WASHINGTON, DC—Located in the mountains of Colorado, the White River National Forest is working to bring awareness about the challenges of white-nose syndrome on local bat populations. Since 2007, millions of bats have died from the deadly fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that causes white-nose syndrome. The White River National Forest has not detected cases of white-nose syndrome but has taken precautions to ensure the public knows how to help prevent the fungus from spreading into its caves.

One precautionary step the forest took was to reach out to the Enterprise Program to help create a series of interpretive panels to provide visitors with information about white-nose syndrome and other topics visitors experience while recreating within the forest. Kristi Hinson, graphic designer, and Peggy Wilson, project manager, both members of the Communication, Education, and Training team of the Enterprise Program, stepped up to address the forest’s challenges and create the requested interpretive panels dedicated to bringing awareness of the challenges of white-nose syndrome. The specialty panels provide visitors with information about preventive measures, seasonal cave closures, how to report white-nose syndrome and how the Forest Service combats the deadly disease.

After three years of working on the project and coordinating closely with the forest recreation staff and biologists to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, Hinson created these specialty panels for display near the Fulford Cave entrance. Similar signs for other popular caves in the forest are in the works based on this design.

The White River National Forest has the vast majority of caves open to the public during the summer months, along with a few that are closed year-round to minimize disturbances to their bat populations. The forest also combats white-nose syndrome by using a registration system designed to prevent access to closed caves based on a regional white-nose syndrome environmental analysis decision. This registration system also provides important decontamination procedures to the applicants. Information on how the public can access this registration system is available on interpretive panels located outside of the caves.

In addition to the panels created specifically for white-nose syndrome, Enterprise created 156 trailhead and interpretive panels to provide visitors information about wilderness regulations, seasonal closures, forest points of contact, maps and additional situations they might encounter. Enterprise worked directly with forest leadership, specialists and communication personnel—including one employee who volunteered to snowshoe to a location to take measurements—to create the panels. The collaboration between the White River National Forest and the Enterprise Program on this project showcases the innovation and creativity that can be achieved in the delivery of science-based information to the public.