Federal and State Agencies Determine Some Temporary Cave Closures are Necessary to Protect Bats

Albuquerque, NM (November 8 ) -- Federal and state land management agencies will enact partial closures for some caves and abandoned mines on public lands in New Mexico in response to the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a disease affecting bats. WNS is responsible for the death of more than one million bats in the eastern United States and Canada.

Preventing the potential human transmission of the fungus associated with the disease into New Mexico and containing any occurrences discovered within the state is the focus of public land managers.   The closures on New Mexico’s public lands will primarily affect caves and abandoned mines that are known to have significant bat roosts but will not affect developed caves, like Carlsbad Cavern in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. 

To help ensure that visitors are not bringing the fungus into the cave, Carlsbad Caverns National Park will follow Mammoth Cave National Park’s lead and develop a process to screen visitors before they enter caves within the park.

“Our ongoing risk assessment has shown that most visitors pose little threat to the park’s bats since their roosts are far from visitor trails, “ said Carlsbad Caverns National Park Superintendent John Benjamin. “By keeping our developed caves open where the risk of this fungus transmission is low, we will be able to continue educating the public about bats and WNS.”
 
WNS has severely affected bats in the northeastern United States since it was first identified in 2007. Some affected sites have experienced more than 95% mortality of bats, making this one of the worst wildlife health crises in recorded history. 

In May 2010, the fungus associated with WNS was confirmed on a western bat species in a cave in northwestern Oklahoma.  This is the most western report of the fungus to date, and puts the presumed cause of WNS approximately 250 miles from New Mexico. 

“To date, the fungus has not been found in any caves on public lands located in New Mexico; however, biologists suspect that the fungus could appear in southwestern bat populations as early as winter 2010-2011 based on previous patterns and rates of spread,” said Bobbi Barrera, threatened and endangered species program biologist with the U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region.

WNS is named for a white fungus that appears on the faces, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. Once a colony is infected, it is believed that the fungus spreads rapidly from bat to bat.  Hibernating bats survive the winter by building up fat reserves during the fall that must last through the many months of hibernation.  Some scientists believe the fungus irritates, then awakens, hibernating bats causing them to wake up prematurely. During these arousals, the bats use up their fat reserves and either starve or freeze to death during the remainder of the winter.

Bats are thought to be the primary vector for the spread of the fungus. Biologists also believe that people may be inadvertently contributing to the spread because the fungal spores have been found on clothing, packs, and shoes that have been inside affected sites.  This cross contamination could also come from tourists who only visit commercial show caves.  There have been no reported human illnesses attributed to the fungus.

Bats are a natural and important part of New Mexico and are extremely important to the state’s environment.  Insect-eating bats are the primary predators of night-flying insects such as beetles, moths, flies, and mosquitoes. 

According to BLM threatened and endangered species program lead, Marikay Ramsey, “Many of these insects are serious crop pests, and others can spread disease.  Crop pests can cost American farmers billions of dollars every year.  By controlling vast numbers of insects, bats help to ensure our environment’s health.  When bat populations are lost, as we are now seeing with WNS, the repercussions may be extremely harmful to humans.”
 
New Mexico is home to 28 species of bats, two of which are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.  Federal land management agencies, along with the state and federal Fish and Wildlife agencies in New Mexico are working together to develop a coordinated and consistent approach to prevent and contain the spread of WNS and to inform the public of the actions they can take to assist in this effort.  For more information regarding each agency’s approach and next steps, please contact the individuals listed below:

Jim Stuart, NM Game and Fish, (505) 476-8107
Donna Hummel, BLM, (505) 954-2019
Sheila Poole, US Forest Service, (505) 842-3291                                                                                            
Paula Bauer, Carlsbad Caverns NP, (575) 785-3090
Leslie DeLong, El Malpais National Monument, (505) 285-4641 x18

For more information about WNS, go to the following Web sites:
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/disease_information/white-nose_syndrome/
http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/wildlifehealth/White_Nose_Syndrome.cfm
http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Wildlife/wns.html