Over 600 Mark Twain Caves closed to general public until 2016. Hmmmm....

Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest is hoping to protect it’s resident from White-nose syndrome by keeping caves closed until at least 2016. The more than 600 caves, which first closed in 2009, are home to 14 species of bats. Some of which are already on the endangered species list. Closing caves allows bats to hibernate undisturbed and gives scientists more time to study the causes of White Nose Syndrome, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

cavingnews.com...
www.kfvs12.com...
en.wikipedia.org...

Does anything sound fishy around here if you look past the official story that the caves are closed till 2016 because of bats having "White Nose Syndrome"?

I don't know if this is of any significance to anyone, but what do you make of this?

Sounds a little batty to me.
Caves are used for protection since the dawn of man.
For bats it's for hibernation.....
The fungus grows when the temp drops under 20 and this brings the bats out of hibernation and they end up starving to death.
Less bats=more bugs
From wiki
The data will be critical in tracking the extent and spread of WNS and in coordinating research efforts.[28] The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also partnering with the Northeastern Cave Conservancy to track movements of cavers that have visited affected sites in New York.[28] It has also advised closing caves to explorers in 20 states, from the Midwest to New England. This directive will soon be extended to 13 southern states. As one Virginia scientist stated, "If it gets into caves more to our south, in places like Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama, we’re going to be talking deaths in the millions."[25]
So that could be up to 33 states where you won't be allowed to go into certain caves.

www.batconservation.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
They need to do more research to find out if this fungus is the direct cause.Seems thhey are pretty sure .
If it is they need to figure out how to manipulate the fungus to bring a balance to the ecosystem.
If they see that it is the prooblem
What do you want more of fungus or bats.
I say let mother nature handle it
She has her ways of checks and balances
and this is one of them.
As for closing the caves
hopefully they don't make going underground illegal.

reply to post by A por uvas


And also, why is this so called "White Nose Syndrome" only related to the US when other countries have millions of bats who have never come across this "syndrome"?
en.wikipedia.org...

Closing all of the caves could mean something sinister is going on behind the scenes.

Looks like the elites found another hiding spot for...? Or maybe they would like to prevent any of us from going in and setting up a survival bunker. Couldn't they just close off a group of 20 or 30 caves to study bats noses?? Do they have enough scientists and equipment to study all the bats in all 600 caves? Or even 1 bat from each of the 600 caves? 1 cave should actually be plenty enough... But whatever.

Yeah, I'll tell you what it means.
It means that when fire starts raining from the sky and the poo starts to hit the fan, people will have no where to take cover. Caves are the one place I intended to take my family in a time of tradgedy and chaos. I live in Missouri and we have alot of caves here. This is one more way we are screwed.

I read a recent article in National Geographic magazine about white nose syndrome. It's almost decimated some populations of bats in the northeastern U.S. region. And now this fungus is moving south and west. It hasn't been determined what is causing this. A bat can eat up to and over it's weight in bugs in one night. The loss of large colonies of bats can mean an increase in crop damage and disease due to insects.

reply to post by CasiusIgnoranze


C'mon people, you guys need to go and investigate this stuff. It is your right to attempt survival. To find shelter. To Live....and finally, to know the truth.

Anyone live in the area able to go find out what's going on? Given they've been closed since 2009, you'd find higher security, maybe signs of structural building..or evidence of.

Give me a break if it were an end of the world survival scenario that some people think is behind this then who the hell is going to keep the people out? Common sense folks in an apocalypse type situation government would cease to function leaving all their rules meaningless. I think you folks are reading way too much into things as usual.

Originally posted by jaynkeel
Give me a break if it were an end of the world survival scenario that some people think is behind this then who the hell is going to keep the people out? Common sense folks in an apocalypse type situation government would cease to function leaving all their rules meaningless. I think you folks are reading way too much into things as usual.

Well, those caves are the perfect in case of E.L.E. Shelter and food (bat meat) in the same spot.

reply to post by CasiusIgnoranze


The european bats fare a little better than their North American counterparts
I read.A highher tolerance? or built up immunity from generations of exposure.
Maybe this is how mother nature is supposed to work

reply to post by Trueman


Definitely I get all that I just don't get people actually believing that in one of those scenarios rules and laws would actually be enforced? I mean look at everyday life right now, the police and goberment can barely handle enforcing the laws in a regular manner without chaos everywhere. Just imagine in a chaotic world or a major crisis epic fail.

reply to post by jaynkeel


Well not picking a fight here but maybe since they have been closed since 2009, it isn't that they expect people to follow the rules in an emergency but that they are using them for something themselves?

And not to you in particular Jaynkeel:
People get a great deal of flack for trying to be prepared for whatever but really isn't that just a good idea? Just to try to be prepared for an emergency?

I'd go poke around those caves if I was near by. Just to satisfy my own curiosity. Maybe also to satisfy the curiosity of a few ATSers too

sounds like there setting up 'cheaper' fema camps to me!!! we need to save more money to sink into the war machine!

I would be surprised if this was more than putting signs up at the cave's entrance that say no trespassing. I doubt they would go to the effort of physically closing them with steel bars. That would make it difficult for the bats to come and go, and likely affect their sonar. Many of those caves entrances are no larger than a manhole cover anyway.

So, if you were planning to go there if the SHTF I'm sure you could get in. The problem with that plan is the sheer number of people who share your plan. If you are lucky you will be sharing a cave with several others. If you are not lucky the guy who got there first will shoot you as you are entering "his" cave. I have heard a lot of people mention going to the Ozarks, and more specifically that area.

Originally posted by jaynkeel
reply to post by Trueman

 

Definitely I get all that I just don't get people actually believing that in one of those scenarios rules and laws would actually be enforced? I mean look at everyday life right now, the police and goberment can barely handle enforcing the laws in a regular manner without chaos everywhere. Just imagine in a chaotic world or a major crisis epic fail.

You got that right, under those circunstances it will be impossible to control people. Remember Katrina cops?

reply to post by CasiusIgnoranze
How does one close a cave?
I'm mean are they going to have armed guards?

reply to post by Trueman


perfect example. And to the other posters I can see the need for questioning the closing of the caves no doubt. I can also see some peoples wonder of if they are using the caves for other purposes I just dont buy into the control aspect for future needs. Aka if something big did happen and people went into said caves, I would be willing to bet no one would be around to stop you.

They are closing the caves to try to keep the fungus from spreading to other cave systems. Like the article said, people will start to die after most of the bats are gone.

It's like the Chytrid fungus that is killing amphibians. It spread into amphibian collection around the world, and a lot of rare captive amphibians were killed. People who had amphibian collections se up protocols to keep people and infected frogs away from their own collections.

I am more interested in where the fungus came from. Is it from contamination, environmental damage or is it naturally occuring?

It would take 3 ft thick steel doors to keep people out of the caves if an apocalyptic scenarios unfolds.

Originally posted by CasiusIgnoranze
reply to post by A por uvas

 

And also, why is this so called "White Nose Syndrome" only related to the US when other countries have millions of bats who have never come across this "syndrome"?
en.wikipedia.org...

Well, the fungus -- apparently a new species, too -- may be native to the US.

... Also, if you actually read what you linked, you'd know that it's been identified in France, now.

Originally posted by Screwed
Yeah, I'll tell you what it means.
It means that when fire starts raining from the sky and the poo starts to hit the fan, people will have no where to take cover. Caves are the one place I intended to take my family in a time of tradgedy and chaos. I live in Missouri and we have alot of caves here. This is one more way we are screwed.

If it does come to that no bars or anything will keep me out of getting in those caves if need be...

It isn't hard to make plastik or use a blow torch...