Cave closures

Even as the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) prepares to close caves and former mines in national forests to human trespass in 33 states, officials in Pennsylvania are encouraging property owners with caves to close them as well. The USFS closures are an attempt to minimize the potential spread of the fungus associated with white nose syndrome (WNS), which is causing devastating losses in bat populations across the Northeast.

The sites will be closed for up to a year. Those trespassing in closed caves face up to six months in jail and fines of up to $10,000.

Discovered initially in New York, WNS has spread to Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. Bats are important insect predators and crop pollinators whose loss could have substantial effects on the health of humans, animals, crops and habitat. WNS typically has a 90 percent mortality rate.

Other measures include:

• The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area has closed its caves and mines indefinitely to protect native bats.

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released nearly $1 million through the Pennsylvania Game Commission for ongoing studies by scientists from New Jersey, New York and other affected states.

For more information, visit the Game Commission’s website ( pgc.state.pa.us ), select “Wildlife” and click on the photo of the bat. To learn more about WNS, visit fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html or the National Speleological Society’s website at caves.org or the Northeastern Cave Conservancy’s website at necaveconservancy.org .

If you happen to be blessed with a resident bat colony in or near your home, now is the time to practice every means of co-existence to support healthy bat populations.