News stories tagged with "wns"

(04/19/11) State biologists say Little brown bats are no longer the most common bat in New York.

Their numbers have been wiped out so dramatically by the fungal disease known as "white nose syndrome" that they are now outnumbered by Big brown bats.

In all roughly half a million bats have died in New York state alone since 2007.

White nose has also spread from Upstate New York to a dozen other states, as well as Ontario and Quebec.

Brian Mann checked in with Carl Herzog. He's a wildlife biologist with the Department of Environmental Conservation, who led research trips to bat caves this winter.

Herzog says two species - Indiana bats and Northern bats - have been nearly wiped out. But he also said researchers found some signs for hope. more

(06/02/09) On Thursday morning in Washington DC, the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on "white nose" syndrome. The mysterious ailment was first identified in upstate New York. It has since spread across the Northeast, killing hundreds of thousands of bats. Green groups are urging Congress to commit millions of dollars for new research and response efforts. Brian Mann spoke with Mollie Matteson in Richmond, Vermont. She's with a group called the Center for Biological Diversity.