These are several million bats coming out of the Old Tunnel bat cave near Luckenbach Texas.  Its an abandoned train tunnel that is home to about 3 million bats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZofyVJvtz4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kTSj7zSKi0

Here is a graphic showing known caves (colored pushpins) from several databases  along with red dots for each cave or mine with known or suspected WNS. --pf
www.well.com/user/peter/wns5.jpg

Halls Cave listed below is located just west of Huntingdon and is half the distance from the original WNS hotspot cluster in Mifflin County to Canoe Creek. It will be something if WNS misses Canoe Creek this year, it is literally knocking on the door.

The bats are moving from humanly inaccessible passages towards the entrance...I always thought there was more passage to that cave than what could be seen.

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Begin forwarded message:

From: kimmakc@aol.com
Date: January 27, 2010 4:33:11 PM EST
To: p-grotto@yahoogroups.com, conservation@wingedseed.com, MAR-NSS@yahoogroups.com, loyalhanna_grotto@yahoogroups.com, makc@karst.org, moderator@karst.org, VARLIST@LISTSERV.VT.EDU
Subject: [Pittsburgh Grotto] MAKC WNS announcement



The Mid-Atlantic Karst Conservancy (MAKC) regrets to announce that the hibernating bats at its Hall Cave Preserve in Huntingdon County have become the latest population to be impacted by White Nose Syndrome (WNS). White Nose Syndrome is a fungus first noted in 2006 in upstate New York, and has been associated with the deaths of over 1,000,000 bats in the northeastern United States.

The syndrome was first observed in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, in December 2008 and, until its discovery in Huntingdon County, has been limited to eleven sites in Bucks, Centre, Mifflin, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.

Three members of the Board of Directors of the MAKC, which owns the 9.45 acre Hall Cave Preserve, entered the cave on January 23, 2010 to conduct an annual bat survey. Mike Kern of Somerset County, Mike Schirato of Nanty Glo, and Kerry Speelman of Harrisburg, all licensed professional geologists and long-time board members, have been monitoring the bat populations in MAKC preserves for the last several years. Hall Cave, a 380 foot long limestone cave, is a small hibernaculum, and was last entered on March 13, 2009, during a bat census. The cave, as well as all other MAKC preserves, was closed in 2009 to allow researchers studying the syndrome time to more fully develop decontamination protocols and potential treatments for the fungus

“We geared up in new or decontaminated gear as done last year and hiked up to the cave entrance,” Speelman reported. “Upon arrival at hall cave we observed racoon tracks near the entrance but no flying or dead bats. We then entered the cave and within the freeze area we observed a cluster of little brown bats. Bats have not been observed in the freeze area in previous surveys.

“As we progressed through the cave, we counted approximately 1,800 bats (99 percent were little browns) with approximately 1 in 5 bats exhibiting signs of WNS,” he said. “This is a record number of bats ever counted in this cave. Typically bat counts in January show less than 200 bats and bat counts in March show a larger number as it appears the bats in passages too small for human observation migrate toward the entrance as spring arrives.  

“We observed raccoon droppings and one dead bat which exhibited evidence of WNS,
Speelman said. “The bats appeared more active, flying or just moving around at their perch, than previous counts.”

The three geologists counted 1,820 bats in the cave, (1,800 little brown bats, 18 pipistrelles and two big brown bats). Previous bat counts have documented 486 bats on March 13, 2009, 62 on January 12, 2008, 75 on January 22, 2003, 143 on February 21, 2000, and 35 on March 20, 1985.

During the visit the distinctive fungus that occurs around the muzzle of bats impacted with the syndrome was documented in photographs by Kern.

The MAKC was formed in 1997 for the study, preservation and conservation of caves and karst resources and the education of the public about such resources. It owns preserves in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, and Huntingdon County, Pa., and leases and manages more than 40 caves on over 5,000 acres of property in Cumberland, Lawrence, Huntingdon, and Westmoreland counties in Pennsylvania. The conservancy in 2009 announced the development of a cave and karst education center and library in Blairsville, Indiana County. The organization has a strong history in karst management, cave stewardship and working with the public and local, state and federal agencies with outreach education, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Its members have also done volunteer projects for show caves Laurel Caverns, near Uniontown; Lincoln Caverns and Whisper Rocks, near Huntingdon; and Crystal Cave near Kutztown, as well as with the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, Saint Vincent College, Latrobe.

MAKC's library and cave and karst education center, scheduled to open in May of 2010, is an expansion of these efforts in creating a facility to expand public education and become a reference resource for the caving community.

“MAKC will continue to take a leadership role in allowing this preserve to be used for scientific research,” said Chairman John L. Long of Blairsville, “and to use MAKC's resources to better coordinate information collection and become a clearinghouse for tracking and monitoring the latest developments on WNS, whether breakthroughs in research or assisting in the documentation and occurrence of WNS as its symptoms become known both locally and regionally.”

