texascavers Digest 24 May 2011 01:26:20 -0000 Issue 1319
Topics (messages 17856 through 17869):
Re: A warning from the future
17856 by: Rod Goke
17861 by: John.Schneider
17863 by: Brian Riordan
17866 by: Mike Burrell
Re: white nose syndrome in bats
17857 by: Geary Schindel
17862 by: Jim Kennedy
Distinguished Lecture on Karst on Thursday, July 14th
17858 by: Geary Schindel
WNS west of the Mississippi
17859 by: Mixon Bill
Re: Robber Baron Today
17860 by: ellie :)
17864 by: Geary Schindel
17865 by: Mark.Alman.L-3com.com
17867 by: mikefurrey.att.net
Maya calendar
17868 by: Mixon Bill
Recent WNS Info
17869 by: Mark Minton
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--- Begin Message ---
I agree that interpreting the end of the Maya calendar cycle as an "end of the world" prediction should be taken only about as seriously as the joke about November 6, 2012, or the rapture predictions for May 21, 2011.
As for the usage of the words "Maya" vs. "Mayan", my understanding is that you are technically correct, and I've heard that explanation before. In actual common usage, however, both "Maya calendar" and "Mayan calendar" are used very frequently, almost interchangeably, as can easily be verified in a few minutes with an Internet search engine. Use of "Mayan" as an adjective has become so common, even in mainstream media and publications, that I can see how people might legitimately argue about whether this is a common mistake or whether it is a case of academicians being slow to adapt to the reality of evolving language. Dictionaries tend to be lagging (not leading) indicators of current language usage. Does anyone know of a reason to prefer "Maya" over "Mayan" for use as an adjective, other than the fact that academicians prefer this convention? Otherwise, I see little reason to prefer one convention over the other on this issue and am content to follow whichever one wins out in actual practice. Thus far, it appears to me that both are acceptable in actual modern usage.
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Minton
Sent: May 22, 2011 10:25 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
As I understand it, 2012 does not mark the end of the world
according to Maya mythology. It is simply the end of a calendar
cycle. After that date a new calendar cycle would begin. All talk
of apocalypse is modern mythology, not Maya. (In modern usage, the
word Mayan is used solely in reference to the language. In all other
cases Maya is used as both noun and adjective.)
Mark Minton
At 10:34 PM 5/22/2011, Rod Goke wrote:
>I'm not very familiar with the Aztec calendar, but if it ever
>contained an "end of the world" prediction, it probably had to be
>revised to record that happening August 13, 1521 (from their
>viewpoint, anyway, since that's when their capital, Tenochtitlan,
>finally fell to Cortes). I believe that it is the Mayan calendar
>that many people claim will end December 21, 2012, leading some to
>interpret this as a predicted "end of the world" date. Now, however,
>some people are claiming that this interpretation of the Mayan
>calendar is off by several weeks and that the real "end of the
>world" date will be November 6, 2012.
>. . .
>(election day) ;-)
>
>Rod
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Louise Power
>Sent: May 22, 2011 7:28 PM
>To: Texas Cavers
>Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
>
>But wait, doesn't the end of the world come in 2012 (according to
>the Aztec calendar)? My friend Jo says yesterday was just supposed
>to be the rapture. She says the EOW comes in October. Who should I
>believe...the crazy old guy who got it wrong the first time; a
>defunct native group; or my best friend? OMG, it's just too much for
>my poor old brain to comprehend!
Please reply to [email protected]
Permanent email address is [email protected]
|
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I believe you are right that it is the Mayan calendar that ends Dec 21, 2012.
It DOES NOT however predict the "end of the world", but simply the end of a
time or era.
That calendar has 13,000 year cycle or times and the above date is simply the
end of the most recent era. Since this was either cycle 4 or 5 there is
nothing in the calendar that excludes that 22 Dec 2012 is just being the
beginning of a new era.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Rod Goke
To: Texas Cavers
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2011 9:34 PM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
I'm not very familiar with the Aztec calendar, but if it ever contained an
"end of the world" prediction, it probably had to be revised to record that
happening August 13, 1521 (from their viewpoint, anyway, since that's when
their capital, Tenochtitlan, finally fell to Cortes). I believe that it is the
Mayan calendar that many people claim will end December 21, 2012, leading some
to interpret this as a predicted "end of the world" date. Now, however, some
people are claiming that this interpretation of the Mayan calendar is off by
several weeks and that the real "end of the world" date will be November 6,
2012.
