WNS and Fungus Confirmed in Four SCCi Caves

[ron_miller]

April 8, 2013, Chattanooga, TN - The Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. (SCCi) today reported that signs of the bat disease known as White Nose Syndrome (WNS) have been detected on hibernating bats in SCCi caves in four states. The SCCi-owned caves affected this winter include Wolf River Cave in Fentress County, Tennessee; Frenchman Knob Cave in Hart County, Kentucky; Fricks Cave in Walker County, Georgia; and Fern Cave in Jackson County, Alabama.

WNS is a disease of hibernating bats that has killed millions of the animals in the eastern U.S. and Canada since its discovery in 2006. The condition is named for a distinctive white fungus that grows on the noses and bodies of affected bats. While WNS is not directly harmful to humans, the loss of so many bats may have significant and far ranging impacts. Bats play a major role in many ecosystems, and benefit agriculture by crop pollination and insect control.

On January 15, the volunteer manager of the SCCi Wolf River Cave Preserve led a team of scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, the Nature Conservancy, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Wolf River Cave to survey the bats hibernating in the cave. Of the 2,421 bats observed, which primarily included little brown bats and endangered Indiana bats as well as smaller numbers of tri-colored, northern myotis, and endangered gray bats, the team observed one little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) with white fungus on its body. The bat was humanely euthanized and submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) laboratory in Athens, Georgia for analysis. The laboratory confirmed that the bat was affected by WNS. The team also noted changes in the roosting pattern of bats inside the cave, but did not observe any dead bats or bats flying near the entrance.

On February 2, a volunteer manager of the SCCi Frenchman Knob Cave Preserve led biologists from Mammoth Cave National Park and a Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources contractor to Frenchman Knob Cave to survey the bats hibernating in the cave. Of the 2,048 bats observed hibernating in Frenchman Knob, which primarily included little brown bats and endangered Indiana bats as well as smaller numbers of big brown, tricolored, northern myotis, and silver-haired bats, the group discovered one northern bat (Myotis septentrionalis) and four little brown bats with obvious signs of WNS. Biologists used a sticky tape strip to collect some of the white fungus from one little brown bat, and submitted it to SCWDS for laboratory analysis. The laboratory report confirmed the presence of numerous Geomyces destructans spores and hyphae. The survey team did not observe any dead bats or bats flying near the entrance.

On March 9th, an SCCi member observed signs of the WNS fungus on five of about 60 tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) in Fricks Cave in Walker County, Georgia. Following discussions with the SCCi board of directors and officials from Georgia Department of Natural Resources, one of the bats was collected, humanely euthanized, and submitted to SCWDS for analysis. The laboratory confirmed that the bat was affected by WNS. An important summer habitat for a “bachelor colony” of endangered gray bats (Myotis griscesens), Fricks Cave had been closed to public visitation since early 2008.

On February 28, four SCCi members led a US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist to the Morgue Pit entrance of Fern Cave in Jackson County, Alabama to survey a large gray bat hibernaculum. The group did not notice any signs of WNS, but swabbed the muzzles and wings of several bats that had unusual white skin pigmentation. On March 9, another group of four SCCi members entered the Johnston Entrance to Fern Cave and discovered several tricolored bats with obvious white fungus on their muzzles and wings. The following week, several cavers returned to Fern with a biologist and humanely euthanized three tricolored bats for analysis. The lab confirmed that the tricolored bats were affected by WNS, and also detected Geomyces destructans spores on the swabs from the gray bats. The SCCi owns the Fern Sink (aka Surprise Pit) entrance of Fern Cave, and several miles of the cave system itself. Although no bats affected by WNS have yet been found on SCCi property, it is likely that bats affected by WNS are roosting in sections of the cave the SCCi owns, due to the interconnected nature of the 16-mile-long cave system.

“We are disappointed, but not surprised, that WNS has been confirmed in four of our caves,” said SCCi chair Ron Miller. “WNS is unfortunately becoming increasingly well-established throughout the region in caves that contain hibernating bats, continuing a pattern of spread that is consistent with bat migratory routes. The SCCi, working together with our volunteer managers and our conservation partners, continues to make every effort to ensure that the bats that depend on our caves for critical habitat are well protected. Unfortunately, no cave management strategy, including complete closure to human visitation, has had any demonstrable effect at slowing the spread of WNS; WNS affected bats are readily transmitting the disease to uninfected bats.”

Miller also reported that administrative cave closures have in some cases had the unintended effect of keeping responsible cavers away, allowing a few irresponsible individuals to inflict serious damage to caves while no one is watching over them. “We have learned the hard way that abandonment is not management, and as a result the SCCi board will continue to use adaptive management techniques to ensure that bat populations and fragile cave environments are well protected while still allowing for reasonable public access.”

SCCi-owned caves that provide habitat for endangered bats are closed while the bats are present, and visitors are required to follow the organization’s easy-to-follow, common-sense Clean Caving Procedures in order to reduce the risk of inadvertently transferring microscopic hitchhikers from one cave to another.

According to Miller, the SCCi’s impressive record of protecting over 120 caves on 26 preserves in six southeastern states is a testament to the loyal and ongoing support of their donors, who are primarily cavers themselves. SCCi members have supported bat and cave conservation efforts across the southeastern U.S. for over two decades, and its members have been engaged in the response to WNS for several years. Many of its members participate in both state and federal response planning for WNS.

For more information about the SCCi, visit http://www.scci.org or contact Ron Miller at ron.miller@scci.org.

link to release: http://scci.org/News/WNS2013.html

[PYoungbaer]

Thanks, Ron. Excellent release - lots of good information.

Here's the official USFWS press release on Fern - of which they own four of the five entrances:

http://static.whitenosesyndrome.org/sites/default/files/files/ferncavenr_final.pdf

Some key pieces:

"The partnership with NSS and SCCi has been critical to monitoring the gray bat population at Fern Cave."

"Since discovering Fern Cave in 1961, members of the National Speleological Society have worked hard to protect it,” said Steve Pitts, SCCi Fern Cave Property Manager. “For over 30 years, NSS members have also been key U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners in the effort to protect Fern's gray bat colony. It's a huge blow to all of us who love Fern Cave to know that WNS is now there. We hope the gray bats will survive."

[Cheryl Jones]

Best lines from Ron's excellent press release:

"Unfortunately, no cave management strategy, including complete closure to human visitation, has had any demonstrable effect at slowing the spread of WNS; WNS affected bats are readily transmitting the disease to uninfected bats.”

“We have learned the hard way that abandonment is not management, and as a result the SCCi board will continue to use adaptive management techniques to ensure that bat populations and fragile cave environments are well protected while still allowing for reasonable public access.”

Cheryl