texascavers Digest 25 Jan 2009 10:23:07 -0000 Issue 698
Topics (messages 10054 through 10062):
Re: Help the NSS
10054 by: Alex Sproul
Latest White Nose Syndrome Bat News
10055 by: Minton, Mark
L Yah pictures
10056 by: Lyndon Tiu
TSA Members Area Update and Longhorn Caverns State Park Dig, Saturday, February
7th
10057 by: Mark.Alman.l-3com.com
Paging ...
10058 by: Mark.Alman.l-3com.com
Re: Obama virus alert--this one's real
10059 by: Jules Jenkins
10060 by: Louise Power
SW China Karst Trip â Oct 10-26, 2009
10061 by: dirtdoc.comcast.net
Carlsbad's 8 million 'lost' bats likely never existed :
10062 by: JerryAtkin.aol.com
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Rob Bisset said:
>Maybe these fine folks would comment on their experience serving the
>caving comunity on the national level, with the hope that it would
>encourage other Texan's to serve.
Bill Mixon (1971-1997)
Bill Steele (1978-1981)
Dwight Deal (1967-1977)
Gill Ediger (1973-1976)
Ronnie Fieseler (in the '70s)
James Reddell (in the '60s)
I certainly hope they will not only do that, but consider serving again. We
doubtless failed to properly appreciate their service enough to cause them
to stay on. They are all older and wiser now, and the Board desperately
needs their experience, which it clearly presently lacks. We don't have the
luxury these days of reinventing the wheel, ignoring the body of policy
already codified, or bench-warming. Between the greying and dwindling of
our membership, the pressing need to expand the Society's facilities and
outreach, and the present economic hard times exascerbating both, we
could sure use their vision and help. We need people who understand the
NSS and management, and who are willing to work. These folks have
clearly demonstrated those abilities.
Alex
--
Alex Sproul
NSS 8086RL/FE
NSS Webmaster
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There's a story about the spread of White Nose Syndrome in bats to
Pennsylvania at <http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?Q=175717&A=11>.
Mark Minton
WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME SURFACES IN PENNSYLVANIA
By Joe Kosack
Wildlife Conservation Education Specialist
Pennsylvania Game Commission
SHINDLE, Mifflin County - Aware since 2008 that White-Nose Syndrome appeared to
be making its way to the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania Game Commission now
has evidence that the deadly bat disorder is likely present in a mine near this
small community in the state's heartland. Where else this may be occurring and
the consequence to bats - a fragile guild of wildlife species - remains an
unfolding story.
In late December, Dr. DeeAnn Reeder, a biologist with Bucknell University, and
Greg Turner, a biologist with the Game Commission's Wildlife Diversity Section,
found bats in an old Mifflin County iron mine that exhibited some of the signs
of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), during field investigations into bat hibernation
patterns that included weekly monitoring for the disorder's presence in several
Pennsylvania hibernacula. During this work, which had been ongoing for weeks,
dozens of bats suddenly had a fungus appear around their muzzles and on wing
membranes, while many more displayed other symptoms associated with this
disorder. Several bats were submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center in
Madison, Wisconsin, which now is reporting that the bats have preliminarily
tested positive for the cold-loving fungi found on many bats with WNS.
"Our agency, with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other
management partners, will work diligently and methodically to measure the
extent of the problem in Pennsylvania and monitor the disorder's progression,"
said Carl G. Roe, Game Commission executive director. "This find is a direct
result of the Game Commission's ongoing initiative to proactively monitor for
WNS.
"To date, no dead bats have been found in Pennsylvania. That's a plus, but it
comes with no promise of what will or won't follow. In New York and New
England, the disorder seems to arouse bats from hibernation prematurely. Once
they depart from caves and mines, they quickly sap their energy reserves and
die on the landscape. Mortality in some colonies has exceeded 90 percent,
ensuring that any local recovery will be quite lengthy given the low
reproductive rate of bats. Little brown and the federally-endangered Indiana
bats produce only one young per year."
Currently, researchers still are unsure exactly how bats contract WNS and how
it initially and, ultimately, affects a bat's body. They cannot confirm whether
the fungus appearing on some bats is a cause or a symptom of the disorder.
What is clear is that the geographic area where WNS has been documented is
expanding. It was first found in bat colonies in New York in 2006, and
subsequently in populations in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont in 2007.
Now bats in Pennsylvania and New Jersey appear to be affected.
