As of June 1, 2020, the temporary COVID-19 related closures of caves on the White River National Forest have been ended. Permits are still required for all cave visits on any Region 2 national forests, using the same permitting process as in previous years. For more information see the WRNF caver information web page.
The White River National Forest has closed many of its public facilities, including most campgrounds because of the risk of spreading COVID-19. Most trails remain open, but no cave permits will be processed until at least May 31st.
The National Speleological Society has announced that the 2020 NSS convention in West Virginia has been canceled because of the risks of spreading COVID-19. The NSS has also requested that local grotto as well as regional meetings be canceled for now. Many grottos have successfully moved to online meetings instead. Geary Schindel, the president of … [Read more…]
The Colorado Cave Survey, as well as most of the individual NSS grottos in Colorado, have joined Glenwood Springs Citizens’ Alliance as sponsors to oppose the proposed expansion of the Rocky Mountain Resources quarry above Glenwood Srpings. We believe this quarry expansion poses severe hazards to caves and karst in the area, as well as … [Read more…]
The previous USFS Forest Service WNS management policy implementation order concerning cave access on National Forest lands in Colorado just expired. The new superseding order has now been released by USFS Region 2. It is now one order covering all caves in R2, not just single states or forests. The new order will be in … [Read more…]
The fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has been detected in low levels in California for the first time. Fungal DNA of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) was detected in swab samples collected from bats on private land in the town of Chester near Lassen Volcanic National Park in 2018 and 2019. The announcement from California Department … [Read more…]
The closure order for Spring Cave has been rescinded effective June 28, 2019. The cave is now open for normal visitation under the same rules as in previous years (permits and decon required). Reports say that the water level in the cave is dropping rapidly. Please note that the cave will be closed again after … [Read more…]
The next CCS meeting is scheduled for Cave of the Clouds near Glenwood Springs, hosted by the Defiance Cave Preserve owners, Mike and Donna Frazier. It will start at 11:00 AM. Plan on arriving early enough to allow 15-30 minutes to hike up to the cave from the parking lot. Bring a chair or pad … [Read more…]
The Blanco Ranger District of the White River National Forest has issued an emergency closure order for Spring Cave, effective April 2, 2019. The stated reason for the closure is that “the cave and karst system above the cave is being monitored for potential impacts resulting from the 2018 Cabin Lake fire. Due to the … [Read more…]
Access to Groaning Cave, Colorado’s longest cave, is managed by the Colorado Cave Survey for the White river National Forest. A short summary has been prepared of caver visitation to Groaning Cave during the years 2017 and 2018, based on the log entries in the cave register filled out by every caver group. There were … [Read more…]