WNS discovered in Ohio Mine

[tncaver]

The excerpt below is from the online website CAVING NEWS, and once again this article demonstrates that gating caves to keep humans
out is not successful at keeping WNS out of caves. I find it ironic that government continues to waste money on gates to keep humans out of caves when it is obvious that bats are the source of spreading WNS.

An abandoned mine in Ohio was recently discovered to be positive for White-nose Syndrome during surveillance done in February and March of 2011 by state and federal biologists. This despite pro-active steps taken by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service in anticipation of White-nose Syndrome.

In an attempt to slow the spread of WNS the Wayne National Forest closed all mines on Forest Service property in 2010. It did little good as the positive mine is located within it’s boundary in Lawrence County in a mine that is gated and protected from public access.

http://cavingnews.com/20110331-first-co ... doned-mine

[wyandottecaver]

The story is nearly a year old, but cant argue with the conclusion.

[BrianC]

The story is nearly a year old, but cant argue with the conclusion.

That makes very good sense, as I had already given my thought, that this must me last years information.

PS; if my vocabulary seems odd, it is because the information just smelled odd!

[tncaver]

This information was just published on Caving News and I posted it here. Simple as that. Old or not it still tells it like it is and I don't
see much change since a year ago.

[BrianC]

This information was just published on Caving News and I posted it here. Simple as that. Old or not it still tells it like it is and I don't
see much change since a year ago.

I'm just glad that it was last year and not this year, because I don't think we will see much further spread of WNS. So I was shocked! You are exactly correct that closing caves has done, and will continue to do nothing to stop the spread of WNS, but I do think WNS has subsided.

[PYoungbaer]

Brian,

Don't get your hopes up. We're already hearing reports (and seeing photos) of newly-infected bats.

[tncaver]

Brian,

Don't get your hopes up. We're already hearing reports (and seeing photos) of newly-infected bats.

Where are the latest infections Peter?

[PYoungbaer]

No official reports yet - those come from the state and provincial agencies, and I have always respected their role in making these announcements. One major reason is that it keeps inaccurate reports and rumors from taking hold. That said, I have reports from both cavers and scientists, including pictures, in both the U.S. and Canada from this hibernation season. And, in case you missed the news on the NSS website and in another Cave Chat thread, WNS has now been confirmed in Europe.

[BrianC]

No official reports yet - those come from the state and provincial agencies, and I have always respected their role in making these announcements. One major reason is that it keeps inaccurate reports and rumors from taking hold. That said, I have reports from both cavers and scientists, including pictures, in both the U.S. and Canada from this hibernation season. And, in case you missed the news on the NSS website and in another Cave Chat thread, WNS has now been confirmed in Europe.

\
Yes the European syndrome has been some speculation that causes the credentials of closing caves because a caver brought it here from Europe to crash big,

Were the pics and symptoms from near earlier years sites? Or have some wild west prospectors been speculating again?

[cavergirl]

The story is nearly a year old, but cant argue with the conclusion.

That article may have been a year old but this one is new:
Deadly white-nose syndrome found in Twinsburg bats
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Scientists have confirmed the presence of deadly white-nose syndrome in bats living in the caves and ledges of Liberty Park in Twinsburg. Twinsburg park staff found a dead little brown bat in mid-January and a wildlife disease lab in Athens, Ga., confirmed the fungus Geomyces destructans. Since then, alert bats have been seen near the mouth of the cave, where they should still be hibernating.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/02 ... e_fou.html

[Pippin]

Here's the official press release. Love how it says that people can definitely spread WNS to new sites. Sure would love to see the research backing up that claim. Oh, but I forgot, if you repeat something not backed up by any evidence enough times, it must become true.

http://www.summitmetroparks.org/getdoc/ ... ty-Pa.aspx

[PYoungbaer]

Here's another report, this time from New Brunswick. By the way, the NSS is funding the work of Dr. McAlpine and Karen Vanderwolf.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/canada/deadly-bat-fungus-spreading-in-the-maritimes-184756.html

[tncaver]

Yada, yada, yada.

No disrespect meant to you Peter. My comment is directed at USFWS officials.