. . .
(election day) ;-)
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: Louise Power
Sent: May 22, 2011 7:28 PM
To: Texas Cavers
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
But wait, doesn't the end of the world come in 2012 (according to the Aztec
calendar)? My friend Jo says yesterday was just supposed to be the rapture. She
says the EOW comes in October. Who should I believe...the crazy old guy who got
it wrong the first time; a defunct native group; or my best friend? OMG, it's
just too much for my poor old brain to comprehend!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit
our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail:
[email protected] For additional commands, e-mail:
[email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The current Gregorian calendar ends December 31st 2011... But we'll just
print a new one for 2012. I presume the Aztecs got tired of carving new
stone calendars every solar cycle, so they made an arbitrarily long one.
I think historians could argue that the 'end times' came for the Aztecs long
before 2012...
-B
On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 11:53 AM, John.Schneider
<[email protected]>wrote:
> I believe you are right that it is the Mayan calendar that ends Dec 21,
> 2012. It DOES NOT however predict the "end of the world", but simply the
> end of a time or era.
> That calendar has 13,000 year cycle or times and the above date is simply
> the end of the most recent era. Since this was either cycle 4 or 5 there is
> nothing in the calendar that excludes that 22 Dec 2012 is just being the
> beginning of a new era.
>
> John
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* Rod Goke <[email protected]>
> *To:* Texas Cavers <[email protected]>
> *Sent:* Sunday, May 22, 2011 9:34 PM
> *Subject:* RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
>
>
> I'm not very familiar with the Aztec calendar, but if it ever contained
> an "end of the world" prediction, it probably had to be revised to record
> that happening August 13, 1521 (from their viewpoint, anyway, since that's
> when their capital, Tenochtitlan, finally fell to Cortes). I believe that it
> is the Mayan calendar that many people claim will end December 21, 2012,
> leading some to interpret this as a predicted "end of the world" date. Now,
> however, some people are claiming that this interpretation of the
> Mayan calendar is off by several weeks and that the real "end of the world"
> date will be November 6, 2012.
> . . .
> (election day) ;-)
>
> Rod
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Louise Power
> Sent: May 22, 2011 7:28 PM
> To: Texas Cavers
> Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
>
> But wait, doesn't the end of the world come in 2012 (according to the Aztec
> calendar)? My friend Jo says yesterday was just supposed to be the rapture.
> She says the EOW comes in October. Who should I believe...the crazy old guy
> who got it wrong the first time; a defunct native group; or my best friend?
> OMG, it's just too much for my poor old brain to comprehend!
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit
> our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail:
> [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail:
> [email protected]
>
>
--
Brian Riordan
979-218-8009 (Mobile)
[email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
For any of you who are really interested in the Mayan calendar, the
best book I've ever read on the subject is Maya Cosmogenisis 2012 by
John Major Jenkins. Jenkins is an Archeo astronomer, not some new age
channeler. He lays out the history of the Maya and how they calculated
and recalculated the calendar to make it one of the most accurate.
It's a very dense book but a great read especially for those of you
who go caving in Central America regularly and want to have a deeper
appreciation of the Maya culture.
Mike Burrell
On May 23, 2011, at 12:33 PM, Brian Riordan wrote:
The current Gregorian calendar ends December 31st 2011... But we'll
just print a new one for 2012. I presume the Aztecs got tired of
carving new stone calendars every solar cycle, so they made an
arbitrarily long one.
I think historians could argue that the 'end times' came for the
Aztecs long before 2012...
-B
On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 11:53 AM, John.Schneider <[email protected]
> wrote:
I believe you are right that it is the Mayan calendar that ends Dec
21, 2012. It DOES NOT however predict the "end of the world", but
simply the end of a time or era.
That calendar has 13,000 year cycle or times and the above date is
simply the end of the most recent era. Since this was either cycle
4 or 5 there is nothing in the calendar that excludes that 22 Dec
2012 is just being the beginning of a new era.