“There is much research ongoing in trying to determine the cause of and a cure for WNS,” said board member Jeff Jahn of Cross Junction, Virginia.  “It is critical that factual information be communicated in a timely manner and to a wide range of outlets to keep everyone updated on the latest WNS development. Our goal will be to assist with that effort in any way possible.”

Other board members are Sue Moore (treasurer) and Phil Gowaty (vice chairman) of Cambridge Springs, near Erie, Carl Pierce (secretary) of Pittsburgh and Paul Damon, Jr., of Monroeville, Mark Lancaster of Huntingdon, and Kim Metzgar of Derry. Its website is www.karst.org.

For information specifically on Hall Cave contact Mark Lancaster, preserve manager, at hallcave@karst.org or mlancaster@karst.org.

For information the MAKC, please email info@karst.org.

Canada Changes Bat Rabies Vaccination Rules
Bats in Bedrooms Now Considered Low Rabies Risk
Jan 14, 2010 Helen Powers
Since late 2009 the National Advisory Committee on Immunization no longer recommends vaccinations when bats are found in bedrooms. Direct contact is the new criteria.

In 1998 the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended rabies vaccinations for people sleeping in a room where a bat was found. Bat bites and scratches are difficult to detect, and this cautionary round of rabies shots prevented the risk of infection from possibly rabid bats. The November 2009 policy change eliminates the very high costs involved in a vaccination program that showed little benefit.
Research Leading to NACI Rabies Vaccine Policy Change
In making this policy change, NACI used medical statistics and recent research which showed:
* the risk of rabies from bats is very low without direct contact
* the costs of the vaccination program were very high and a drain on health resources
The low incidence rates and high costs led researchers to conclude that preventing one case of human rabies due to bedroom exposure required 2,463 health professionals for follow up on bat exposures, and $2 billion for vaccinations and bat testing. In Quebec, between October 2004 and September 2006, the provincial health unit investigated 957 bat encounters involving 1933 individuals. One thousand and eighty one of these people received rabies shots but only 20% had direct contact with a bat. Each course of vaccinations costs $1000 and testing a bat costs $250.
New Rabies Vaccine Policy
NACI "is now recommending intervention only when both of the following conditions apply:
* there has been direct contact with a bat; and
* a bite, scratch or saliva exposure into a wound or mucous membrane cannot be ruled out."
Rabies Symptoms
According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of human rabies include:

* agitation
* fever
* anxiety
* confusion
* difficulty swallowing
* excessive salivation
* fear of water because of the difficulty of swallowing
* hallucinations
* insomnia
* partial paralysis
Once symptoms develop, this central nervous system disease has progressed to the point where survival is unlikely.
Canadian Bat Rabies Statistics
The Ontario Ministry of Resources and the NACI provide information on rabies history, prevention programs, and monitoring measures. The following figures provide information about the rabies situation in Canada:
* since 1925, 26 people have died from rabies and five of these were from bats
* 2150 bats were tested in 2006 with 72 having positive results
* between 1987 to 1998, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta had the most rabid bats
* although rare, bats have passed rabies to other animals including a classroom hamster
* last known rabies fatality was in Alberta in 2007 due to an infected bat
Bats in Your House?
If you find a bat in your house, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources suggests what to do and who to call in the event of a suspected rabid animal of any type. Rabid bats have difficulty flying and other animals display a range of symptoms.
Pest Control for Bats
According to NACI, bats can get through an opening as small as 2.0 cm by 1.5 cm and commonly enter through:
* chimneys
* vents
* broken screens
* windows and doors
* siding
* eaves
* loose shingles
Bat removal can be done by animal and wildlife control companies however as bats can provide many environmental benefits, using an exterminator is strongly cautioned against by naturalists.
Bats Not Considered a Significant Rabies Threat to Canadians
NACI's new vaccination policy reflects recent research and statistics showing a low risk of bats passing rabies to humans. Waking up in a room with a bat present no longer requires rabies shots unless direct contact has occurred. For a full description of this policy and the background research, visit the NACI website

Read more at Suite101: Canada Changes Bat Rabies Vaccination Rules: Bats in Bedrooms Now Considered Low Rabies Risk http://vaccinations.suite101.com/article.cfm/canada_changes_bat_rabies_vaccinati...

To anyone wishing to assist with White-Nose Syndrome monitoring:

This winter, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are looking to the caving community to help monitor the distribution of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in West Virginia by conducting entrance surveys at caves to look for unusual bat behavior. Bats affected by WNS often fly out of the caves during the day, and dead bats can sometimes be found on the ground, or on rock faces, buildings, etc. near the cave entrance. This behavior is most evident later in the winter, so we suggest surveys be done between February 13 and March 14. If you would be willing to conduct surveys, please complete and submit the attached data sheet for each survey.

