|
Our bats are in trouble and need our help!
Connecticut’s hibernating bat species, and those in many other states are in deep trouble. An invasive fungus, commonly known as White Nose Syndrome, has been linked to the decimation of over 90% of several of our populations, and probably will not stop there. This has serious ecological repercussions, not only for the bat species that may be wiped out, but the TONS of mosquitoes (yes, many of which are in YOUR back yard) and other insects, especially those that attack our food crops, that bats eat nightly. A probable outcome of this will be increased use of pesticides and insecticides, which has more repercussions for us and the entire ecological food chain. Read more from the DEP site.
The DEP is requesting your help by counting how many bats and bat colonies still exist. They are urging the public to participate in research studies, done from home, of known summer bat colonies in your area. As bats continue to return to maternity sites and summer roosts, the agency would like to hear from people about changes in the number of bats they are seeing or even about bat colonies that once existed and do not return to their previous homes. The forms needed to participate are listed on the upper right side of this page.
ALSO—for every hour/mile a volunteer donates in completing this survey, CT DEP receives federal grant money to continue research.
For more information contact: Licensed bat rehabilitator Linda E. Bowen at linda@cmsincorporated.net or CT DEP Wildlife Division biologist Christina Kocer, christina.kocer@ct.gov.
Additional information about WNS – and its impact in various states – can be found at www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html and
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/what-we-do/white-nose-syndrome.html
Learn more about bats: Bat facts, from Bat Conservation Int’l |