Closing Caves to the Public?

[skip]

I know many of you have no interest in dry caving, but some of you do. Here's a copy of a recent email I received that may be of concern.

-skip

A national organization, the Center for Biological Diversity, has filed emergency petitions that would radically affect access to caves in the continental United States, and more. In the press release are links to their formal petitions. Please take the time to fully read the petitions, especially the first, which deals most directly with cave access.

In brief, they have petitioned the federal government to close all caves and mines on federal lands within the continental U.S., designating all caves and mines on federal land within the continental United States as "significant," to promulgate a new rule defining "taking" under the Endangered Species Act that would ban traveling between any caves on public or private land, making both cavers and landowners legally liable; and to add two bat species - Eastern Small-footed, and Northern Long-eared - to the federal Endangered Species list. They cite WNS as the reason for doing all of this.

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/bats-01-21-2010.html

As the WNS Liaison for the NSS, I believe this is an extremely serious threat from a well-funded and litigious organization, and should be responded to at all levels, including by our grottos and other internal organizations. I strongly suggest sending any correspondence to pertinent parties at the Center for Biological Diversity and IMPORTANTLY to the federal officials to whom they sent petitions. Those federal officials are listed within the petitions. The key CBD personnel are :

Mollie Matteson, Conservation Advocate, author of the material: mmatteson@biologicaldiversity.org <mailto:mmatteson@biologicaldiversity.org>
Kieran Suckling, Executive Director and founder: ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org <mailto:ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org>

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Peter Youngbaer
NSS WNS Liaison


--
Dr. Katharina Dittmar de la Cruz
SUNY @ Buffalo
Department of Biological Sciences
109 Cooke Hall
Buffalo, NY, 14260
Tel: 716 645 4912 {NEW}
katharinad@gmail.com
kd52@buffalo.edu