White Nose Syndrome-NSS Liaison Report
October 1, 2009

Introduction:

This report is being written October 1, 2009.  Summer reports from the northeast show dramatic reductions in the bat populations of species affected by White Nose Syndrome.  New York State is planning to file to add them to the state’s endangered species list.  If that is accomplished, it will have ramifications for private home and landowners, and likely for cave access.  Congress is in Conference Committee on the Interior Appropriations Bill, which contains some additional funding for WNS.  At this moment, we are working to get that number increased.  Most people involved in the WNS investigation are bracing for another severe winter, with WNS expected to continue to spread.

Progress:

• Completed a full fall update of the NSS WNS website September 29.
• Attended a special WNS three-day workshop at the invitation of the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Pre-conference webinar and post-conference summary are on the website.
• Organized and facilitated a four-hour session on WNS at the ICS/NSS convention in Kerrville, Texas.  Leading scientific researchers, federal and state officials, and non-profit and for-profit organizations attended and presented.  All presentations are posted on the NSS WNS website.
• Posted the proceedings of the Second Science Strategy Conference, Austin, Texas.  These are the WNS research priorities for the coming year.
• Followed up on our June 4 Congressional testimony as the Interior Appropriations Bill moved through the House and Senate.  As this report is being written, we are sending an alert to contact the four leading conference committee members (House and Senate Chairs and Ranking Members) in an effort to secure more WNS research funding.
• An article on the Congressional hearing appeared in the NSS News.
• Provided comment on a Structured Decision Making (SDM) document purporting to assess the impact of various WNS mitigation and intervention strategies on recreational caving and commercial operations.
• Agreed to be part of the USFWS public education and outreach committee.
• Awarded two additional research grants from the NSS WNS Rapid Response Fund.  One went to Virginia’s Natural Heritage Program, part of VA Dept. of Recreation and Conservation for $7,800 to study bats between summer maternity and fall swarming in an effort to track the progress of WNS in a newly affected area (Virginia).  A second award of $1,000 went to Dr. Hazel Barton to assess now known effective decontamination substances on other cave non-bat organisms.  This will tell us if proposed intervention and mitigation chemicals, such as fungicides, are likely to have an adverse impact on other cave life. The brings the total number of awards to seven, with the total amount donated over $75,000. Total awards are now are over $37,000. Interim financial reports from grantees have been received. We have a balance as of Sept. 17 of nearly $38,000, including NSS donation from the Save the Caves fund. 
• Maintain virtual daily contact with scientists and agency personnel working on WNS.
• Continue to stay in contact with affected NSS Nature Preserve managers.  McFails, Barton Hill, and Schoharie Preserves in NY closed Oct. 1.  Guilday, in WVA, and Wells, in KY, remain closed.  Tytoona, in PA, remains open.

Plans:

• Monitor funded projects and post reports of research activities;
• Participate in WNS Panel at Fall MAR – presentation on the role of the NSS and cavers in WNS research and the future of caving;
• Publicize and promote the WNS Rapid Response Fund to encourage donations by individuals and environmental organizations;
• Continue to respond to and process research applications as they are submitted.  We have three pending requests as I write this report, in various stages of review.  We expect several more as the USFWS announces what it did not fund in response to its July 31 RFP.  They received over $5 million in applications for only $800,000 in available funding.
• Follow up on Congressional hearings to advocate for research funding;
• Continue to make recommendations, based on the latest available research, on the NSS Preserve openings and closures relating to WNS;
• Continue to respond to NSS board and member questions regarding WNS through the e-mail address wnsliaison@caves.org;
• Now that the SWG multi-state grant is awarded, I will continue to advocate for and facilitate volunteer caver assistance in fieldwork projects - something the NSS pledged as an in-kind contribution in our letter of support for the grant;
• Will attend the fall conference of the North American Society for Bat Research (NASBR) Nov. 4-7, Portland, Oregon, and report on the proceedings.

Problems:

• WNS continues to spread, threatening bats with extinction, and caving as an activity. Most people involved in the WNS investigation are predicting continued spread of the disease through the South and Midwest this winter.  Continued cave closures are likely, both within and outside the affected area.  The northeast is already experiencing the post WNS apocalyptic world, with NY State planning to list all the WNS-affected species on its state endangered species list.  This could have profound ramifications for private property owners, and caving.
• Funding for research. While we hope Congress will add more money for WNS research, none of the discussion comes close to the identified need.  There will be continued pressure on private funding sources, including the NSS Rapid Response Fund.
• Continued slow release of detailed primary source field and laboratory research data. There has been only one published study since our last report.  Information trickles out through presentations at conferences, but published research is lacking.  Several of the NSS-funded projects are scheduled for completion this fall, and we hope publication will follow.
• Caver input on the Draft National WNS Plan released by the USFWS on Sept. 8 will be critical to the future of cave access and caving.  While still only a draft, this document will become the focus of all federal and state WNS investigation and management activities.  Informed input from the caving community and collaboration on research and management initiatives will be necessary to maintain positive relationships.  USFWS says public input will occur over the next several months.  We will need to monitor that process and participate actively.
• Caver backlash.  More and more we are hearing and seeing resistance to government-ordered cave closures.  As new areas of the country become affected, more cavers will come to feel the effects of closures.  Cooperation remains high, but patience is wearing thin.  This will need to be addressed – probably at the Board of Governors level.
• Public perception of the caving community as recreational only.  We must continue to educate about all the roles the caving community plays:  various sciences, exploration, conservation, rescue, and public education.  The media and government agencies continue to use the term “recreational cavers” as all inclusive.  The Board of Governors should address this on a national level.
• Cave closures are affecting outreach to youth groups.  I received a poignant message from Allen Maddox, the NSS Youth Groups Liaison, noting a dramatic falloff in interest in caving due to lack of access.  While doing a good job of reaching out to scouts, camps, etc. and educating about bats and WNS, he complained that the kids just aren’t interested in talking about bats or helping out if they can’t go see a cave.  This needs to be addressed before we lose the next generation.
• Scope of Mission and Limited Resources for the Liaison initiative.  While the BOG has been very supportive, both in policy and in funding, for the Liaison and WNS research, as a Society we are at risk of being overwhelmed by WNS, threatening the existence of caving.  I urge the BOG to think, plan, and act strategically to help the Society, its membership, and future members to come through this crisis as a stable, effective, and growing organization.  It will take work.

Conclusion: The NSS must continue to play a significant role in the WNS investigation, management, and dissemination of information. While we work to protect bats, we also need to strategize around the future of cave access across the country. Using our expertise to inform appropriate cave opening strategies will become paramount in the near future.  Insisting on research that addresses these issues is an appropriate role for the NSS. Urging our entire membership to stay engaged locally and in the public regulatory and Congressional policy discussions is critical. Other far larger environmental groups and wildlife management groups not expert in the cave environment are involved; we must remain so, as well.  This is exactly what I wrote in my last report. It all remains true.

Peter Youngbaer, NSS 16161
WNS Liaison
wnsliaison@caves.org