How has White‐nose Syndrome Changed Cave Management in National Parks?

Abstract

After the introduction of white‐nose syndrome (WNS) to the United States in 2006, managing agencies were quick to implement multiple interventions to prevent the spread of the disease and protect vulnerable cave‐roosting bat populations. One key agency that has dealt with the spread of WNS is the National Park Service (NPS), which has implemented screening and decontamination procedures in caves and adapted educational programs to emphasize the impact of WNS on bats and the ecosystem services they provide. However, despite the close connection NPS has with the public, few studies have focused on the social consequences of rapidly changing cave management plans in response to WNS spread. The primary goal of our study was to understand how WNS has changed bat and cave management in areas managed by NPS and key stakeholder perceptions of these changes. We explored federal and state land managers’ and caving organization leaders’ perceptions towards, and experiences with, bat and cave management at caves managed by the NPS through 15 key informant interviews. Respondents reacted positively to the NPS's use of park‐specific management plans, which they believed successfully balanced the conservation and recreation objectives of the show caves. Additionally, informants agreed on the management challenges NPS currently faces, including a paucity of knowledge about bat populations within the parks, a need for additional resources to effectively manage WNS, and the need to reach more visitors with information on WNS. However, respondents were divided on the effectiveness of the federal government's handling of the spread of WNS, as some caver informants believed that certain approaches were heavy‐handed and placed a burden on those who frequently visit caves for recreation and research. Understanding how WNS has shaped cave management in national parks is crucial for enhancing park visitor experiences and support for bat conservation. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.

U.S. National Park visitor perceptions and behavioral intentions towards actions to prevent white-nose syndrome

“…It will be important for parks to develop or continue to use persuasive communications to maintain visitors’ positive attitudes towards these actions. Interviews with park staff and observations by the researchers during this study revealed that most visitors support or participate in WNS preventive actions when paired with educational materials or other means of explaining the reasoning for these measures [ 34 ]. Additionally, this communication and messaging should aim to maintain park visitors’ positive attitudes towards bats [ 33 ] and directly explain how these measures protect vulnerable bat populations, as previous studies indicated that attitudes towards bats had one of the greatest effects on support for bat management [ 32 , 34 ].…”

“…Despite the limited direct effect of PBC on behavioral intent, it is important for managers to consider this component when developing or implementing new WNS preventive actions. Park response to WNS varies between parks, as the natural resources, infrastructure, and layout of each park is different [ 34 ]. Thus, there is often not a one-size-fits-all approach to implementing WNS preventive measures, and visitors may respond differently to these measures based on the park they are visiting.…”

“…We conducted qualitative interviews with 15 key informants who worked closely with or for the NPS to better understand which WNS preventive actions were used by the parks so that we could create a targeted and robust quantitative survey [ 34 ]. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded for potential items to include in the survey.…”