A bat in the evening sky can be just a fleeting glimpse — there one second and gone the next.These days, such a description also can serve as a metaphor for bats in New York and nationwide. The once-stable populations of the flying mammals have almost evaporated since a deadly fungus was discovered in an upstate cave.
Though researchers have figured out what’s behind the millions of bat deaths and most likely where it came from, they are still working on how to stop it. Investigators will be in the Hudson Valley later this month to try to learn more.
“It’s very clear that losing a species is very bad in the long run,” said Carl Herzog, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “If parts start falling off your car, for example, it may not be a problem right away. But when things keep falling off, it eventually becomes a bad thing.”
Herzog estimated more than a million bats have died in New York since the winter of 2006, when dead and dying hibernating bats in a cave near Albany were found with a white fungus dusting their muzzles. Geomyces destructans, the fungus found to cause white-nose syndrome, has led to the deaths of nearly 6 million bats in the eastern U.S., federal officials said.During the warmer months, the creatures remove countless insects, including mosquitoes, from the night sky. The fungus causes the bats to wake up from what should be a long winter’s sleep, and the extra activity uses up their fat reserves. With no insects available, the bats starve to death.
Several abandoned mines in Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park in Putnam County used to harbor some 400 bats each winter. Now, there are none. An old mine in Bear Mountain State Park, once a winter home to about 270 bats, is now almost empty during the colder months.
“We’re down to a handful. The mine is nothing like it was once,” said Ed McGowan, the park’s science director.
Bats migrate hundreds of miles from their hibernating sites to their summer ranges, so the winter deaths have far-reaching impacts on bat populations.
more
http://www.lohud.com/article/201208...n-Valley-caves-research-target?nclick_check=1
Though researchers have figured out what’s behind the millions of bat deaths and most likely where it came from, they are still working on how to stop it. Investigators will be in the Hudson Valley later this month to try to learn more.
“It’s very clear that losing a species is very bad in the long run,” said Carl Herzog, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Conservation. “If parts start falling off your car, for example, it may not be a problem right away. But when things keep falling off, it eventually becomes a bad thing.”
Herzog estimated more than a million bats have died in New York since the winter of 2006, when dead and dying hibernating bats in a cave near Albany were found with a white fungus dusting their muzzles. Geomyces destructans, the fungus found to cause white-nose syndrome, has led to the deaths of nearly 6 million bats in the eastern U.S., federal officials said.During the warmer months, the creatures remove countless insects, including mosquitoes, from the night sky. The fungus causes the bats to wake up from what should be a long winter’s sleep, and the extra activity uses up their fat reserves. With no insects available, the bats starve to death.
Several abandoned mines in Clarence Fahnestock Memorial State Park in Putnam County used to harbor some 400 bats each winter. Now, there are none. An old mine in Bear Mountain State Park, once a winter home to about 270 bats, is now almost empty during the colder months.
“We’re down to a handful. The mine is nothing like it was once,” said Ed McGowan, the park’s science director.
Bats migrate hundreds of miles from their hibernating sites to their summer ranges, so the winter deaths have far-reaching impacts on bat populations.
more
http://www.lohud.com/article/201208...n-Valley-caves-research-target?nclick_check=1
