by JD » Mar 18, 2013 1:22 pm
Peter said "I think we can all agree that the caving advisory is outdated, and that blanket cave closures didn't work."
1st. Perhaps USFWS can publically acknowledge what you just stated. Perhaps the field workers "know" it, but the web page, the formal advice, and the attempts to pressure states and other agencies do not reflect this basic fact. So "Put up or Shut up" means announce the great plan they said they were going to come with during the closures (or admit they were whistling in the dark) or perform #2 below. I realize some think being a bureaucrat means never admiting you were wrong but this stubborn refusal to face facts is silly.
2nd. Change the advisory and agency behavior. Dave Pelren is STILL going to Lost Creek and telling people the cave is closed, in direct contravention of the wishes of the landowner who donated it to the state.
3rd. Acknowledge the very negative impacts the closure have had on relations between cavers and land stewards, the curtailment of non-bat science, and the loss of recreational and educational values in caves.
Look, Peter, I will be glad to write the press release: "Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of USFWS and our partners, the cave closure policy has failed to check the progress of the deadly disease known as WNS. Due to the unanticipated negative impact of the closure, we have decided to end the voluntary moratorium and suggest to all agencies they re-open their caves to responsible vistation. The decontamination protocols remain in place for WNS positive sites.
I have a lengthy sad tale about how Cavers worked for 40 years to study, protect, research, and protect a cave called Big Bone Cave. Yet now when a university professor asks to take a class of students (class is called Cave Archaeology) to the cave to learn about saltpeter mining, the state says no! Unbelievable.