White-Nose Syndrome in bats:
For cavers

Message to Cavers
The Service applauds the caving community's strong conservation ethic and long-time support of bat conservation. We appreciation your continued cooperation and assistance as we work together on the white–nose syndrome issue.

We request that cavers observe all cave closures and advisories and refrain from caving in WNS-affected states and adjoining states at any time (see the March 26 cave advisory, below). We also recommend refraining from caving anywhere during bat hibernation to minimize disturbance to bats.

Cave advisory March 26, 2009

Quick Reference for White-Nose Syndrome Containment and Decontamination Procedures for Cave Activity, June 2009

Recommended Procedures to Prevent the Spread of White-nose Syndrome, June 2009

Cave closure information and related advisories

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region
  
  FAQs on cave advisory
     
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast Region
  
  Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge Complex cave closures (March 26, 2009)
    
• Indiana DNR closes caves to slow bat disease spread (May 1, 2009)
   
• Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy
   
• National Park Service
  
  Great Smoky Mountains National Park Closes All Park Caves to Protect Bats (April 3, 2009)
   
• National Speleological Society
  
  White Nose Syndrome Page
   
• National Speleological Society's District of Columbia Grotto
  • Cave Closures
  • White Nose Syndrome: A major problem for both bats and the caving community
    
    
• The Nature Conservancy
  
  NC Nature Conservancy Takes Action to Protect Bats (May 26, 2009)
   
  
• Northeastern Cave Conservancy
  
  Northeastern Cave Conservancy Closes Caves Until May 15, 2009 (March 29, 2009)
   
• Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
  
  Bat hibernating sites in Forest & Westmoreland counties remain closed to visitors (April 28, 2009)
   
• Pennsylvania Game Commission
  
  Game Commission Urges Closures to Prevent Spread of WNS (May 7, 2009)
   
  
• Southeastern Cave Conservancy
    
• Tennessee Valley Authority
  
  TVA Asks Public to Avoid Caves on TVA-managed Land (Nov. 10, 2009)
  
  
• Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
  
  State of Tennessee Closes All Public Caves to Protect Bats in Southeast (July 6, 2009)
   
  
• U.S. Forest Service
  • Forest Service Closes Caves and Mines to Protect Bats in Southeast (May 21, 2009)
  • Forest Service Closes Caves and Mines to Slow the Spread of White-nose Syndrome (April 24, 2009)
  • Shawnee National Forest, Harrisburg, Ill., Cave and mine closure (March 13, 2009)
     
• West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's West Virginia Field Office: Notice to Cavers No. 2 (16 June 2008), White Nose Syndrome - Update (PDF 32k)
   
• Virginia
  • Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
    
    Recommended Measures to Reduce the Spread of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Virginia (April 15, 2009)
    
    
  • Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
    
    Virginia Confirms Cases of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats: Asking Cavers, Owners of Caves to Help by Reducing Cave Traffic (April 2, 2009)