by hewhocaves » Jul 8, 2013 11:03 am
FYI After considerable thought this is the letter I sent as chair of the Mon Grotto and as part of WVUs Geology Dept
As Chairperson of the Monongahela Grotto (Mon Grotto) of the National Speleological Society and part of the Geology Department at West Virginia University. I am writing to express my concern over the continued closure of the caves inside the Monongahela National Forest (MNF). As a caver and a geologist I believe this continued closure is both unwarranted and unwise.
Unwarranted because at this point White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has spread so extensively throughout the region that every cave is infected. It is impossible to further spread the fungus beyond what the bats have already done. In the past few years our understanding of bats has increased tremendously. For example, we know now that bats do not migrate solely between one summer roost and one hibernaculum. Rather, they rotate among several roosts and hibernacula, intermingling with as many other bats as possible. Genetically, this makes a lot of sense as it gives bats the largest possible diversity. Unfortunately, it also means the spread of WNS is accelerated.
Unwise because, as has been demonstrated in the MNF and other Federal lands to the south the only thing that cave closures do is keep responsible cavers out. Responsible cavers are the primary caretakers of caves. They are the people who most frequently conserve, educate, study and map caves.
But what does that mean?
Conserve means that cavers are the ones most frequently involved in cleanups, gating, restoration and trail marking. Without cavers, we have seen caves like Bowden Cave in West Virginia become filled with trash and graffiti. Trash alters the ecological balance inside a cave and introduces harmful chemicals into the environment. Graffiti defaces the rock face and can be exceptionally difficult to remove. Gating requires thoughtful construction so that human access is controlled while animals can move freely in and out. Gates also require regular maintenance and repair. Restoration is the repair of speleothems and the act of returning the cave to its natural environment. Trail marking is preventative restoration and is very common among cavers today. As on the surface, trail marking preserves areas of special geological, biological and cultural interest.
Educate means that cavers are at the forefront of communicating the unique underground environment to the public. This takes many forms. Cavers lead the public on cave trips, give interviews, make presentations and for those interested, accept new members into their ranks. As an organization dependent in the goodwill of landowners both public and private, cavers are an essential conduit to help understand what the average individual thinks.
Studying caves means that cavers constitute a large percentage of the individuals performing geologic, hydrological, biological and anthropological studies of caves. When cavers are not the primary party performing the study they are the 'expert' providing practical guidance to noncavers. As the resident caver in the Geology Department at WVU I have been involved in at least a half dozen studies that were cave or karst related in the past five years. Many of these studies would have been better served if the field work were done in a cave in the MNF. The Geology Department looks forward to the day when it can resume its partnership of scientific research with the MNF.
Lastly, mapping caves means both the mapping of cave passages and the georeferencing of cave entrances.Within West Virginia such information is stored within a central repository to provide a comprehensive picture of cave development throughout the state. In the past this information has been shared freely with the MNF; a process which has greatly increased the breadth and depth of your knowledge of caves in the MNF. The Caves of Tucker County Bulletin, in particular, is a product of the Mon Grotto, which I represent and a title of which we are very proud.
If the MNF had to pay for these services, either internally or externally, the cost would be tens of thousands of dollars for just one cave. The Mon forest has many caves. It is not financially feasible for the Forest Service to take on these costs. Fortunately, the caving community and and the Mon Grotto continues to stand ready to assist in a volunteer capacity. We only ask that we be given the opportunity to continue to be of service to the Forest. We do not advocate a blanket opening of caves at this time.
We feel that a targeted opening of specific caves is the most appropriate management strategy. Each cave is its own ecosystem and must be considered independently. If we provide a set of access tiers from 'completely open’ to ‘completely closed’ and assign a tier to each cave we should be able to come up with a strategy that reduces micromanagement to a nononerous level and provide the kind of the targeted protection that this situation truly requires.
Thank you for your time and attention.
John Tudek
The NSS and WNS: Cooperation, not confrontation.