WNS in Western Maryland

[Bumbalawski]

Three sites with WNS, Griese's Cave, Crabtree Cave and the Roundtop Mines. These sites are a very considerable distance apart. Griese's Cave is not open to the public, for that matter, not anyone for years, Crabtree Cave has been gated for years and Roundtop Mines is home to party goers. Roundtop Mines are gated but have been breached. Crabtree to Roundtop is about 70 miles apart, Griese's is about midway between Crabtree and Roundtop. All three caves are in different counties. Don't believe cavers spread the WNS. The caving group there is very responsible. In fact, the area caving group have not been in those caves for over 20 years. Caves in Western Maryland are seldom entered by "outsiders" of the caving community. No known cases of WNS in Bedford County in Pa. where we also cave. I would say WNS is spreading naturally in this area, not by humans.

[PYoungbaer]

The media story said the surveys included cavers; was this your group?

[Bumbalawski]

I was not a member of that group but do know members of that group, from which I got the report. Sadly, at Greise's Cave, 300 bats were counted last year, this year just one. Lots of racoon poo but no bat bones or remains. In the past several years, I have been in many local caves, but most are new discoveries that we dug open. What few bats we find, show no WNS thank God.

[Carl Amundson]

Crabtree Cave has been closed to visitation for 3 years now.
As far as I know, no one other then the bat biologist that has to the key to the gate has entered the cave in that time.