NSS Convention, WNS and Bats
Posted: Jan 24, 2016 1:41 pmI'm guessing that most of us who plan to go to the NSS Convention in Ely will make an effort to stop at Lehman Caves in Great Basin NP. Note the following from the NPS website:
"All visitors to Lehman Cave will be screened through a simple question and answer process. Visitors who have not been in any cave or mine or who are not wearing any clothing, shoes, or other items that were in another cave or mine can go straight to their tour. If visitors do have on clothing, shoes, cameras or other items that were in another cave or mine, they will be required to either change or clean items before being allowed on the tour. Cameras or other hard items can be wiped down with decontaminating wipes (provided by the park) and shoe soles can be decontaminated by immersion in a solution bath for 5 minutes (also provided by the park). As this process can take some time, visitors are encouraged to show up early or only wear and bring items that have not been in other caves or mines."
This is part of the NPS's continued blindness policy toward WNS transmission.
Or, to quote my favorite Mark Twain-ism, "Any fool can make a rule and every fool will follow it." I, for one, do want to see Lehman Caves (one of the few in the NPS systems I've not visited). So I'll conform. I also will make a point of challenging the ranger/guide as to the policy...perhaps it will bubble up the ladder. "I know you are not the one who made the policy, sir/ma'am, but can you please point me to one bona fide case where human transmission of WNS was proven? What about all of the closed-and-gated caves in Mammoth Cave NP where only scientists have visited in the past quarter-century but have had major bat die-offs from WNS?" etc.
Oh, and I'll ask if they are aware that Mammoth Cave has stopped the boot immersion practice at MCNP since the solution has been found to kill other little critters in the cave.
"All visitors to Lehman Cave will be screened through a simple question and answer process. Visitors who have not been in any cave or mine or who are not wearing any clothing, shoes, or other items that were in another cave or mine can go straight to their tour. If visitors do have on clothing, shoes, cameras or other items that were in another cave or mine, they will be required to either change or clean items before being allowed on the tour. Cameras or other hard items can be wiped down with decontaminating wipes (provided by the park) and shoe soles can be decontaminated by immersion in a solution bath for 5 minutes (also provided by the park). As this process can take some time, visitors are encouraged to show up early or only wear and bring items that have not been in other caves or mines."
This is part of the NPS's continued blindness policy toward WNS transmission.
Or, to quote my favorite Mark Twain-ism, "Any fool can make a rule and every fool will follow it." I, for one, do want to see Lehman Caves (one of the few in the NPS systems I've not visited). So I'll conform. I also will make a point of challenging the ranger/guide as to the policy...perhaps it will bubble up the ladder. "I know you are not the one who made the policy, sir/ma'am, but can you please point me to one bona fide case where human transmission of WNS was proven? What about all of the closed-and-gated caves in Mammoth Cave NP where only scientists have visited in the past quarter-century but have had major bat die-offs from WNS?" etc.
Oh, and I'll ask if they are aware that Mammoth Cave has stopped the boot immersion practice at MCNP since the solution has been found to kill other little critters in the cave.