"We do know that the visible fungus appears on some - but not all - bats
afflicted with WNS, and that a significant percentage of bats in affected
hibernacula move closer to the entrance," explained Turner. "The bats
eventually leave their hibernacula - often in daylight, which is unnatural.
Most of those bats likely die on the landscape, but some may return to the cave
or mine they left. Researchers cannot determine what bats are searching for, or
if they're hunting for anything. Most bats found dead on the landscape have
depleted their fat reserves."
About the only thing certain about WNS is that its ambiguity continues to
baffle the cadre of researchers who are working long hours to positively
identify what it is, and if there is anything wildlife managers can do to
disable it. WNS does appear to be spreading bat-to-bat, but it's unknown
whether it's passed in summer roosts, or hibernacula, or both. It also is
unknown yet whether the cause of WNS will linger in hibernacula without bats.
"Of course, there's also the possibility that bats have been - or are being -
poisoned somehow," Turner said. "The source could vary; insecticides,
herbicides, livestock supplements, changes in the composition of building
materials, even changes in air and water quality. That's what makes this whole
search so open-ended. But, to date, the disorder is found only in America's
Northeast, so it would appear the source is here, too. That's a solid lead, if
it is something like a toxin."
New York and New England have lost tens -maybe even hundreds - of thousands of
bats to WNS over the past two years. Significant losses to bat populations
could have ecological consequences because of the role that bats play in the
environment. Across Pennsylvania, bats eat tractor-trailer loads of insects on
summer nights, making our backyards more bearable and crop yields more
bountiful.
"Bats have survived for more than 50 million years because they are tough
mammals," said Lisa Williams, a Game Commission wildlife diversity biologist.
"But they have become increasingly vulnerable. Destruction and disturbance of
caves, changes to summer habitat, all have impacted bat populations. White-Nose
now presents more uncertainty for bats. Quite frankly, we're not sure yet that
we can help them survive this threat. We're looking for answers. An impressive
team of researchers is in place. But this whole situation has been so sudden,
so fluid and so devastating to bats, that it makes it incredibly hard for
wildlife managers to develop a conservation response."
The Game Commission spent last summer monitoring the state's bat maternity
colonies for signs of mortality, both in adults and juveniles. Bats also were
mist-netted and checked for abnormalities. Both efforts shed light into
Pennsylvania's unfolding situation, but neither provided conclusive evidence as
to what's happening.
"We came out of summer knowing that we hadn't lost major numbers of bats, but
we did notice that some bats had small white spots on wing membranes," Turner
said. "What the white spots represent is still unclear, but some researchers
believe they may be the early signs of WNS.
"This past fall we began to examine the health of our bats to see if they came
into their winter quarters prepared for hibernation. We also are using
telemetry gear and data-loggers to monitor the body temperatures and arousal
patterns of hibernating bats, hoping to shed light on how the emergence of WNS
may be affecting individuals, hibernating clusters and the wintering colony."
Weekly battery changes are needed to keep the telemetry receivers (data
recorders) going. It was during one of these battery changes that Reeder and
Turner noticed changes occurring in the Mifflin County hibernating colony. As
recently as Dec. 12, there was no change to bats in the mine. Then on Dec. 20,
they noticed bats starting to shift toward the mine's entrance and a small
amount of fungus on some of them. Bats normally don't hibernate at entrances,
so this movement was interpreted as a red flag. On Dec. 29, about 150 of the
2,200 bats in the mine appeared to be affected. By Jan. 5, about 45 percent of
the mine's wintering colony had relocated toward the mine's gated entrance.
Reeder and Turner are monitoring three sites in Pennsylvania to record the
arousal patterns and body temperatures of hibernating bats. This work, part of
a multistate effort funded primarily by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
also is being conducted in New York, Vermont, Michigan and Kentucky.
"This research may tell us if bats are arousing too frequently and consequently
burning off fat reserves prematurely, or if they're not lowering their body
temperature enough to support hibernation," Reeder explained. "It may also show
that bats are having difficulty going back into hibernation after being
aroused."
The Game Commission will be surveying 20 to 30 hibernacula between January and
March as part of annual fieldwork and during those visits will be monitoring
for signs of WNS. The agency may add more sites to the scheduled list of caves
and mines to ensure good coverage across the state. The agency also will assist
researchers who are doing fieldwork instate. This work includes investigating
metabolic rate of hibernating bats; studying the immune response capabilities
of bats; and measuring whether bats have sufficient amounts and types of fat
heading into hibernation.
