Why are no new WNS sightings becoming public?

[cavergirl]

[Maybe using more than one pair of gloves per hibernacula would prevent spreading of the disease as well.

Disinfection Protocol for Bat Field Research/Monitoring
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
June 2009
To minimize the potential for transmission of white-nose syndrome....
Bats should be kept in breathable holding bags rather than holding cages. To avoid
cross-contamination of samples, it is imperative to keep bats separated using holding bags that are kept as clean as possible. Only one bat should be in a given bag, and that bag should not be reused for a new bat.

Disposable exam gloves should be worn over handling gloves and changed in between handling each bat. Disposable gloves should be one size larger than the handling gloves. Smooth leather gloves may be wiped down with a disinfectant (i.e. Purell®, Lysol® disinfecting wipes or alcohol wipes) in between handling bats. If only using leather gloves, each handler should have several sets of gloves to interchange in between handling bats. This allows time to effectively kill the fungus and for the disinfectant to completely dry.

For situations when gloves may hinder field work (i.e. transmitter attachment) and bats come in contact with bare hands, apply hand sanitizer with alcohol (i.e. Purell®) after handling each bat. Make sure it dries completely before handling the next bat.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/whitenose/ ... ne2009.pdf

yes, I have seen the pics of people handling bats with bare hands, and they are old pics from, like, 2008 before anyone had a clue what was going on.

[BrianC]

Are any lists that can provide detail as to what caves and mines are being checked? Any that would state signs/ no signs of WNS ? Is any one looking outside the confirmed areas? Is anyone even giving direction to looking at this, or is everyone just waiting to see what cavers and non cavers are finding laying around? I am asking because I think cavers want to know! I feel like we are being kept in the dark(I wish)! The maps available simply show old news, and possible direction of spread! No information as to what is on the agenda to look at for signs of newer spread! It is certainly not to early for new cases to be seen! If someone can post a plan, I would appreciate that! If no plan has been established then someone needs to quickly establish one! We NEED to see this information so conjecture can be eliminated from future plans contributing further to USFW's derogatory statements scoping cavers as the probably vector in spreading the Horrible disease! We only ask for a fair shake! If something falls out that proves me wrong then I will certainly admit my mistakes! So before any mistakes are made by the only one that matters (USFW),(They are the ones taking cavers rights away) We NEED a better understanding as to the plans pursuing cavers as the vector! This has gone on long enough and the USFW has had adequate time to prove their reasoning! If no science is being studied to prove or non prove cavers being the vector,then the closing of state and federal caves MUST be reversed immediately!

In much of the areas close to the direction of WNS spread, 6-8 weeks are all that is left to see where the new infection is spreading! Many of the dead and dying bats will quickly become food for scavenging critters. Especially birds of prey and even some migrating species!

[tncaver]

[Maybe using more than one pair of gloves per hibernacula would prevent spreading of the disease as well.

Disinfection Protocol for Bat Field Research/Monitoring
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
June 2009
To minimize the potential for transmission of white-nose syndrome....
Bats should be kept in breathable holding bags rather than holding cages. To avoid
cross-contamination of samples, it is imperative to keep bats separated using holding bags that are kept as clean as possible. Only one bat should be in a given bag, and that bag should not be reused for a new bat.

Disposable exam gloves should be worn over handling gloves and changed in between handling each bat. Disposable gloves should be one size larger than the handling gloves. Smooth leather gloves may be wiped down with a disinfectant (i.e. Purell®, Lysol® disinfecting wipes or alcohol wipes) in between handling bats. If only using leather gloves, each handler should have several sets of gloves to interchange in between handling bats. This allows time to effectively kill the fungus and for the disinfectant to completely dry.

For situations when gloves may hinder field work (i.e. transmitter attachment) and bats come in contact with bare hands, apply hand sanitizer with alcohol (i.e. Purell®) after handling each bat. Make sure it dries completely before handling the next bat.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/whitenose/ ... ne2009.pdf

yes, I have seen the pics of people handling bats with bare hands, and they are old pics from, like, 2008 before anyone had a clue what was going on.

I am very glad to hear that USFWS has finally issued a sensible protocol for biologists who are handling bats. It is too bad those protocol weren't carried out
from the beginning. Hind sight is always 20/20. However, I was under the impression that currently, no one was supposed to be handling bats. ie; in cave bat counts were suspended, and bat counts were to be conducted ONLY from outside caves to eliminate any and all possibilities of spreading WNS. Is this no longer being followed, or was it ever?

Waking bats during hibernation is sure to use up precious fat stores. Some may say that doing so does not affect their health, but if they
are already underweight and sickly, how can this not be detrimental? Plus, it has been mentioned that bats affected by WNS are already arousing more than
they should. As I understand, that is the reason handling bats was suspended. Therefore, there seems to be a bit of misinformation being spread around by some of those who claim to be in the know. This creates confusion. Simply put, if bats are weak and puny and arousal uses up fat stores, how can further
handling of those infected bats NOT weaken them even more, thus causing death?