We are asking people not to go into the caves, but to observe the cave entrance from the outside for at least 30 minutes. Stay far enough back from the entrance that your presence will not discourage bats from exiting the cave. Biologists in Pennsylvania have noted that activity at cave entrances is greatest on warm days, especially following a cold spell, so when your schedule permits, try to pick a warm day.

When possible, it would also be best to select caves known to have a good number of bats in the winter. If you can see into the cave a ways without going into the cave, check the entrance area before you leave the site and note the number of bats near the entrance and whether or not the bats appear to be active, show any signs of WNS, etc.

Please look for dead and dying bats on the ground near the cave entrance. Photographs of the bats would be good for documenting the situation, but, at this time, we are not asking for any of these bats to be collected. Please do not touch or handle any dead or dying bats.

Please complete the table at the bottom of the data sheet indicating the time spent (including travel time to get to the caves) and miles driven to conduct these surveys. The WVDNR will be able to use the time and miles to help match a federal White-Nose Syndrome grant the state received. The grant requires that 25% of the project costs come from non-federal sources, so we need to come up with a match in order to spend the federal monies. Volunteer time can be used as part of the match.

Because these surveys will not detect all affected caves, you should assume that all caves, and the soil outside the cave entrance, are potentially affected by WNS and clean and disinfect your footwear before wearing them to another cave entrance. One option we plan to explore is the use disposable footwear covers to keep boots from getting contaminated. The most recent decontamination protocols can be found at:

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/wnsresearchmonitoring.html

To maximize the number of sites visited, I would encourage people to coordinate within your grotto and between grottos if possible. However, there is no harm in visiting a site more than once during the season if two groups chose to monitor the same cave. It is probably more important to get out there and survey than to spend too much time coordinating and not getting surveys done. Most of you are probably aware that Hellhole in Pendleton County appears to be affected by WNS. The WVDNR will be monitoring this cave, so please focus your efforts on other caves.

If you suspect a site is affected by WNS, please report this information ASAP to

craigstihler@wvdnr.gov rather than waiting until all surveys have been completed to turn in your forms. Please return forms for all the surveys that you complete to Craig at the address provided no later than March 31.

Note that it is not unusual to see an occasional bat flying on a warm day in the winter; these are usually red bats or big brown bats, so not every bat flying in winter is an indication of WNS. Many of these bats probably roost in buildings or other sites where temperatures are less stable than in caves. However, if you see a number of bats flying and feel something is "just not right," please report those sightings.

Thank you in advance to all who plan to help in the 2010 survey.



Sincerely,

Craig Stihler

Wildlife Biologist

WV Division of Natural Resources

PO Box 67

Elkins, WV 26241

Barbara Douglas

Endangered Species Biologist

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

West Virginia Field Office

Subject: WNS Map 01/22/10

Hello Everyone,

Unfortunately-lots of activity in PA this month.

Attached is an updated map.
We’ve classed the following PA counties as “Likely” due to bats on the landscape with mortality:
Northumberland, Sullivan, Carbon and Schuylkill.  
Some of these counties may never get confirmed due to abandoned holes (coal mines) that are difficult to locate.

A small cave on private property in Monroe County has been confirmed with typical WNS signs at entrance & within.
Monroe County PA is now “Confirmed.”

With Regrets,

Cal B…

------

Updated map here: http://www.batmanagement.com/wns/wns.html

Thanks, I hope you're right.

What about area cell phone and wifi towers and antennas? Go to antenna search below, and maybe do a search for an address near each of the affected caves, and find out how many towers and antennas are located in proximity to these caves.

www.antennasearch.com

In fact, after plugging an address in, if you click on 'view tower results' or 'view antenna results', information about each of the listed towers and antennas will come up - both registered and unregistered, complete with a satellite map - and you can click on each one of these and get even more information. In fact, you can even download a report on each of these.

I'm not sure how it works, but in most cases 'construction' and 'registration' dates are given. I'm not sure if the registration dates are the dates the towers/antennas were 'activated' or not? Maybe you know?

It would be interesting to find out if WNS appeared soon after the activation of one of these towers/antennas...

Sorry, but I left out one very important point. The shadow formed by the horizon as seen by the radar facility would completely block the beam at lower elevations. Where the bats feed, there would be virtually zero emf from PAWS.
--pf

Thank you for that information. I really wasn't sure about that. Wouldn't there still be exposures though even if they weren't main-beam exposures?

How many towers/antennas surround the affected caves?

www.antennasearch.com

Just made some measurements and find that because the PAWS array is beamed upwards at a 20 degree angle and is 209 miles East of Howe's Cave where this all started. That puts the phased radar beam at about 76 miles in elevation over the cave.  PAWS does not seem a likely candidate.
--pf