"This winter and early spring, the Game Commission is asking the public to keep
an eye on Pennsylvania's bats," Roe said. "It is unusual to see bats flying
outside or around your home in January, February and March. If you see
winter-flying bats, if you find multiple dead bats or if you or neighbors
repeatedly find dead bats in a particular area, please report the incidents to
the nearest Game Commission region office."
For Region Office contact information, as well as a listing of counties each
serves, please visit the agency's website (http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/), and
click on "Contact Us" in the left-hand column and scroll down to the region
listings.
For more information on bats, visit the Game Commission's website
(http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/), select "Wildlife" and then click on the photo of
the bat. To learn more about WNS, visit the USFWS's website at
www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html.
# # #
Content Last Modified on 1/22/2009 3:45:35 PM
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To the guy I was with at L Yah with the camera. Sorry I forgot your name.
Please contact me off list, I'd like copies of the pictures.
Thank you.
--
Lyndon Tiu
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Good morning, y'all!
I just wanted to give an update on the status of the new Members Area on the
TSA website.
So far, we have had 27 members join the Members area. Not a bad start, but
we're looking for more.
Given the fact that dues, currently being $20, and assuming that most there,
hopefully, will be accessing The TEXAS CAVER online,
that is approximately $500 that has been freed up and that can be plowed into
CAVING activities and projects in the state.
Go ahead and sign up at http://www.cavetexas.org/members/
<http://www.cavetexas.org> .
Be sure to buy one or five ICS Registration Raffle tickets at
http://www.cavetexas.org/PAYPAL/ics_raffle.php while you're there!
Also, please consider helping out with the Longhorn Cavern Dig in two weeks on,
Saturday, February 7th.
We will be meeting at the Visitors center at Longhorn Cavern State Park at 9 AM.
Please bring your own water, food, and camping gear, as camping will be
available at the LCSP Picnic area both nights.
Please reply, off line, if you'll be coming or have any questions.
Thanks and have a good weekend!
Mark Alman
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Justin Campbell, Corey Pardue, and Leslie Rhoades.
I have some TEXAS CAVER newsletters with your names on them that bounced back
to me.
Could you please contact me with your new address info, so that I can get these
to you?
Thanks,
Mark
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fyi
This comes from my stepbrother, who's a professsional IT guy.
Beware of emails with the subject "Obama Amazing Speech" or something
similar. In particular, be sure NOT to click on any links in this email, which
could lead you to download software that will steal all your passwords.
For more information, check out the following websites:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=urbanlegends&cdn=newsissues&tm=110&gps=177_1067_1012_562&f=00&su=p504.1.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/11/1930.html
<http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=urbanlegends&cdn=newsissues&tm=110&gps=177_1067_1012_562&f=00&su=p504.1.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/11/1930.html>
http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/obamaspeech.asp
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--- Begin Message ---
Good advice. Goes along with the good general advice of our IT folks: Never
open attachments in an unsolicited e-mail. If you don't know the sender, better
to dump it than take the risk.
List-Post: texascavers@texascavers.com
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:36:56 -0800From: julesjenk1@yahoo.comTo:
texascavers@texascavers.comSubject: [Texascavers] Fw: Obama virus alert--this
one's real
fyi
This comes from my stepbrother, who's a professsional IT guy.Beware of emails
with the subject "Obama Amazing Speech" or somethingsimilar. In particular, be
sure NOT to click on any links in this email, whichcould lead you to download
software that will steal all your passwords.For more information, check out the
following
websites:http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=urbanlegends&cdn=newsissues&tm=110&gps=177_1067_1012_562&f=00&su=p504.1.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/11/1930.html<http://urbanlegends.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=urbanlegends&cdn=newsissues&tm=110&gps=177_1067_1012_562&f=00&su=p504.1.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.sophos.com/security/blog/2008/11/1930.html>http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/obamaspeech.asp
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We still have a few places open for our return to the fabulous karst of SW
China in October. This is NOT expedition caving, but we get into a lot of
caves, travel through fantastic scenery, and have wonderful cultural
experiences. We learn about Chinese studies and visit the scientists at the
Karst Institute in Guilin. The trip is a lot like an extended geology field
trip at an NSS convention. Find out full details at www.FocusedTours.com .
