winter 2010-11 where will WNS show up first

[BrianC]

Thanks Peter, what bats were they?

[reeffish1073]

On Russell County Va. I can tell you that WNS was observed on tricolor bats (pips) and most likely little browns. Due to roosting positions it was difficult to get a good look at the little browns.

[Leitmotiv]

Just in. Indiana is confirmed for WNS at Endless Cave.

[PYoungbaer]

Thanks Peter, what bats were they?

Rick Reynolds tells me that the bats were tricolors and little browns, as per reeffish. Cavers have been helping with some of the surveys. VA says WNS was prevalent in all eight caves surveyed to date (source Wil Orndorff), with mortality rates at 40-90%.

[Leitmotiv]

Has the cave historically been closed to cavers? Even prior to WNS? And for how long?

[PYoungbaer]

Are you asking about Endless in Indiana? If so, it's been closed since mid-2008, when it changed from private ownership to The Nature Conservancy, which provided a bridge to Department of Natural Resources ownership. It and other caves in that little valley were very popular caves. The management plan for the state park expects continued self-guided cave visitation, even after a bat gate was constructed to protect winter-hibernating Indiana bats. However, it has not re-opened since that closure.

[Leitmotiv]

So it sounds to me like there is a problem with management prior to WNS, and this cave will be one tough nut to crack now.

[wyandottecaver]

There were multiple monster email threads regarding Cave River Valley and Endless Cave. My own opinion (stress opinion) is that the only ppl truly happy with what has happened is the USFWS. They wrote a humongous check with your money and got to wiggle their DNR puppet in a new area.

TNC facilitated a transfer to the DNR to "protect" the valley and the DNR then decided that destroying historical cultural features, and altering the water ecology of a major river cave and developing a campground were all great ideas.

The Indiana Karst Conservancy built a giant humongous gate with the understanding that summer access would be allowed and the DNR would paint it. The DNR then started making noises that access would be by DNR led trips only and I'm not sure if the raw steel was EVER painted. Of course that argument got put to bed when the DNR shut down everything for WNS.

[Leitmotiv]

What's this I hear about North Carolina?

[John Lovaas]

What's this I hear about North Carolina?

viewtopic.php?f=58&t=11377

and

http://www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/pd ... elease.pdf