but in New Mexico and no doubt other nearby states outside Region 2.
--Donald Davis
Fellow and Honorary Member, National Speleological Society
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