Feds Unveil Plan to FightWhite-Nose Syndrome in Bat

The Interior Department launched a national plan today to combat a mysterious disease that has killed more than a million bats in the eastern and southern United States.

White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the new plan provides a road map for more than 100 federal, state and tribal agencies that are tracking the disease and attempting to fight it.

White-nose syndrome, first identified in upstate New York in 2006, has been found along the Eastern seaboard from New Hampshire to North Carolina, as well as in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.

“Having spread to 18 states and four Canadian provinces, white-nose syndrome threatens far-reaching ecological and economic impacts,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “We’ve learned a lot in the past few years about the disease, but there is much more work to be done to contain it. This national plan provides a road map for federal, state, and tribal agencies and scientific researchers to follow and will facilitate sharing of resources and information to more efficiently address the threat.”

http://www.doi.gov/news/pressreleases/Fish-and-Wildlife-Service-Unveils-National-Plan-to-Combat-Deadly-White-Nose-Syndrome-in-Bats.cfm

Photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service