On 04/13/2012 15:15, jen . wrote:
Though I admit that especially after working intimately with
radioactive contamination (which is also invisible to the eye), I
sometimes have a problem with suspending my disbelief with the WNS
decontamination protocol, I do think that cavers are aware of how to
clean ourselves. We are aware bats are THE vector for spreading WNS.
But even if it is a one in a million chance that cavers (with no bat
to human contact) could spread it, as cave conservationists, we need
to not be that one in a million chance.
Let's keep working towards a solution and not just fighting against
people.
Part of the solution is resisting interference and ignoring threats from
groups like the CBD.
On that note it is SO coincidental that just a few minutes ago another
email came in where the CBD was shot down (again) by the EPA...
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency denied for the second
time a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity and other
anti-hunting groups asking the EPA to impose a nationwide ban on the
use of ammunition containing lead. The petition was essentially a
repetition of a similar petition submitted by the CBD in 2010. The EPA
found that the new petition was "almost identical" to the earlier
petition, had no "substantive difference," and "contains no new
information" as compared to the earlier petition.
If only the land managers had a spine and took a similar stand. Note the
"contains no new information" language. That sure sounds a lot like the
status of WNS.
Will the CBD sue the EPA? Probably. There's money to be had. But, rather
than caving in to a frivolous litigation group, the EPA basically told
CBD to go pound sand. BLM, USFS, FWS and NPS could do the same but, as
noted, it requires a spine.
The threat of a lawsuit from CBD is always present (and is nearly a
given)...that's how they operate and how they fund themselves. Remember,
you can be sued anywhere, any time, by anyone regardless of whether the
suit has merit or not.
_______________________________________________
SWR mailing list
s...@caver.net
http://caver.net/mailman/listinfo/swr_caver.net
