National Speleological Society conventioneers (from left) Avra Cohen of New York City, Tim Burlingame of Jersey City, N.J., and Jeff Call of Saltville, Va., power-wash their caving gear to guard against the spread of white-nose syndrome after visiting a pair of Greenbrier County caves. More than 1,100 cavers from across the nation and around the world are in Lewisburg this week for the group's annual convention.

Eight-year-old Texan Zach Schwartz suits up for a crawl through a sensor-equipped simulated cave, in which he will be scored for avoiding contact with delicate cave features and refraining from touching a simulated bat.

A group of cavers from Quebec set out from the convention's campground at Fairlea for an afternoon tour of a Greenbrier County cave.

Cavers hone climbing skills in the Greenbrier East High School gym during a convention workshop.

Peter Youngbaer, white-nose syndrome liason for the National Speleological Society, says cavers will continue to work with state and federal scientists to check the spread of the deadly bat disease.

Decontamination kits designed to guard against the spread of white-nose syndrome are handed out daily at the convention.