June 2011 Newsletter
I hope all of our friends in the U.S. and Canada had a great holiday weekend!
Father's Day (6/19/11)
Give him a call. Stop by. Or just remember him in your thoughts.
What ever you do it will be ok with him.Summer (6/21/11)
Summer is just a few short days away. From all of us at BatsBirdsYard.com have a GREAT SUMMER!
Montana Cavers Wary of Closures Due to Bat Disease
Deadly Bat Disease Sweeps into New Territories
The bat-killing disease known as white-nose syndrome continues to spread quickly. Biologists have now found evidence of white-nose syndrome in Ohio and a second Maryland county, as well as Canada's New Brunswick province. The disease outbreak -- considered the worst wildlife catastrophe in the United States -- has killed more than 1 million bats, including endangered bats, and the fungus associated with the disease has now been found in bats in 17 states and three Canadian provinces. The latest news came just before the release of a scientific report on the impact of bat losses to agriculture -- which estimates the value of bat-provided U.S. pest-control services at between $3.7 billion and $53 billion per year.
For more than two years, the Center for Biological Diversity has been working to make the feds finally address this crisis head-on with sufficient research funds to study the disease and widespread cave closures to stem its deadly spread. There's no more time to waste; our ecosystem and our farms can't afford to lose more bats.
Read more in Digital Journal, check out the pest-control report [PDF] and take action to save our bats.
White-Nose-Syndrome Update
Dear BCI Member,
I'm writing today with both good news and bad news about White-nose Syndrome (WNS), the disease that has been decimating North American bat populations for the past five years.
We are saddened to report that the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife announced this week that WNS has been confirmed in Oxford County, Maine. This had been the only northeastern state still spared the heart-wrenching impact of this disease. White-nose Syndrome is now confirmed in 17 U.S. states and four Canadian provinces. The fungus that causes WNS is in an additional two states.
But there is reason to be hopeful too. I attended the annual White-nose Syndrome Symposium in Little Rock, Arkansas, last week, along with three other BCI staff members. BCI worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to organize this gathering, which brought together more than 150 dedicated biologists, state and federal wildlife managers, and non-profit professionals to discuss the latest research and mitigation efforts on this disease. A variety of research results were reviewed, including some optimistic insights for the conservation and recovery of these battered bat populations.
During the conference, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its final National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats, furthering dialogue among symposium delegates on implementation activities such as additional research, monitoring and conservation actions.
BCI supporters can be proud that you made significant contributions to advancing our understanding of WNS. The first national WNS planning meeting in June 2008 was spearheaded by BCI and funded primarily by donations from our members. Your phone calls and letters to Congress have helped secure essential research dollars for the study of the disease. But there is still much work to be done and very limited funding for combating this dire threat to bats. Your donations to BCI's White-nose Syndrome program and other conservation efforts are critical to maintaining this positive momentum.
We are so grateful for the endless support of our members.
Warm regards,
Nina Fascione
Executive DirectorP.S. White-nose Syndrome continues to spread quickly across North America. Please donate to BCI's White-nose Syndrome program and to our other important conservation programs.
'Til Next Month.
Thank You,
Phil Brodak