More States take Precaution on the spread White-nose Syndrome

The Bureau of Land Management announced on January 25 2011 that they closed 28 cave in New Mexico to public visitation for the next two years. These closers are in response to a bat in Western Oklahoma found to carry the fungus associated with the disease White-Nose Syndrome in May of 2010 (Geomyces destructans).

This was done as a precaution, feared the spread of White-Nose Syndrome may find its way to NM and effecting bats roosting in its caves. WNS is known to be transmitted from bat to bat and from cave to bat. Some scientific data also links that WNS fungal spores may be spread inadvertently by humans through their clothing or caving gear as they go from cave to cave or mine.

You can help the stop of WNS by following the decontamination protocol set by BLM each time you enter a cave . Procedures can be found at http://www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/index.html.

March 12, 2026 at 10:03 pm | Bats, White Nose Syndrome (WNS) | No comment