The future of the bats remains bleak

[Kris G.]

Sunday August 22, 2010

LENOX

By now, most people are aware of the plight of bats and their suffering and dying from white nose syndrome. WNS was first discovered in a cave 40 miles west of Albany, N.Y., in 2006. A couple of years later, bats were found dead by the thousands in abandoned mines and caves in the northeast, including those here in Western Mass. Now, according to Bat Conservation International, more than a million hibernating bats of nine species have been killed by the disease in 14 states.

According to BCI, bats with signs of WNS exhibit fungal growth on their noses and occasionally other parts of their bodies. This fungus, which is a previously unreported cold adapted species of Geomyces destructans, invades the skin of bats. It is a genus of common kinds of soil fungus. However, it is becoming clear that not all of the dead or dying bats have obvious visual signs of the fungus. Researchers increasingly suspect the fungus is not the primary cause of the die-offs, but a symptom of a larger, unidentified problem.

Research recently published in the journal Science predicts regional extinctions. The study forecasts that "the little brown myotis, until now one of our most common species and one that is often seen roosting in barns, old buildings and attics, could be reduced to barely 1 percent of its current population in northeastern states within two decades."

According to biologists, WNS has caused "the most precipitous wildlife decline
in the past century in North America," and this relentless disease keeps spreading into new areas.
Despite the continuing search to find the source of this condition by numerous laboratories and state and federal biologists, the cause of the bat deaths remains unknown. Scientists are exploring how the fungus acts and are searching for a way to stop it.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is recommending the suspension of activities in caves in a last hope effort to slow the spread of WNS across the country. This is in addition to the decontamination protocol that was already in place. Mass DFW is taking measures to ensure that the bats are not disturbed. Because they are potentially vulnerable and subject to physiological stress, DFW is trying to create a habitat as free as they can get it. DFW Western District Supervisor Andrew Madden and others have installed "bat friendly" gates over the three largest hibernacula (caves and mines) in our area. These hibernacula are all white nose positive.

The new gates allow bats entry and egress and allow airflow, but keeps unauthorized people from getting into them and spreading the disease. Bat gate specialists have been consulted in their construction. They are built of solid steel with stiffeners. Madden said that our primary bats are those that live over winter in caves and mines, which have been affected most by the syndrome. There are still some sightings of bats in our area, but they are most likely the types of bats that hibernate in structures and forested areas or the type of bat that migrates to our area.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is partners with the Northeastern Cave Conservancy to track movements of cavers who have visited affected sites in New York. If you have visited Knox, Schoharie, Gages or Hailes caves in New York, the conservancy asks you to visit its site to complete a Trip Visitation Form for WNS Study. Incidentally, the BCI is an organization devoted to conservation, education, and research initiatives involving bats and the ecosystems they serve. They are working with agencies, organizations and individuals to understand and stop WNS and begin restoring these decimated bat populations.

[Bird Crazy]

  poor little bats. I hope they can come up with a cure. Can you imagine how many mosquitoes there will be if we lose our bats.