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Rod Goke
To: Texas Cavers
Sent: Sunday, May 22, 2011 9:34 PM
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
I'm not very familiar with the Aztec calendar, but if it ever
contained an "end of the world" prediction, it probably had to be
revised to record that happening August 13, 1521 (from their
viewpoint, anyway, since that's when their capital, Tenochtitlan,
finally fell to Cortes). I believe that it is the Mayan calendar
that many people claim will end December 21, 2012, leading some to
interpret this as a predicted "end of the world" date. Now, however,
some people are claiming that this interpretation of the Mayan
calendar is off by several weeks and that the real "end of the
world" date will be November 6, 2012.
. . .
(election day) ;-)
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: Louise Power
Sent: May 22, 2011 7:28 PM
To: Texas Cavers
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] A warning from the future
But wait, doesn't the end of the world come in 2012 (according to
the Aztec calendar)? My friend Jo says yesterday was just supposed
to be the rapture. She says the EOW comes in October. Who should I
believe...the crazy old guy who got it wrong the first time; a
defunct native group; or my best friend? OMG, it's just too much for
my poor old brain to comprehend!
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit
our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
--
Brian Riordan
979-218-8009 (Mobile)
[email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Here is a link that was sent to me today by one of my coworkers regarding White
Nose Syndrome. Jim K., any comments?
Geary
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/
Hey, check out the link above. Texas Parks and Wildlife is asking for help in
monitoring this fungal infection that is killing off large numbers of
hibernating bats. It hasn't reached Texas yet that we know of, but it has been
found in Oklahoma and is on its way south. You guys go to a lot of sites where
there are bat hibernaculums, so you can keep an eye out. All of the symptoms
are listed on this website as well as how to send a specimen for testing if WNS
is suspected at a bat colony. Texas Parks and Wildlife has also asked that if
anyone goes to a hibernaculum, to give them a call and let them know that you
were there. They don't have enough guys to monitor all of the hibernaculums in
Texas, so any help that they can get is great for them. Pass this along.
Thanks!!
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The USGS National Wildlife Health Center is one of the 4 websites we
always refer people to when they want to know more facts about WNS. The
other 3 are (of course) BCI
(http://www.batcon.org/index.php/what-we-do/white-nose-syndrome.html?utm
_source=internal&utm_medium=five_icon&utm_campaign=White-nose%2BSyndrome
), the NSS (http://caves.org/WNS/index.htm), and the US Fish and
Wildlife Service (http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/).
Texas is working on a WNS action plan, but it hasn't been finalized and
released yet. When they do, collecting baseline data and monitoring
will be a big part of their strategy. I'm not sure where the info below
came from, but there isn't a system in place yet for volunteer cavers to
go out and start collecting data. FYI, the plural of "hibernaculum" is
"hibernacula." Just like "aquaria", "terraria", "data", and similar
words.
-- Jim
From: Geary Schindel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 7:52 AM
To: [email protected]; Jim Kennedy
Subject: FW: white nose syndrome in bats
Here is a link that was sent to me today by one of my coworkers
regarding White Nose Syndrome. Jim K., any comments?
Geary
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/
Hey, check out the link above. Texas Parks and Wildlife is asking for
help in monitoring this fungal infection that is killing off large
numbers of hibernating bats. It hasn't reached Texas yet that we know
of, but it has been found in Oklahoma and is on its way south. You guys
go to a lot of sites where there are bat hibernaculums, so you can keep
an eye out. All of the symptoms are listed on this website as well as
how to send a specimen for testing if WNS is suspected at a bat colony.
Texas Parks and Wildlife has also asked that if anyone goes to a
hibernaculum, to give them a call and let them know that you were there.
They don't have enough guys to monitor all of the hibernaculums in
Texas, so any help that they can get is great for them. Pass this
along. Thanks!!
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Folks,
Edwards Aquifer Authority is pleased to announce that Dr. Petar Milanovic and
Dr. Neven Kresic will be the Authority's next Distinguished Lecturers. The
lecture will be held on Thursday, July 14th at Southwest Research Institute
where both Dr. Milanovic and Dr. Kresic will be presenting. The lecture will
start at 9 am and will extend to around 4 pm. Cost of the lecture is $20.00
for the public and $10 for students. This includes lunch as well as
refreshments.