Dwight Deal
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Carlsbad's 8 million 'lost' bats likely never existed
Thermal imaging and algorithms challenge famous estimate
By _Susan Milius_
(http://www.sciencenews.org/view/authored/id/70/name/Susan_Milius)
Web edition : Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Eight million is a lot of bats to lose, and now a new study may explain what
happened to the possibly lost bats of Carlsbad Cavern.
Short answer: According to a Boston University team, the famous 8 million
bats never existed in the first place.
>From spring to fall, the cave Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico’s Carlsbad
Caverns National Park still hosts hundreds of thousands of migratory Brazilian
free-tailed bats that thrill visitors by boiling out of the cave at dusk for a
night’s foraging. All the bats roosting in the cave emerge in a dense plume
that streams on and on and on, sometimes for an hour or three.
As with many wildlife spectacles these days, always present is the
disturbing possibility that today’s show is a mere wisp compared to the great
Carlsbad
bat clouds of yore.
In 1937 V.C. Allison published an estimate of the Brazilian free-tailed bat
numbers based on timing an emergence (14 minutes at great density; four
minutes at half that) and eyeballing the speed and size of the stream. About
8.7
million bats roost in the cavern, he reported.
Since then, methods and numbers have varied, but estimates haven’t topped a
million. Consequently, conservationists have raised alarms about perils to
bats. Or maybe Allison’s eyeballs played tricks on him, or the great emergence
flights really have shrunk drastically.
Starting in 2005, bat scientist Thomas Kunz of Boston University and
colleagues brought new technology to Carlsbad Cavern to count and observe the
animals. Parts of the cave where bats roost are closed to visitors to prevent
disturbances to the animals. But to improve the census and studies, the park
allowed Kunz’s team to venture into these portions of the caves.
One of the first field biology groups to use military-derived thermal
imaging, Kunz’s team attracted the U.S. Park Service’s interest by pointing
out
that the researchers didn’t need to shine any lights, even at infrared
wavelengths, on the bats; the cameras detect heat directly.
“Surreal” and “disgusting, yet absolutely amazing” is how Nickolay
Hristov, now at Brown University in Providence, R.I., describes the roosting
sites. “
Imagine standing on a 20- to 30-foot cushion of bat poop covered with a
constantly moving carpet of dermestid beetles and their larvae,” he says.
“As you move around you are being rained on by bat urine,” Hristov says.
Bat excretions don’t have the same odor as human equivalents, he says, but “
the smell of ammonia is so strong that your eyes burn.” A single bat barely
makes any noise that humans can hear but tens of thousands of them together
get “
quite loud,” he says. ”I would grab the camera and go back in a heartbeat.”
To count the bats emerging, the researchers set up cameras around the cavern
mouth to get a clear view of the stream. Magrit Betke of Boston University’s
computer science department developed algorithms for analyzing the camera’s
recordings. Her work basically allowed a computer to pinpoint bats as spots
in a camera frame and then track the spots across enough frames to confirm the
dots were indeed bats. The analysis ends up with a count of each spot in the
vast stream.
In a series of counts in 2005, numbers varied from a low of not quite 70,000
as bats started to arrive from their southern winter caves, to a peak about
10 times higher weeks later as migrating bats on their way elsewhere took
shelter.
Even at the peak, counts came up some 8 million bats short of the old
estimate. So the Boston team used the Brazilian free-tails’ average 0.28-meter
wingspread to model how many bat wing-beat “spheres” would fit through the
cavern in a minute.
A choke point inside the cavern narrows to only 120 square meters, and bats
don’t fly wall-to-wall. At most, 50,000 bats per minute could fit through
that choke point and emerge from the cavern mouth. Thus a single million would
be closer to the number of bats possible that wowed Allison.
For 8.7 million bats to have flown through the choke point in 18 minutes, as
Allison reported, the densest crowd would have had to pass through at
500,000 bats per minute. Their wings and bodies would have had to pass through
each
other to somehow squeeze through the passage.
“The Boston study clearly shows there’s no physical way that could happen,”
says Renée West, supervisory biologist for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. “
That’s a relief.” The park has discounted Allison’s numbers as excessive,
she says, and she’s glad to have the new analysis.
“That doesn’t mean these bats aren’t declining,” Hristov says. “The
declines just haven’t been as bad.”
And for the cavern’s human visitors, hundreds of thousands is still a lot of
bats.
_http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/40178/title/Carlsbads_8_million_lo
st_bats_likely_never_existed_
(http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/40178/title/Carlsbads_8_million_lost_bats_likely_never_existed)
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