WNS headed to Kentucky

[Ernie Coffman]

"A mysterious disease that has killed a million bats in nine states is headed toward Kentucky caves that hold three endangered species of the flying mammals, lawmakers in Washington were told Thursday.

"It is reasonable to expect that in the next three years or less, these key populations will be affected," Merlin Tuttle, founder of the Austin, Texas-based Bat Conservation International, told two subcommittees of the House Natural Resources Committee."

Just another article on what's happening as WNS is discussed and the powers that be are wondering what's causing it, although the concept of cavers spreading it, unknowingly, is still the major discussion. Tom Aley, Merlin Tuttle, and others are being quoted after a presentation that we've read about before, but this is just pushing the horn to let folks know that Kentucky is in the news--and not good news!

What concerns me is the idea that the cavers will follow the laws--hopefully--but what about all the unafilliated cavers--and there are a lot of them--who won't follow the the recommendations and laws that the different agencies are declaring.

[batrotter]

"It is reasonable to expect that in the next three years or less, these key populations will be affected," Merlin Tuttle, founder of the Austin, Texas-based Bat Conservation International, told two subcommittees of the House Natural Resources Committee."

I don't have any answers, nor do I know what to do, but with statements like this presented to Congress, we are just feeding Washington D.C. another crisis. Stating that WNS will be in Kentucky in three years, will shut down all cave access in our life time.

[BrianC]

Should we gate all the caves so the bats can't get in? Then we could go caving again!

[Jeff Bartlett]

Let's just say "it's headed everywhere" and close everything!
Oh, wait, that's already happened/happening.