White-Nose Syndrome, USDA Forest Service Considering Cave Restrictions

In a new release dated May 11, 2025 Forester, Leslie Weldon announced that he is considering potential restrictions to access both caves and abandoned mines. This would be for all National Forests and National Grasslands in the Northern Region of the U.S. Forest Service. This region includes North Dakota, Montana, north Idaho and northwest South Dakota.

On September 2010, in response to the spread of WNS the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System closed their caves and abandoned mines and implemented research and monitoring protocols in a national effort to slow the spread of white-nose syndrome.

Weldon and the Forest Service do not take closing or restricting access to National Forest land lightly, saying “considering the devastating consequences of both economic and ecological impacts it is a reasonable approach to this problem and is necessary.”

http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/pdf/USFSNorthernRegionCaveClosureRelease.pdf

May 22, 2025 at 9:08 pm | Bats, White Nose Syndrome (WNS) | No comment