Mid-Appalachian Region of
the National Speleological Society

Notice:     White-Nose Syndrome

Updated: 2-28-2008

Photo Credit: Al Hicks, New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation Bats infected with WNS, recognized by white "fuzz" around a bats nose, has been found in various caves and throughout the Northeast of the United States (Confirmed in NY, VT, and MA). Due to the high bat mortality rate within these known caves and mines and the "unknown" presence of WNS in other caves and mines within the states listed above and/or neighboring states, the National Speleological Society (NSS), its internal caving organizations, cave conservancies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other government agencies are encouraging ALL cavers to avoid locations with significant bat hibernacula and to follow existing bat moratorium lists and clean caving techniques. White–Nose Syndrome Containment and Decontamination Procedures 1 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asks that cavers please follow these procedures for containment and decontamination in the circumstances identified above. Prior to each caving outing, please check this Web page for updates to these procedures. When you exit the cave, scrape or brush off any dirt and mud from your clothes, boots, and gear. When you get to your vehicle, remove your clothing, boots, and gear, put them in a plastic/garbage bag, and seal the bag closed to prevent contamination of the vehicle's interior and trunk (and subsequent re-contamination of your gear). Remember to bring extra clothes for the drive home. Wash your caving clothes using hot water, detergent, and a normal bleach cycle. Dry the clothes thoroughly at hot temperatures. Wash your boots thoroughly with detergent and then soak them in a 10 percent bleach solution (1 part chlorine bleach: 9 parts water) — soak porous boots longer than nonporous boots. Wash your gear thoroughly with detergent and then soak in a 10 percent bleach solution. Dry items in sunlight if possible. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Following are links to various related Web pages of other regions and state news releases about White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). Note:  It is not the Mid-Appalachian Region's (MAR) intention for this to become a 'clearinghouse' for information on WNS, but rather a portal from the MAR website in which cavers can obtain additonal infromation on WNS through "accurate" and "crediable" resources. The list is not necessarily comprehensive, but is "in-progress" as new notices and articles are being released as more is being discovered about this destructive virus. Press release from New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection: Mysterious Illness Killing Bats in Northeast Prompts Precautions as Wildlife Researchers Search for Answers. Press release from New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation: Bat Die-Off Prompts Investigation — DEC Asks For Cavers' Help to Prevent Spread of "White Nose Syndrome" Press release from Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department: New Disease Threatens Northeastern Bats See more about white-nose syndrome in bats in the Midwest, And about white-nose syndrome in bats in the Southeast. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Northeast Region) Facts about the Indiana bat (USFWS) White Nose Syndrome (D.C. Grotto) 1  Taken from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region, website.