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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Due to the white nose syndrome (WNS), both the NSS
and NCC have closed all their caves as a precaution. The NCC's closures include
all their properties and are in effect until May 15th, while the NSS's include
all their preserves in the eastern US (includes NY, PA, WV). </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In addition, the NCC (in conjunction with the US
Fish and Wildlife Service) are putting together a cave visitation list, to help
the scientists better understand and track WNS as it relates to humans. Please
visit the NCC website at <A
href="http://www.necaveconservancy.org">www.necaveconservancy.org</A> and fill
out the trip info form if you have been to Knox, Schoharie, Gage, and Hailes
since January 2007. This data may help determine that humans are not
involved in this problem and thus open all the caves sooner...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Please see the NCC press release
below.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Mike</FONT></DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=rockeater@mindspring.com href="mailto:rockeater@mindspring.com">Bill
Folsom</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=northeastcaveconservancy@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:northeastcaveconservancy@yahoogroups.com">northeastcaveconservancy@yahoogroups.com</A>
; <A title=NRO-NSS@googlegroups.com href="mailto:NRO-NSS@googlegroups.com">NRO
list</A> ; <A title=metgrotto@googlegroups.com
href="mailto:metgrotto@googlegroups.com">Met Grotto - NYC Caving Club</A> ; <A
title=nnjg@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:nnjg@yahoogroups.com">nnjg@yahoogroups.com</A> ; <A
title=VCA@topica.com href="mailto:VCA@topica.com">VCA@topica.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 12, 2008 3:21 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> [northeastcaveconservancy] NORTHEASTERN CAVE CONSERVANCY
CLOSES CAVES</DIV></DIV>
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<P>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<BR>February 12, 2008<BR>NORTHEASTERN CAVE CONSERVANCY
CLOSES CAVES -<BR>Cavers asked to assist in combating bat
deaths<BR><BR>Contact:<BR>Robert Addis, President (518) 237-1165<BR>Peter
Youngbaer, Vice President (802) 272-3802<BR>Christa Hay, Publicity Chair (518)
786-7518<BR><BR>Latham, New York –<BR>The Northeastern Cave Conservancy voted
Sunday, February 10, at an emergency<BR>Board meeting, to immediately close all
its caves to visitation in order to <BR>help<BR>protect thousands of hibernating
bats that are threatened by a mysterious <BR>illness<BR>known as White Nose
Syndrome.<BR><BR>The NCC Trustees also advised all cavers – casual and otherwise
– to <BR>voluntarily<BR>restrict their caving until May 15, 2008, in any cave
known to host bats and to<BR>help develop a cave visitation data base in order
to assist scientists to <BR>track human<BR>movement in affected
caves.<BR><BR>White Nose Syndrome has been linked by scientists to the death of
thousands of<BR>bats in New York and Vermont, and has been confirmed in two of
the NCC<BR>Caves.<BR><BR>The caves affected by closure include: Clarksville
Cave, Ladder Cave, Knox<BR>Cave, Crossbones Cave, Ella Armstrong Cave, and
Onesquethaw Cave in Albany<BR>County, and Selleck’s Cave, Cave 575, and Levy’s
Cave in Schoharie County.<BR>The closure will last until the end of bat
hibernation, May 15, 2008, with the<BR>proviso that pending further studies and
recommendations from the appropriate<BR>state and federal agencies, bat
scientists, or others, this closure may be <BR>extended<BR>or
modified.<BR><BR>Only entry authorized by the property managers for scientific
and research<BR>purposes will be permitted.<BR><BR>Several of these caves are
highly visited by youth groups, including camps,<BR>church groups, outing clubs,
and scouts. These groups may make plans for the<BR>summer, but are warned that
continued closure is possible, or even likely. <BR>Groups<BR>should continue to
contact the cave group liaison on the NCC
Website<BR>(www.necaveconserva<WBR>ncy.org) for up to date
information.<BR><BR>The NCC’s action follows on the heels of the National
Speleological Society’s<BR>closure of its northeastern cave preserves, Schoharie
Caverns, Barton Hill <BR>(Gage’s<BR>Cave), McFail’s Cave Preserve, all in New
York, and Tytoona Cave Preserve, in<BR>Pennsylvania. The Cave Manager of the
NSS-owned John Guilday Cave<BR>Preserve, in West Virginia (Trout and Hamilton
Caves) has also closed those<BR>caves, as a preventative measure.<BR><BR>While
no evidence at this time demonstrates that people are responsible
for<BR>spreading the White Nose Syndrome, it is clear that many of the bats are
under<BR>stress.<BR><BR>A common symptom has been that the fat stores they need
for a successful<BR>hibernation have been depleted. Human presence generally
disturbs the bats, and<BR>causes them to increase their movement and metabolism,
using up precious stored<BR>resources. Thus, cavers are advised to stay out of
caves or mines with bats <BR>at this<BR>time.<BR><BR>It is important to note
that this advisory does not include any commercial <BR>caves.<BR>These caves
generally take measures to isolate any bats from the general
<BR>public.<BR>Visitors to these tourist attractions are also not likely to then
visit <BR>wild caves and<BR>risk spreading any contaminants.<BR><BR>The NCC also
urgently requests cavers to send in data on visits to the four New<BR>York caves
where there were large bat mortalities in 2007: Knox Cave, Gage<BR>Caverns,
Schoharie Caverns, and Haile’s Cave.<BR><BR>Anyone who has visited any of these
four caves since January 1, 2007, is <BR>asked to<BR>log onto the NCC website
(see above) and fill in a trip log. Respondents <BR>will then<BR>be asked to
list all other caves visited since then – no matter where.<BR><BR>By focusing on
these four caves, it will enable scientists and cavers in <BR>other
states<BR>and countries to look for any similar occurrences, and help determine
whether<BR>people are spreading the condition. This will be critical information
in<BR>determining when to reopen caves.<BR><BR>Bill Folsom,
Treasurer<BR>Northeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.<BR><A
href="http://www.necaveconservancy.org">http://www.necaveco<WBR>nservancy.<WBR>org</A>
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