White Nose Syndrome, responsible for the death of more than a million bats in the Northeast, is devestating Vermont's bat population. Of the three bat caves owned and protected by the Conservancy – White Nose Syndrome has been found in two including the cave at Mt. Aeolus. Protected by the Conservancy in 1983, this cave was later found to be the largest bat over-wintering site in New England. Six species can be found here including the Little Brown bat and the federally endangered Indiana bat.
Conservancy land steward, Dave McDevitt chronicles his and biologists’ findings while surveying the bat caves in Vermont.
November, 15,2009: Colony Population Down 94.5%
October 28, 2009: Repopulation Experiment in VT Caves
October, 19 2009: Recent Surveys Report Further Decline
September 8, 2009: White Nose Receiving National Attention August 17, 2009: Two Events Scheduled to Educate Public
June 10, 2009: Scott Darling Makes Case for Federal Funds
May 11, 2009: U.S. Forest Service Closes Caves to Help Bats
May 8, 2009: Funding for White Nose Syndrome Research
May 7, 2009: Citizen Reports of Bat Activity Raise Alarm
May 1, 2009: Help Protect Summer Breeding Grounds
March 26, 2009: USFW Issues an Urgent Request
March 13, 2009: White Nose Continues to Spread
February 23, 2009: Thousands More Dead at Mt. Aeolus
February 11, 2009: White Nose Found in Brandon
February 4, 2009: Cave Survey Cancelled
February 1, 2009: Grim News from Mt. Aeolus
January 23, 2009: Plymouth Free of White Nose
January 13, 2009: Mt. Aeolus Bats in Trouble
November 15, 2009
Bat Population down 94.5%
"Two dozen small winter colonies in Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont show they have plummeted from 48,626 bats to 2,695 -- an average 94.5 percent decline -- since the outbreak began." Read the story in the Boston Globe.
October 28, 2009
Repopulation Experiment in Vermont Caves
Biologists will begin repopulating two Vermont caves with healthy bats from Wisconsin to determine if the disease exists after infected bats are gone. The Burlington Free Press reports.
October 19, 2009
Recent Cave Surveys Report Further Decline
The Post Star recently reported that recent cave surveys in New York and Vermont reported dismal results. Some hibernacula have lost 95 percent of their bats. During a survey last month of the Conservancy's cave in Dorset, Vermont - one bat was caught in three hours. The same survey resulted in 900 bats caught in the same amount of time two years earlier. Researchers and scientists are working diligently to solve the mystery before it is too late.
September 8, 2009
White Nose Receiving National Attention
White Nose Syndrome received some much needed national coverage by CBS News. There are shots of Vermont's Mt. Aeolus included in the video.
August 17, 2009
Two Events Scheduled Educate Public About Bats
Vermont Fish and Wildlife is hosting an evening hike and discussion on August 21 to help people learn about bats and their habitat. On September 10, The Nature Conservancy's Director of Science and Stewardship, Rose Paul will host a lecture about bats in Vermont, where they live and what we can do to help them.
June 10, 2009
Scott Darling Makes a Case for Federal Funds
VPR interviews wildlife biologist Scott Darling about why he is lobbying for federal funds to support research on White Nose Syndrome.
May 11, 2009
U.S. Forest Service Closes Caves to Help Bats
NBC reported that the U.S. Forest Service is closing thousands of caves and former mines in national forests in 33 states in an effort to control a fungus that has already killed an estimated 500,000 bats.
May 8, 2009
Funding for White Nose Syndrome Research
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pennsylvania Game Commission and 11 states including Vermont have contributed $1.37 Million to fund research on White Nose Syndrome. The two year grant will support ongoing regional efforts to determine the cause of WNS, how it is transmitted and if it can be contained. Read the story.
May 7, 2009
Citizen Reports of Winter Bat Activity Raise Alarm
Scott Darling states that citizens reporting sightings of bats flying during winter, landing on buildings, struggling to fly and dying on the ground continue to grow. See his map of WNS bat sightings this winter.
May 1, 2009
Help Protect Summer Breeding Grounds
The Conservancy needs to raise $95,000 to fund the protection of 178 acres at Otter Creek Swamps known as Bond Island. This parcel contains a maternity roost site for the federally endangered Indiana bat. Females tend to favor the large trees with shaggy or exfoliating bark that have some solar exposure to maintain optimal body temperature for them and their pups. Conserving summer breeding sites such as this are vital to bats survival.
March 26, 2009
U.S.Fish and Wildlife Issues an Urgent Request
U.S. Fish and Wildlife requests that cavers curtail all activity in caves in any state affected by White Nose Syndrome. They have reason to believe that the disease may be transmitted by humans. There is no evidence that White Nose Syndrome poses a risk to humans, but the potential risks to bats to great to take the chance.
