The cancelling of the tours is in keeping with the department’s cave closure policy in response to white-nose syndrome. According to the policy, the public routes in the park system’s four major tour caves will remain open but most wild caves that harbor bats remain temporarily closed to the public.

This cave closure policy, first announced in May, has been extended until Sept. 1 while the department works with other resource agencies to develop a comprehensive statewide plan for management of this issue.

Wild cave tours through Devil’s Icebox were previously allowed during the spring and fall when the risk of disturbing bats was the least. This year, the spring tours were reduced to two weekends to help protect the gathering gray bats from disturbance and because of the possibility of white-nose syndrome.

With the discovery of the fungus in three Missouri caves, the fall tours are being cancelled to further reduce possible introduction of the fungus into Devil’s Icebox and any of its cave species. A decision about whether to allow the spring 2011 tours will be made this winter. All individuals who have expressed an interest in the fall tours will be notified.

Although the fungus has been found, full-blown white-nose syndrome has not yet been seen in Missouri. Cavers and officials will be monitoring cave entrances this winter to see what happens.

“We realize how popular these tours are but Devil’s Icebox is highly significant and is a biologically rich cave. We must do what we can to minimize the spread of the disease and protect our resources,” said Bill Bryan, director of the department’s Division of State Parks. “Our agency will continue to work with other resource agencies to learn what we can about this issue and how to manage it while still providing some access to the public,” he said.

The park system’s four major tour caves that remain open are Onondaga Cave and Cathedral Cave at Onondaga Cave State Park; Fisher Cave at Meramec State Park; and Ozark Caverns at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Screening measures are in place for people wanting to tour the caves to reduce the risk of transferring the fungus. These measures include requesting that clothing, shoes or accessories worn recently in any other cave not be worn on the tours.
DNR news release and additional information.