The fight to save the northern long-eared bat is again under way.
The Center for Biological Diversity teamed up with several like-minded groups and filed a motion to have the government change the status of the bat from threatened to endangered.
The northern long-eared bat was proposed for listing as “endangered” in 2013. Its status was lowered to “threatened” in April of 2014 in a maneuver that allowed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service latitude to make exemptions under the 4(d) rule that would satisfy some industries and still offer protections for the bat.
White-nose syndrome was discovered in northern long-eared bats in New York in 2006-2007. Since its discovery, it has spread to 32 states and five Canadian provinces and has been responsible for killing more than 5.7 million bats.
The disease causes fuzzy white growths on the noses and faces of the bats, and the fungus eats its way into their wings. Sick bats will awaken from hibernation. It is believed they fly out into the cold and die from exposure or starvation when no bugs can be found.
As for the bat’s summer habitat, the Service found that northern long-eared bats use a wide variety of forested areas in the summer to find food and raise their young, and they are highly flexible in how they meet those needs.
Under the current 4(d) rule loggers must restrict cutting/skidding within one-quarter mile of a roosting tree in June and July when the bats are raising their young.
In Minnesota, two types of bats—the northern long-eared bat and little brown bat—have been discovered to have WNS. The northern long-eared bat roosts in boreal forests behind loose pieces of bark or hollow trees or even buildings. During hibernation, the northern long-eared bat likes to hibernate in caves and mines. Females tend to be larger than males and usually have only one pup in the fall. These bats feed on a variety of insects including beetles, moths, flies, leafhoppers and caddisflies.
Wildlife biologists think the fungus is transmitted from bat to bat and cave-to-cave. The disease is believed to have been introduced in caves from people’s footwear or equipment. It kills up to 75 percent of bats in the hibernaculum (a place where bats go to hibernate) the first year, and from 90 to 100 percent the second.
To date, scientists have discovered white-nose syndrome affects seven species of bats, but it has been especially hard on the northern long-eared bats and nearly wiped them out in some eastern states.
Meanwhile, researchers have found a treatment based on a bacterium that inhibits the growth of the fungus. Researchers are in their second year of trials working with little brown bats and northern long-eared bats and have found that in bats that are treated early enough, the treatment can cure WNS.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity bats account for one-fifth of all mammals on earth and eat millions of pounds of flying insects each year. A recent study found that the value of bats’ pest-control services in the United States ranges from $3.7 billion to $5.3 billion per year.
The petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity is slowly making its way through the Service. A ruling is expected sometime within the next month or two.
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