[John Chenger]

that protocol is for SUMMER MIST NETTING and is only a fraction of the decon procedures summer people are supposed to do in the field

...it has nothing to do with entering caves. doing anything other than counting and photographing bats under a "normal" winter hibernation survey is highly unusual as previously described by wynadotte caver elsewhere in these forums


cave bats naturally arouse several times a winter....some species hardly stay in one place more than a week. the biannual disturbance at annual monitoring sites does not pose a threat to the survival to the species and the data gained during those surveys is priceless.

[reeffish1073]

Well

I was curious if there were any new probable WNS sites yet, that are not confirmed? I have not seen anything on this yet, anywhere!!! I hope there are not any, and that no news is good news!

[wyandottecaver]

there is 1 confirmed new sire in PA and Hellhole is also more or less confirmed. There are also many reports not confirmed in PA. I expect to start seeing the bad news by late Feb.

[John Chenger]

Here you go:

Subject: WNS Map 01/22/10

Hello Everyone,

Unfortunately-lots of activity in PA this month.

Attached is an updated map.
We’ve classed the following PA counties as “Likely” due to bats on the landscape with mortality:
Northumberland, Sullivan, Carbon and Schuylkill.
Some of these counties may never get confirmed due to abandoned holes (coal mines) that are difficult to locate.

A small cave on private property in Monroe County has been confirmed with typical WNS signs at entrance & within.
Monroe County PA is now “Confirmed.”

With Regrets,

Cal B…

------

Updated map here: http://www.batmanagement.com/wns/wns.html

[BrianC]

This link http://www.batmanagement.com/wns/wns.html Looks like we are not going to be able to change USFW mind ! Making more of the human transfer than bat to bat transfer as the real culprit! Obviously they have become just as extreme as CBD in their agenda! I was just beginning to have some hope USFW was going to explore sound science , but now with Bat Management, it looks as if cavers are done for! SHAME on Bat Management! I have lost any respect I had for true conservation coming out of them!

[tncaver]

This link http://www.batmanagement.com/wns/wns.html Looks like we are not going to be able to change USFW mind ! Making more of the human transfer than bat to bat transfer as the real culprit! Obviously they have become just as extreme as CBD in their agenda! I was just beginning to have some hope USFW was going to explore sound science , but now with Bat Management, it looks as if cavers are done for! SHAME on Bat Management! I have lost any respect I had for true conservation coming out of them!

Quite frankly, most conservationist organizations are extremists and always have been. Cavers have simply turned a blind eye to the obvious. Now ALL of us
will pay the price.

[John Chenger]

I understand the text of that page http://www.batmanagement.com/wns/wns.html has not been updated for 9 months or so. If you notice anything factually incorrect feel free to point it out. It fairly states "And, it is unclear if there is some pathogen that could be transferred between caves and mines by cave explorers and the biologists studying WNS. " Maybe you didn't read the whole page. BTW I have nothing to do with the CBD and don't necessarily agree with all their petitions, so you'll get no argument from me.

[BrianC]

I understand the text of that page http://www.batmanagement.com/wns/wns.html has not been updated for 9 months or so..

I too read the date but, I don't think that is factual because I didn't read the new human vector before, the statement shows the new sightings as to the human vector!

I may be totally wrong about this but I don't believe so!

I wanted to edit this to also state that the new sighting actually prove more and more that bats are the culprit, the BM posting states that caves in the area that don't have WNS show probability of the human vector, This is totally absurd to state such garbage as sound science!

[John Chenger]

Sorry, I stand by everything on that page until new info surfaces. I haven't read anything coherent that is any better than the current overview on that page, boiled down to bats can transfer it just as well as people might, except people have the potential of carrying it long distances faster and further than a migrating bat might. My "garbage" makes a bit more practical sense than the "bats migrating across the Atlantic ocean" which seems to be at least one other running theory out there. What is sad is that I wrote that article 9 months ago on an emerging topic and really nothing significant has been learned since to really cause a revision.

[BrianC]

Other Updates
Cave Signs – Cave closure and WNS
advisory signs have been ordered
and printed for Alabama, Kentucky,
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont,
Virginia, and Wisconsin. Additional
signs may be ordered in the future if
funding is secured. Please adhere
to these closures and advisories to
minimize the spread of WNS.
This update from USFW states that signs have been printed for states including Alabama!http://www.fws.gov/northeast/pdf/wnsnewsletter.pdf

[BrianC]

My "garbage" makes a bit more practical sense than the "bats migrating across the Atlantic ocean" which seems to be at least one other running theory out there. What is sad is that I wrote that article 9 months ago on an emerging topic and really nothing significant has been learned since to really cause a revision.

That sound science is why we will loose our caves!

[Pippin]

I helped put up several of those "cave closed" signs at a cave in Alabama in October. It's the largest gray bat hibernation cave in the country and there are at least 1.5 million gray bats in there right now, probably some Indiana bats too. Some caves need to be closed right now. The FWS is not running all over Alabama putting up "cave closed" signs at random caves, the ones they're closing and signing are all significant bat caves that I hope we all agree people should stay out of anyway. The FWS is planning to go to the closed bat caves next month to see if there are any signs of WNS.