Dr. Milanovic and Dr. Kresic have authored numerous books and papers on karst
hydrology and have worked on applied karst problems around the world.
Registration deadline is Tuesday, July 12, 2011; however, attendance will be
limited and I expect a long waiting list. I would recommend that you register
early. To register, please contact Ms. Elida Bocanegra by email at
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> or by
calling 210.222.2204.
If you would like a flyer with more information on the lecture, please email me
directly.
Hope to see you there.
Geary
Geary M. Schindel, P.G.
Chief Technical Officer
EDWARDS AQUIFER
A U T H O R I T Y
1615 N. ST. MARY'S STREET
SAN ANTONIO, TX 78215
(210) 222.2204 OFFICE
(210) 299.5262 FAX
(210) 326.1576 MOBILE
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
For whatever it's worth, those recent maps of the spread of White-Nose
Syndrome indicate that the occurrences in Arkansas and Oklahoma are
just "suspected," not confirmed. However, both states have similar
winter and cave temperatures to other areas where is has been
confirmed, so I imagine it will get there sooner or later if it hasn't
already.
-- Mixon
----------------------------------------
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on the
support of Paul.
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: [email protected]
AMCS: [email protected] or [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Galen Falgout was there too!
On Sat, May 21, 2011 at 9:50 PM, Geary Schindel
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Charles Nystrom had his Eagle Project at Robber Baron Cave today and he did
> an Excellent job. His project included the construction of a picnic table on
> the property and also the removal of sediment that washed into the cave when
> the railroad cribbing was removed some years ago. More than 30 people
> showed up and worked on the project. Brush and some sediment on the
> property were also removed. Charles really did a great job coordinating the
> project. There was a good mix of cavers, fellow JROTC members from his high
> school, and Venture Crew 410 members. His folks provided lunch for everyone
> (Thank you very much). After the work, Joe Mitchell and Charles led
> interested folks in a tour of Robber Baron Cave.
>
>
>
> Thanks to Joe Mitchell and the other caves that gave up their Saturday to
> work with a fine group of young men and women. Also to the Texas Cave
> Management Association for making their properties available for Scouts and
> Venture Crew members on Eagle projects. Thanks to Joe M, Ellie W, Mike H,
> Josh R, Lori H, Sue S, Aspen S, Steve G., Rob and Journey B, Cindi and
> Batrice, Evelynn and Kayla M, Fran H, James and Mimi J, and Zach S. Sorry
> if I missed anyone.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Geary Schindel
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Thanks Galen for helping with the project and it was nice to see you out.
Sorry I left your name off the list and thanks to Ellie for letting me know.
As we've seen the NSS aging, it is nice to see young folks like Galen and Ellie
making great contributions to the caving community.
An thanks to the Texas caving community for working with youth through the BSA
Venture program helps create new cavers and help keeping us old farts young.
Something I'm very proud of is the number of young folks that really started
their caving careers with Venture Scouts that have joined the NSS and really
stuck with it. Steve Bryant, Paul Bryant, Graham Schindel, Aspen Schindel, and
David Daniel all got involved in caving through the Venture Scout program. I'm
sure there are many more.
Also Congratulations to Steve Bryant who just graduated from UT on Saturday and
is the recently retired UT Grotto chair.
Geary
-----Original Message-----
From: ellie :) [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:33 AM
To: Geary Schindel
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Today
Galen Falgout was there too!
On Sat, May 21, 2011 at 9:50 PM, Geary Schindel
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Charles Nystrom had his Eagle Project at Robber Baron Cave today and he did
> an Excellent job. His project included the construction of a picnic table on
> the property and also the removal of sediment that washed into the cave when
> the railroad cribbing was removed some years ago. More than 30 people
> showed up and worked on the project. Brush and some sediment on the
> property were also removed. Charles really did a great job coordinating the
> project. There was a good mix of cavers, fellow JROTC members from his high
> school, and Venture Crew 410 members. His folks provided lunch for everyone
> (Thank you very much). After the work, Joe Mitchell and Charles led
> interested folks in a tour of Robber Baron Cave.
