USFS Region 2 Issues New Closure Order

[PYoungbaer]

I certainly hope that Region 2 gets its process up and running so we can all iron out any bugs.

Folks in Regions 8 and 9, in particular the VAR, which communicated to USFS specifically concerning Washington and Jefferson National Forests and Monongahela NF, will take a hard look at the NSS/USFS MOU, and the intent expressed by USFS Region 8 (above). I've heard that Monongahela has replied to the VAR letter, and am waiting for a copy, but they basically said they would have talks this summer.

Rather than speculating on what this or that Region may or may not do, I urge people to make requests and proposals and then work with the responses.

[Mudduck]

Unfortunately speculation is all some of us have. I'm an aircraft mechanic for the military. I'm not tied to any sort of research or biological studies. My purpose for caving is strictly recreational. I'm sure there are plenty out there just like me. I cave for a sense of adventure and to try and go places that no one has been before. While I do agree that this agreement is a leap forward for some NSS members there are plenty still left out in the cold. One good thing about it all is having your foot in the door makes it a whole lot harder to close.

[PYoungbaer]

Mudduck,

"Exploration" is just one of the many endorsed activities under the USFS/NSS MOU. If you want to go somewhere where no one has gone before, tell the Forest Service you want to go into one of their caves that has some leads and go do that. They'll probably want a trip report with your findings. This helps them understand the resource they are charged with managing.

"Monitoring" is another endorsed activity. We've had incidents (too many) of people violating the closure order and causing vandalism in federal caves, including the Forest Service's. Propose a monitoring trip to assess that cave. For the most part, this would be a "recreational" trip, but you'd be the eyes and ears of an agency that doesn't have enough boots under the ground to take care of its own resources. Again, file a trip report that says "all is well," or "graffiti in the big room," etc.

Education of the public to build an appreciation of caves and cave resources is another goal of the MOU. Why not propose a group trip for youth, scouts, camps, etc. that has an educational and safety component, and do it in a popular cave. You could monitor for vandalism along the way.

One of the big issues in some parts of the country is a lack of baseline date on bat usage (in the case of WNS problems). Agencies have been loathe to allow blanket access since they can't document use or non-use of caves by bats. What about proposing a surveillance project for a group of caves to find out? This could become the basis for opening some or many. Right now, the agencies themselves lack a lot of that data.

Bottom line, I encourage everyone to read these things inclusively, not exclusively, and not be timid about asking.

[Mudduck]

Fair enough

[PYoungbaer]

Mudduck,

Exactly. I don't want to oversell the situation, but we're beginning to see doors opening. It's important that cavers now walk through those doors. Until we do that, and have a tangible response to a request, a proposal, etc., all we'll have is speculation. We can learn from what's happening elsewhere in the country, and build upon it.