Vt. Group Sues To Stop Colorado Caving

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A Vermont-based group trying to slow the spread of a fatal bat disease is suing a federal agency in hopes of blocking a recreational caving expedition in Colorado.

The Center for Biological Diversity, based in Richmond, Vt., filed a federal lawsuit in Washington challenging the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to issue a special permit to the National Speleological Society, which plans to lead expeditions into two northwestern Colorado caves later this month.

The center’s Mollie Matteson says the group has petitioned to block all except essential travel into bat caves in hopes of slowing the spread of so-called white-nose syndrome. The new and highly fatal bat disease has spread across nearly half the country, killing more than a million bats.

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