>
>
>
> Thanks to Joe Mitchell and the other caves that gave up their Saturday to
> work with a fine group of young men and women. Also to the Texas Cave
> Management Association for making their properties available for Scouts and
> Venture Crew members on Eagle projects. Thanks to Joe M, Ellie W, Mike H,
> Josh R, Lori H, Sue S, Aspen S, Steve G., Rob and Journey B, Cindi and
> Batrice, Evelynn and Kayla M, Fran H, James and Mimi J, and Zach S. Sorry
> if I missed anyone.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Geary Schindel
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Amen to that, Geary!
I wish we could bottle the energy and enthusiasm exhibited by Ellie,
Galen, Justin Shaw, all of the Aggies who have helped me out, and a
score of other whippersnappers my senior mind has neglected to mention.
Working with youth groups was the main reason I got into caving, first
with my kids and, later, when I was a Scoutmaster.
Hardly anyone wanted to work with 'em!
Boy Scouts and other youth groups are very eager learners and give me a
good reason to get out there and act like a kid.
They're very appreciative and are a good source of volunteer help (ask
Crash and the staff at CBSP).
Unfortunately, a lot of cavers look at taking youth caving as a big
hassle and the youth being a source of irritation.
Me?
I look at them as future cavers and TSA members!
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Geary Schindel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 1:19 PM
To: 'ellie :)'
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Today
Thanks Galen for helping with the project and it was nice to see you
out. Sorry I left your name off the list and thanks to Ellie for
letting me know.
As we've seen the NSS aging, it is nice to see young folks like Galen
and Ellie making great contributions to the caving community.
An thanks to the Texas caving community for working with youth through
the BSA Venture program helps create new cavers and help keeping us old
farts young.
Something I'm very proud of is the number of young folks that really
started their caving careers with Venture Scouts that have joined the
NSS and really stuck with it. Steve Bryant, Paul Bryant, Graham
Schindel, Aspen Schindel, and David Daniel all got involved in caving
through the Venture Scout program. I'm sure there are many more.
Also Congratulations to Steve Bryant who just graduated from UT on
Saturday and is the recently retired UT Grotto chair.
Geary
-----Original Message-----
From: ellie :) [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:33 AM
To: Geary Schindel
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Today
Galen Falgout was there too!
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
As a teacher in the Spring, TX area, my students are well aware of my love
for caving. Some have asked and I currently guide them to the commercial
caves to start with. Unfortunately a decent wild cave is a bit out of reach
for most of my students (distance, economics of traveling). I do get my
students involved in other stuff. The younglings sure help keep me young and
it makes life very interesting! The youth enthusiasms are fun.
~F~
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 2:03 PM
To: Geary Schindel ; ellie :)
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Today
Amen to that, Geary!
I wish we could bottle the energy and enthusiasm exhibited by Ellie,
Galen, Justin Shaw, all of the Aggies who have helped me out, and a
score of other whippersnappers my senior mind has neglected to mention.
Working with youth groups was the main reason I got into caving, first
with my kids and, later, when I was a Scoutmaster.
Hardly anyone wanted to work with 'em!
Boy Scouts and other youth groups are very eager learners and give me a
good reason to get out there and act like a kid.
They're very appreciative and are a good source of volunteer help (ask
Crash and the staff at CBSP).
Unfortunately, a lot of cavers look at taking youth caving as a big
hassle and the youth being a source of irritation.
Me?
I look at them as future cavers and TSA members!
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Geary Schindel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 1:19 PM
To: 'ellie :)'
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Today
Thanks Galen for helping with the project and it was nice to see you
out. Sorry I left your name off the list and thanks to Ellie for
letting me know.
As we've seen the NSS aging, it is nice to see young folks like Galen
and Ellie making great contributions to the caving community.
An thanks to the Texas caving community for working with youth through
the BSA Venture program helps create new cavers and help keeping us old
farts young.
Something I'm very proud of is the number of young folks that really
started their caving careers with Venture Scouts that have joined the
NSS and really stuck with it. Steve Bryant, Paul Bryant, Graham
Schindel, Aspen Schindel, and David Daniel all got involved in caving
through the Venture Scout program. I'm sure there are many more.
