White-nosed Syndrome: Plan Update and VT Report

USFWS Northeast Regional Director Marvin Moriarty presented the framework for a national plan to manage the national response to white-nose syndrome during a meeting of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Sept. 13 to 16 in Austin, Texas. The draft framework for A Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats was prepared in coordination with the U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and state agencies. It provides an overview of the expected plan content. Additional agencies, states, organizations and academia will be involved in developing the plan, which will be peer reviewed and available for public review this winter.

The national plan will incorporate recommendations from a structured decision-making process outlining management measures to control the spread and minimize the effects of WNS on bats. The SDM document will be finalized within the next few weeks.

The population of endangered Indiana bats in the Service's Northeast Region dropped 30 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to preliminary estimates from the 2009 count of Indiana bats. The Northeast Region has 12 to 13 percent of the Indiana bat population. We will release final results later this year.

On the evening of Sept. 10, biologists from the FWS and from the State of Vermont met at Elizabeth Mine in Strafford, Vt., for an annual bat survey. In years past the survey has yielded a sample of 900 bats. Last year this number dropped to 300, and this year biologists captured only one bat. Although the survey measures a fraction of the bat population in the mine, it seems to indicate a significant drop in bat numbers.

See the video.

Epilogue: Two nights later, Vermont's Scott Darling returned to the site. It was a perfect night for bats -- warmer than on the 10th and not too bright. Again, he found just one bat.

For the second year, the Service is funding research into the cause, control and treatment of white-nose syndrome in bats. We received 39 grant proposals totaling more than $5 million; $800,000 is available. Our scientists are reviewing the proposals and plan to announce the grant awards in September.

Research projects funded in fiscal year 2008.

More than 70 people working on WNS issues met in Pittsburgh in mid-August. Representatives of federal, state and nongovernment organizations together explored options on surveillance, chemical and biological control, rehabilitation, captive propagation, and bat genetics. More information to come.

Learn more at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html