[Dirtmail] NSS re: Bats

[Loren Ammerman]

I have to respond to this message because I think the petition is being misinterpreted.  The petition is to close ACCESS to caves on federal land because of the threat of unknowingly transferring the white-nose agent from one cave to another.  When I read it, my interpretation is that access to the caves is being halted until we know how the white nose syndrome is spreading.  It is definitely NOT calling for the physical sealing of caves and sinkholes by bulldozing, blasting, etc.  That would be counterproductive.  We (bat biologists) are making progress to understand White Nose but it is happening very slowly and this petition is an attempt to save some caves and their inhabitants until more information is available.

Loren Ammerman
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
Angelo State University
San Angelo, TX  76909


On 1/26/10 7:32 AM, "J. LaRue Thomas" <jlrbills at sonoratx.net> wrote:

All,
As PBSS's NSS I/O (Grotto) representative, I received the following
regarding an organization petitioning our government to close all caves on
public land. A PBSS response is not necessary but you may belong to other
organizations or know people who do (or have interested professors...)

Here is an description of the situation and links to the petition and the
people leading the organization.
_______

Received: Sat, 23 Jan 2010
From: Peter Youngbaer

ALERT

A national organization, the Center for Biological Diversity, has filed
emergency petitions that would radically affect access to caves in the
continental United States, and more.  In the press release are links to
their
formal petitions.  Please take the time to fully read the petitions,
especially the first, which deals most directly with cave access.

In brief, they have petitioned the federal government to close all caves and
mines on federal lands within the continental U.S., designating all caves
and
mines on federal land within the continental United States as "significant",
promulgate a new rule defining "taking" under the Endangered Species Act
that
would ban traveling between any caves on public or private land, making both
cavers and landowners legally liable; and adding two bat species - Eastern
Small-footed, and Northern Long-eared - to the federal Endangered Species
list.  They cite White Nose Syndrome (WNS) as the reason for doing all of
this.

_http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bats-01-21-2010.html_

(http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bats-01-21-2010.html)


As the WNS Liaison for the NSS, I believe this is an extremely serious
threat
from a well-funded and litigious organization, and should be responded to at
all levels, including by cave conservancies as organizations.  I shudder to
think of the possible conservation ramifications: sealing of caves by
blasting, bulldozing, refilling sinkholes with rubbish that we worked so
hard to pull out, groundwater pollution, vandalism, long-established
collaborative relationships with landowners and agencies, and ironically,
the
destruction of cave habitat.

I strongly suggest a prompt and professional response, sending any
correspondence to pertinent parties at the Center for Biological Diversity
and
IMPORTANTLY to the federal officials to whom they sent petitions.  Those
federal officials are listed within the petitions.  The key CBD personnel
are
:

Mollie Matteson, Conservation Advocate, author of the material:
_mmatteson at biologicaldiversity.org_
(mailto:mmatteson at biologicaldiversity.org)

Kieran  Suckling, Executive Director and founder:
_ksuckling at biologicaldiversity.org_
(mailto:ksuckling at biologicaldiversity.org)


Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Peter Youngbaer
NSS WNS Liaison
youngbaer4 at aol.com

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