Also Congratulations to Steve Bryant who just graduated from UT on
Saturday and is the recently retired UT Grotto chair.
Geary
-----Original Message-----
From: ellie :) [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:33 AM
To: Geary Schindel
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Robber Baron Today
Galen Falgout was there too!
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I don't know in what sense the Maya calendar is the most accurate.
Their year was 365 days with no leap years, which is hardly accurate,
as they no doubt knew. (Trivia question: Will 2100 be a leap year in
our calendar?)
The thing that was absolutely accurate was the long count, but that's
because it was simply counting days, with no reference to seasons,
astronomy, or anything else. How can one go wrong with that?
--Bill Mixon 12 19 18 7 0; 9 Ahau, 8 Zip, fifth lord of the night
----------------------------------------
Q: Why is the universe here? A: Where else could it be?
----------------------------------------
You may "reply" to the address this message
came from, but for long-term use, save:
Personal: [email protected]
AMCS: [email protected] or [email protected]
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
The following information is from Peter Youngbaer, who is
the NSS WNS liason and just returned from a WNS symposium.
Mark Minton
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Fwd: EARTH: Mysterious Disease Sounds the Death Knell for Bats
Date: Mon, 23 May 2011 12:36:27 -0400
From: Peter Youngbaer <[email protected]>
To: NSS Board of Governors <[email protected]>
Dear BOG,
Just returned from last week's WNS Symposium in Little Rock. About
150 federal, state, academic, and NGO folks working on WNS attended,
including a few European guests. FWIW, 14 attendees were NSS members,
including a number of state officials. Did you know Mollie Matteson
of the Centers for Biological Diversity is an NSS member? Yep, she's
in the Member's Manual. She only attended the presentations, then
left before the work sessions. I heard a number of grumbling comments
about her presence causing other researchers to be bumped from
attending, given the limited slots for the conference.
The first day and a half was dedicated to research update
presentations. The two highlights here were: 1. 18 American bats were
inoculated with the European Geomyces destructans; 18 American bats
with the U.S. version; and 18 control bats were left uninoculated.
Both sets of inoculated bats developed WNS. This result gives strong
support to the hypothesis of introduction from Europe. 2. Hazel
Barton reported research from Kevin Keel that shows that 50 degree
Celcius water (122F) for 15 minutes kills Geomyces destructans. This
is hotter than typical wash water, but less than boiling. It provides
a non-chemical alternative for decon.
The next day and a half was dedicated to working on the WNS National
Plan, which was announced and publicly released on the first day of
the meeting. Attendees broke in to working groups as per the Plan,
and began fleshing out implementation plans.
Personally, I spent a half-day with the Disease Management working
group, then split my time between the Recovery and Conservation
Group/Species Recovery sub-group and a special session for state
agency personnel. With this latter group, I was part of a panel
presentation explaining the role of the NSS and our members/grottos
etc. helping with hibernacula identification, public education, and
caver education.
Lots of networking time, too, to catch up with folks we've funded and
worked with across the country.
Some observations:
1. Most western state officials attending recognized that the USFS
Region 2 actions were not helpful, and didn't want to duplicate them.
NPS and BLM folks spoke positively about the roles cavers have played
and continue to play. They and the state folks are skeptical about
cave closures, but still feeling pressure from the feds. I spent a
couple hours conversing with the Colorado Division of Wildlife Species
Coordinator, Tina Jackson, who had positive things to say about the
Convention organizers. She is a little about having so many cavers
descend (ascend?)at once, but I assured her we've done this before.
Again, she seemed very much pleased with the convention planning.
2. The Disease Management researchers and field managers seemed to
grow increasingly pessimistic about finding any sort of cure,
treatment, or magic managerial bullet for stopping WNS. Further,
there is a serious concern about a shortage of bats for research, and
it is likely that some researchers will be denied access.
3. Management seems to be shifting to Conservation and Recovery. How
can species be preserved? What field techniques can be applied to
assist survivorship, such as habitat manipulation? An example of this
was described by Tom Kunz, Boston University, for maternity colonies.
