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Salamander
Fire Walking

Batless Belfry
Sun Aug 08 2010

Since I was a kid one of the major signs of summer for me was the return of the bats. I was entranced by their aerial precision movements as they chased bugs in the twilight sky over the backyard. I've stayed enchanted by them into my adulthood, and have been a member of Bat Conservation International for over twenty years now.

In years past it wasn't unusual for me to see half-a-dozen or more bats at one time, attracted to the feast of moths and mosquitoes. This year I have seen exactly one bat this summer, one night about a month ago. Nothing before, nothing since.

The reason is Whitenose Syndrome in bats. It's been a cause of concern for years, but now it threatens to nearly eliminate the bat population in the northeastern United States, with no promise it will limit itself to that geographic region. It brings home the fact that extinction is not something limited to Africa or South America; it's happening in my back yard.

For those of you who are mentally thinking "good riddance": West Nile virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (which can also affect humans) and heartworm disease in dogs and cats are all mosquito-borne diseases found in the northeastern United States. A Rutgers study (Rutgers is located in New Jersey) estimates that "a colony of 500 bats will remove 250000 mosquitoes". Without the local little brown myotis bat to help control the mosquito population, we can expect to see a rise in these and other diseases that mosquitoes vector. In the southeastern US it will be worse - there are more mosquito-related diseases as you head to warmer climes, and that is the direction that White Nose Syndrome is spreading.

Because I belong to BCI I get regular updates from their organization. They sent me this yesterday:

As Bat Conservation International continues our fight against White-nose Syndrome, research being published in the journal Science today predicts the outcome we feared: regional extinctions. The study forecasts that the little brown myotis, until now one of our most common species and one that is often seen roosting in barns, old buildings and attics, could be reduced to barely 1 percent of its current population in northeastern states within two decades.

We need help from bat supporters like you!
Here are four things you can do today to help save bats:

1. Donate
This frightening report reinforces the urgent need for White-nose Syndrome research. Since the discovery of the disease, Bat Conservation International has provided rapid and critical funds for WNS research. By making a donation to BCI today, you can help in the fight against White-nose Syndrome. Please donate to support White-nose Syndrome research and other critical bat conservation needs.

2. Tell Your Friends
Recruit your friends to receive BCI’s electronic updates on bats! BCI is working to build awareness of White-nose Syndrome and other bat conservation challenges. We need your help in spreading the word about bats. Please forward this email to at least five friends and ask them to visit BCI’s website to sign up for our electronic updates.

3. Join Us On Facebook
Joining our Facebook group and cause pages is another way to stay up-to-date on the most current bat news and an easy way to invite others to join our cause.

4. Learn
Read about the study by Boston University researcher Winifred Frick and see Bat Conservation International’s press release on the news at www.batcon.org/wns.

It's worth thinking about.

3 Comments
  • From:
    Welshamethyst (Legacy)
    On:
    Sun Aug 08 2010
    Bats are fascinating little creatures. At the old homestead we'd watch them come out of the neighbors barn at dusk and feast on the mosquitos at our ponds. Had a couple manage to get into the house which wasn't a whole lot of fun, though. Picture R in his boxers trying to sling a towel over one while it flits around the ceiling fan. He was screaming like a girl *giggles*. He did manage to get a towel over it and took it back to the barn (after putting pants on).

    One of the coolest sights I've ever seen in my life was watching hundreds of thousands of bats exit Carlesbad Caverns at dusk. Truly awesome!
  • From:
    BakeACake2 (Legacy)
    On:
    Sun Aug 08 2010
    Hey, ya know what?? I usually see lots of bats here at the campground (I live in Lancaster County PA) and now that you say this, I have not seen ANY this year!!! Wow, this is not good for sure!
  • From:
    Welshamethyst (Legacy)
    On:
    Tue Aug 10 2010
    RYC: I agree with you. I feel like in this day and age all marriages are really a simple civil union so I'm not sure there should be a distinction. If two people are committed to each other and cohabitate then let them share benefits and the basic rights to make end of life decisions, get tax breaks, etc.

    There was a case in Louisiana not to long ago where a JP refused to marry a mixed race couple because he felt it was wrong and would be a burden on any future offspring *rolls eyes*. I thought we'd left that kind of crap behind decades ago but it shows what an uphill battle same sex couple are facing.