March 13, 2009
White Nose Continues to Spread
Unconfirmed reports have surfaced about White Nose Syndrome symptoms in Viriginia caves. This news comes shortly after the confirmation of the illness found in West Virginia and New Hampshire. This is no longer just a northeastern problem. And there is no telling where it will end.
February 23, 2009
Thousands More Dead at Mt. Aeolus
Dressed in white suits and blue medical gloves, we snow shoed up to the cave at Mt. Aeolus. It was 20 degrees and snowing, it and yet a handful of bats were flying around searching for food that they would not find. They will never survive the rest of the winter after expending so much energy. Bats were landing in the snow, some crawling with great effort, others eating snow to stave off dehydration, and still others tumbled down the hill towards the bats that had already died.
New York biologist, Al Hicks reached the cave’s gate first. He asked if someone had stacked the dead bats at the mouth of the cave. Vermont's Scott Darling replied “They’re just dying there”. Mounds of bat carcasses had formed at the bottom of a snowy slope.
When we reached the first chamber, the devastation was evident. The floor was littered with dead bats. One square foot could contain up to 300 bats, now imagine the entire cave floor. There were thousands.
The mission was to collect 500 little brown bat carcasses for the Museum of Natural History. Anticipating a population crash and loss of genetic diversity, they are documenting the genetic make up of the species. 25 bats to a gallon zip lock bag. It was not a glamorous task.
The image of dead, dying, and emaciated bats is burned into my mind. I can’t help but wonder if we are witnessing an extinction.
February 11, 2009
White Nose Found in Brandon
While surveying the mine in Brandon yesterday, we discovered a handful of bats that had all the physical characteristics of White Nose Syndrome. Some had the white fungus on their nose and face, while a few had it on their wings. Some of these also seemed to be in a much deeper stage of torpor than other healthy looking bats. Even more alarming was that one of the two Indiana bats found during our survey had the fungus on its nose. We did however, see all six species of bats (Little brown, Big brown, Eastern Pipistrelle, Northern long eared, Small footed, and the Indiana bat) that hibernate in Vermont which may or may not be good news since the method of transmitting WNS is still unknown. 137 bats were counted, which is 29 more than the 2007 survey. There were two folks from New England Cable News. Watch the video.
February 4, 2009
Cave Survey Cancelled
Sadly, the conditions at our cave in Dorset are such that this year's winter survey has been cancelled. Scott Darling and his team have decided that the conditions are just too unhealthy for folks to enter the cave. Considering that the entire floor of the cave is covered with dead and dying bats, I think this is the right decision. Also, any population survey would be "meaningless" as there are just too many sick bats in the cave sections that need to be surveyed. Lets keep hope for our bats in Brandon.
February 1, 2009
Grim News from Mt. Aeolus
News from the research team at Mt. Aeolus in the Equinox Highlands. Things are looking very grim and it seems to be getting worse by the week. They reported that bat carcasses could be seen up to 50m from the cave and thousands inside the cave. Living bats were seen trying to cluster with dead ones and flying bats looked as if they had lost the ability to fly. We are due to survey Aeolus again this month.
White Nose Syndrome has now also been confirmed at a cave in Dover as well. The good news is that White Nose has not been found at the Plymouth Caves, nor at the privately owned cave in Brandon. We will be surveying Brandon soon so hopefully, I will have some good news to share with everyone... lets keep our fingers crossed!
January 23, 2009
Plymouth Free of White Nose
I joined VT Fish and Wildlife Biologists on a visit to a cave in Plymouth and was relieved to see no evidence of White Nose Syndrome at this cave. Reporter Candy Page of the Burlington Free Press joined us to report on the story.
January 13, 2009
Mt. Aeolus Bats in Trouble
Scientists arrived at the cave and could see they were not the first to have been there. Coyote and fox tracks were seen leading to the cave. 30 some bats were seen flying around the cave entrance.
Researchers observed small amounts of the tell tale white fungus on the wings and muzzles of bats. The symptoms were limited but were present to a greater degree than seen during last year’s winter visit to the cave. Approximately 200 bat carcasses could be seen on the ground outside of the cave. Bat mortality at the entrance of the cave and day time activity appear to have started earlier in the season compared to last year's findings.
- Bats are the only mammals that can fly.
- Bats have excellent eyesight perfect for long-distance homing.
- Bats also use echolocation to find their way around. By emitting calls then listening to the echoes of those calls, they can determine where various objects are located in the dark.
- Indiana bats tend to return to the same hibernacula every year.
- Hibernacula must be draft-free and maintain a stable temperature of under 50° F but above freezing for hibernation.
- Bats hibernate as a way of survival as there are no insects for them to eat during the winter months.
- Bats are beneficial! Bats consume billions of insects every year and at no cost to the agriculture industry who could use the help. They are also great pollinators and spreaders of seeds.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Al Hicks/ NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation (bats displaying symptoms of White Nose Syndrome); Photo © U.S. Fish and Wildlife (Indiana bat); Photo © Scott Darling (bats at Dorset cave)
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