Used to be that we would see fairly large (500+ animals) roosts that
were able to generate a lot of heat, which is necessary for successful
birth, lactation, and juvenile growth. Now, with maternity colonies
so small, he's found that the addition of wooden baffles in the
ceilings of barns, sheds, etc. can concentrate heat and help smaller
maternity colonies be more successful.
4. There is still a lot of talk about artificial hibernacula, as well
as captive breeding colonies. Re the former, Cory Holliday's Tennessee
underground project is on its way to being built, with more than half
the funds raised. Re the captive colonies, my suspicion is that lack
of funding will limit and experiments in that regard.
5. Regarding funding, it was announced that $1.9 million of USFWS
funding was being made available from this year's base appropriation.
This is NOT congressional action, but simply USFWS taking money away
from other things within its reduced budget. Next year's budget is
clearly looking worse, but that's what we've been working on in DC.
This $1.9 million will be spread out to the states in an as-yet-to-be
announced format. However, spread among 27 states, this is about
$70,000 per state - which won't really do much more than pay for some
staff time for monitoring and surveillance. Funding realities will be
the biggest damper on national Plan activities, and severely limit
research.
6. Species listing: there were two impromptu sessions on species
listing, one for the Northeast, where states are in various stages of
listing certain species, and a second where one USFWS official
(T.J.Miller) was leading an effort to have national listing of all
hibernating bat species. That was the subject of serious debate, with
many people opposing that approach. Reasons given ranged from not
enough information on various bat species, to unnecessarily riling up
opponents, such as the western timber industry, to taking attention
away from the importance of regional or national listing of the Little
Brown Bat, which is arguably the most seriously affected and the one
species for which the case could be made.
7. Another state is about to announce WNS, but the information is
embargoed until the official press release.
Lots more details, of course, but I thought I'd give you this brief
summary. I'd be happy to respond to specific questions.
By the way, below is a teaser and link for the June issue of Earth
Magazine, published by the American Geological Institute. I spent the
$4.99 to download the entire issue. The WNS article begins on page
30. It's a comprehensive article with good quotes, good information
about the disease, and good photos. I don't know if we'll get
copywrite permission to repost it, but I do recommend the article to
you.
Peter
AGI (American Geological Institute) Press release:
Date: Thu, 19 May 2011 13:17:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email protected]
Subject: EARTH: Mysterious Disease Sounds the Death Knell for Bats
X-Originating-IP: [209.48.222.240]
To: [email protected]
EARTH: Mysterious Disease Sounds the Death Knell for Bats
Contact: Megan Sever [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Alexandria, VA - Hundreds of thousands of tiny white-nosed bats have
died over the past few winters, falling to cave floors across the
eastern United States. The killer is White Nose Syndrome, a
mysterious disease inflicted by an unusual cold-loving fungus that
attacks bats while they are hibernating. Come spring, as few as 5
percent of the bats in heavily infected roosts are still alive. More
than 2 million bats have already been killed by the disease. And the
prognosis could get worse, as White Nose Syndrome is spreading
westward at an alarming rate.
In response to the crisis, bat research has exploded, as bat
ecologists, wildlife pathologists and cave microbiologists scramble
to figure out how to quell the onslaught. But, as EARTH explores in
its June feature "Mysterious Disease Sounds the Death Knell for
Bats," currently there are more questions than answers about the
disease. Will scientists learn enough about this mystifying illness
in time to save the bats?
Learn more about White Nose Syndrome and the actions being taken to
save the bats, and read other stories on topics such as what
scientists are learning from the Japan and New Zealand earthquakes,
what legacy can still be found in the sands of the D-Day beaches,
and how the Japanese disaster may change the face of nuclear energy
worldwide, all in the June issue. Plus, don't miss the story about
how a new ocean basin is opening up in the heart of Africa.
These stories and many more can be found in the June issue of EARTH,
now available digitally (http://www.earthmagazine.org/digital/) or
in print on your local newsstands.
For further information on the June featured article, go to
http://www.earthmagazine.org/earth/article/44d-7db-5-12
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in earth, energy and
environment news with EARTH magazine, available on local newsstands
or online at http://www.earthmagazine.org/. Published by the
American Geological Institute, EARTH is your source for the science
behind the headlines.
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