WDNR News – Scientists go underground in effort to save bats

120 caves, mines to be searched for signs of deadly bat disease

MADISON – State bat scientists are going underground in February to search caves and mines where bats hibernate for signs of a deadly disease that has killed millions of bats in the eastern U.S. since 2006 and spurred Wisconsin to add four cave bat species to the state’s endangered and threatened species list.

“White-nose syndrome has been wiping out cave bats across North America and it’s on our doorstep,” says Dave Redell, a bat ecologist who leads the Department of Natural Resource’s bat crew. “We’re at a critical time here for bats and we need help from the public if we’re to save Wisconsin bats and continue saving residents the $1.5 billion in natural pest control they provide every year.”

Voracious insect eaters, bats keep mosquitoes and crop and forest pests in check – a service one recent national study estimated at $658 million to $1.5 billion alone for Wisconsin’s agricultural industry. While white-nose syndrome hasn’t appeared in Wisconsin yet, Redell says he wouldn’t be surprised if the bat crew finds the disease in Wisconsin caves this year. “We remain optimistic, however, and we’ve gotten great cooperation from landowners, partners and volunteers to keep the disease from arriving sooner than it could, and to slow its potential spread so we don’t lose several species to extinction.”