Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The state game commission is looking for help in collecting information about bats. Commission biologists say the monitoring is especially important because of mortality rates in bat populations in the eastern United States being caused by white-nose syndrome. Wildlife biologist Nate Zalik says people can help them more fully gauge the impact of white-nose syndrome by hosting a bat count this summer. He says it would be a good project for scout groups, 4-H clubs and local environmental organizations, as well as individual homeowners. “We are especially urging people who have previously conducted a bat count for the Game Commission to participate again this year. Sites monitored for many years are valuable in assessing bat population trends. However, we also are interested in receiving reports from new surveyors and sites, as identifying the location and size of colonies of WNS survivors is important," Zalik said. “The little brown bat and the big brown bat are the two species ...

HARRISBURG – Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint), co-chairman of the Legislative Timber Caucus, issued the following statement in response to an announcement made today by the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) that it will not pursue regulatory changes related to the state’s bat population at this time. “I am pleased that the Pennsylvania Game Commission is backing away from its consideration of regulations that would have had dire consequences for our regional and statewide economy. “To propose something like banning the harvest of timber for seven months out of the year – without any scientific evidence it would help the bat population – was misguided. I am encouraged by the agency’s acknowledgement that interested parties must work together to find a solution that will ‘protect bats without threatening the industries that employ thousands of Pennsylvanians.’” In early August, the PGC published a notice in the Pennsylvania Bulletin regarding its consideration of a number...

Scientists studying white nose syndrome in bats estimate the ailment has killed at least 5.7 million bats in the U.S. and Canada. White nose is caused by a fungus that prompts bats to wake from their winter hibernation and die after they fly into the cold air in a search for insects. White-nose syndrome was first identified in upstate New York in 2006, and since then 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. It also has been detected in four Canadian provinces. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the new estimate shows the severity of the threat to bats. Photo provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Read the news release here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

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 a...

The Center for Biological Diversity has asked the US Department of Interior to close all bat caves and mines on federal land because of the large number of bats dying from white-nose syndrome. The center made the request in a petition today to Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar. The center also asked that the Eastern small-footed bat and the Northern long-eared bat be put on the endangered species list because they've been hit hard by white-nose syndrome. White-nose syndrome has killed more than a million bats in nine Eastern states since it was first noticed in New York in 2006. Many government agencies have already closed caves in hopes of checking the spread of white-nose syndrome. To report sick or dead bats this winter in Pennsylvania, call the nearest Game Commission regional office or use the "Report Sick Bat" form online at PGC.STATE.PA.US . Photo provided by Al Hicks, New York Department of Environmental Conservation