>I saw that Wyandotte Cave in Indiana was closed. ( I believe that is a
>state owned tour cave, as opposed to a privately owned one. )
Yes, the state owns Wyandotte, but it is operated by Gordon Smith, who
also owns/operates nearby Marengo Cave, and Diamond Caverns in
Kentucky. Wyandotte has been a hole in the ground to throw money in,
so I'm sure Gordon was just as happy to close it (though the decision
was likely the state's). His other two caves remain open. Gordon is also
the president of the National Caves Association (NCA), the trade group
for commercial caverns.
>Which of the tour caves have had bat fatalities from WNS ?
I know Endless Caverns, here in Virginia, has. It's still open.
>Could a tourist somehow spread the virus by taking 2 cave tours in the
>same clothes?
If turons could be a vector at all, it would most likely be their shoes, as
most likely have only one pair of 'hiking' boots. But the likelihood of a
turon a) being a vector at all, b) touring multiple show caves, and c)
wearing the same boots for all, reduces the probability of spread to near
zero.
>Are any cavers for the closing of caves that seldom have bats in them ?
As you point out above, David, it only takes one. And yes, among the
caving community, opinions on closures run the entire spectrum.
>It seems that if none of the tour caves are going to close, what is the
>point of closing the caves that are not tour caves? That decision
>seems to be based purely on economics.
Gee, ya think? That fact incenses most cavers. As does the fact that
wild cave closures only keep out responsible cavers, and effectively do
zilch to stop the *alleged* human transmission by the spelunkers.
Since WNS is now effectively pervasive in Virginia, the Cave Board just
last week revised its policy to allow caving without decon (but with clean
gear) throughout WNS-positive areas. Cavers are cautioned not to take
equipment used in a WNS area to a non-WNS area. That's a reasonable
compromise that most cavers can live with, since flashlight cavers rarely
venture far from home.
>I have a feeling that WNS is not high on Obama's plate at the moment.
It likely is not on his radar at all. But it is most definitely on the plate of
the USFWS and USFS and BLM, though they are constrained by limited
funding (as is virtually every gov't program) and a lack of proactive things
they can do (closures are all they can think of, and fill that bill).
But there is hope on the horizon. It is said that a 'cure' has been
developed that kills the spores. It only remains to devise a method to
distribute the cure to the bats. The cure does not result in immunity, and
so will need to be pursued for some time, and its cost is not yet known.
The hope is that the bats will eventually develop their own immunity,
given sufficient survival time provided by this 'cure.'
Alex
--
Alex Sproul
NSS 8086RL/FE
NSS Webmaster
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