<\/p>\n
GLENWOOD SPRINGS (AP) \u2013 White River National Forest is in the process of installing a gate on Spring Cave near Meeker, and Hubbard Cave near Glenwood Springs is likely to be next in line.<\/p>\n
The gates would complement existing closures and other measures intended to halt the spread of white-nose syndrome, a disease that has decimated eastern bat populations.<\/p>\n
While western bat colonies tend to be smaller than their lowland counterparts, the area has \u201ca tremendous bat population,\u201d according to district wildlife biologist Phil Nyland. And while they generally get less attention than other wildlife, their impact is considerable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey serve a tremendous ecological purpose in terms of the number of insects they eat, including mosquitoes,\u201d Nyland said.<\/p>\n
As such, land management authorities took no chances when white nose began to spread across the country. The Rocky Mountain region issued a blanket closure in 2010. In 2013, some caves were reopened on a seasonal basis, although caves on public land still require a permit to access regardless of whether there\u2019s a sign or gate.<\/p>\n
Hubbard remains closed year-round, while Spring Cave, a winter roosting site, is open to cavers from mid-April through mid-August. Even without the threat of white nose, the bats are better off left alone during the cold months, Nyland noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re vulnerable to disturbance during hibernation, and it takes them a long time to return their metabolism to that previous state, which requires energy and makes them more vulnerable to starvation, disease, cold,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Gate construction on Spring Cave follows a public scoping period in April and is assisted by local community corrections labor. Support from GeoCorps has also allowed the Forest Service to provide some personnel to educate visitors about the cave.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe overall reaction has been really positive,\u201d said Stephanie Bouchey, one of two summer hires assigned to the cave on busy days. \u201cEveryone seems to understand that white nose is a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
But evidence shows that many visitors don\u2019t obey the rules. Gates on both entrances to the cave will allow bats through in the winter while keeping people out. One gate will be left open in the summer to provide access for permitted cavers. It\u2019s more likely to be a hindrance for curious amateurs than dedicated enthusiasts, observed Ken Headrick, head of the Colorado Western Slope Grotto, a caving club based in Rifle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they say it\u2019s closed with a sign, the public doesn\u2019t always abide, but serious cavers usually comply,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to gate every cave, so you focus on the ones with easy access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Headrick saw a major shift in the caving community during the three-year closure. Those who stuck it out exploring on private land or eschewing the underground entirely are generally eager to protect the bats and obey the rules.<\/p>\n
The Western Slope Grotto follows the decontamination procedures for gear outlined at whitenosesyndrome.org, which includes extensive submersion in hot water or treatment with disinfectants like alcohol or bleach. Headrick stopped visiting Hubbard and other major bat haunts even before official closures, and generally supports limitations. That doesn\u2019t mean he wouldn\u2019t like Spring Cave open a couple weeks later, when low water levels allow deeper access.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one weekend a year when all the cavers try to hit it at once, and that\u2019s not good for it,\u201d he said. Still, gates can have other benefits beyond protecting the bats. Spring Cave has lots of graffiti, and Fulford Cave, near Eagle, has had most of its accessible formations damaged or removed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe public can destroy a cave,\u201d Headrick observed. \u201cIt\u2019s really sad.\u201d<\/p>\n
By contrast, gated Groaning Cave, the longest set of passages in the state, is relatively pristine.<\/p>\n
As for whether the recent discovery of white nose in Washington state \u2013 the first case west of Oklahoma \u2013 will lead to any new policies, officials are noncommittal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re contemplating what our next management action will be, but at this time there\u2019s no change to the restrictions,\u201d Nyland said. \u201cThe public is still required to register and decontaminate.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
to halt spread of white-nose syndrome<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104189,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5736,5735],"tags":[382,2395,13],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-104188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","category-news","tag-animal","tag-animal-science","tag-frontpage-lead"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104188"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=104188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}