[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT BATS: DEVASTATING IMPACT WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME
IS HAVING ON ONE OF NATURE'S BEST PEST CONTROLLERS
=======================================================================
OVERSIGHT HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE,
OCEANS AND INSULAR AFFAIRS
of the
COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
Friday, June 24, 2011
__________
Serial No. 112-46
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.fdsys.gov
or
Committee address: http://naturalresources.house.gov
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COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
DOC HASTINGS, WA, Chairman
EDWARD J. MARKEY, MA, Ranking Democrat Member
Don Young, AK Dale E. Kildee, MI
John J. Duncan, Jr., TN Peter A. DeFazio, OR
Louie Gohmert, TX Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, AS
Rob Bishop, UT Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ
Doug Lamborn, CO Grace F. Napolitano, CA
Robert J. Wittman, VA Rush D. Holt, NJ
Paul C. Broun, GA Raul M. Grijalva, AZ
John Fleming, LA Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU
Mike Coffman, CO Jim Costa, CA
Tom McClintock, CA Dan Boren, OK
Glenn Thompson, PA Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,
Jeff Denham, CA CNMI
Dan Benishek, MI Martin Heinrich, NM
David Rivera, FL Ben Ray Lujan, NM
Jeff Duncan, SC John P. Sarbanes, MD
Scott R. Tipton, CO Betty Sutton, OH
Paul A. Gosar, AZ Niki Tsongas, MA
Raul R. Labrador, ID Pedro R. Pierluisi, PR
Kristi L. Noem, SD John Garamendi, CA
Steve Southerland II, FL Colleen W. Hanabusa, HI
Bill Flores, TX Vacancy
Andy Harris, MD
Jeffrey M. Landry, LA
Charles J. ``Chuck'' Fleischmann,
TN
Jon Runyan, NJ
Bill Johnson, OH
Todd Young, Chief of Staff
Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel
Jeffrey Duncan, Democrat Staff Director
David Watkins, Democrat Chief Counsel
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS
AND INSULAR AFFAIRS
JOHN FLEMING, LA, Chairman
GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN, CNMI, Ranking Democrat Member
Don Young, AK Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, AS
Robert J. Wittman, VA Frank Pallone, Jr., NJ
Jeff Duncan, SC Madeleine Z. Bordallo, GU
Steve Southerland, II, FL Pedro R. Pierluisi, PR
Bill Flores, TX Colleen W. Hanabusa, HI
Andy Harris, MD Vacancy
Jeffrey M. Landry, LA Edward J. Markey, MA, ex officio
Jon Runyan, NJ
Doc Hastings, WA, ex officio
------
CONTENTS
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Page
Hearing held on Friday, June 24, 2011............................ 1
Statement of Members:
Bordallo, Hon. Madeleine Z., a Delegate in Congress from Guam 3
Prepared statement of.................................... 4
Fleming, Hon. John, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Louisiana......................................... 1
Prepared statement of.................................... 2
Statement of Witnesses:
Boyles, Justin G., Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Research Fellow,
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University
of Tennessee, Knoxville.................................... 43
Prepared statement of.................................... 45
Chavarria, Dr. Gabriela, Science Advisor to the Director,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior................................................... 5
Prepared statement of.................................... 7
Fascione, Nina, Executive Director, Bat Conservation
International.............................................. 24
Prepared statement of.................................... 26
Gassett, Jon, Ph.D., Commissioner, Kentucky Department of
Fish and Wildlife Resources................................ 16
Prepared statement of.................................... 18
``NOTICE TO KENTUCKY CAVE OWNERS'' submitted for the
record................................................. 22
Pena, Jim, Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System,
Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture............. 11
Prepared statement of.................................... 12
Youngbaer, Peter, White-Nose Syndrome Liaison, National
Speleological Society...................................... 29
Prepared statement of.................................... 31
Letter to Dr. Jeremy Coleman, White-Nose Syndrome
National Coordinator, dated December 26, 2010,
submitted for the record............................... 36
Additional materials supplied:
``Peer-Reviewed Published Papers on or Directly Related to
White Nose Syndrome''...................................... 58
OVERSIGHT HEARING ON ``WHY WE SHOULD CARE ABOUT BATS: DEVASTATING
IMPACT WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME IS HAVING ON ONE OF NATURE'S BEST PEST
CONTROLLERS.''
----------
Friday, June 24, 2011
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
Committee on Natural Resources
Washington, D.C.
----------
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:02 a.m. in
Room 1324, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. John Fleming
[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Fleming, Labrador, Wittman, and
Bordallo.
Dr. Fleming. The Subcommittee will come to order. The
Chairman notes the presence of a quorum. Good morning. Today,
we are having a follow-up hearing on a subject this
Subcommittee first examined in June of 2009. Since it was first
discovered in caves west of Albany, New York, in 2006, the
White-Nose Syndrome has killed more than one million bats. It
has spread to 18 U.S. states, from Maine to Kentucky.
Under Committee Rule 4(f), opening statements are limited
to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, so that
we can hear from our witnesses more quickly. However, I ask
unanimous consent to include any other Members' opening
statements in the hearing record if submitted to the Clerk by
close of business today. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN FLEMING, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
Dr. Fleming. Despite a considerable amount of effort by six
Federal agencies and various affected states, which have spent
more than $16 million, we apparently are no closer to stopping
this disease, which has devastated more than half of the 47
species of bats native to America.
Why is this hearing important? Bats consume vast amounts of
insects, and according to the April edition of Science
magazine, their value to United States agriculture is between
$3.7 billion to $53 billion each year.
In the United States, they pollinate more than 360 plants
and are so effective in dispersing seeds that they have been
called the ``Farmers of the Tropics.'' Also, certain bat
species can capture from 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes in just one
hour.
A single colony of 150 big brown bats in Indiana has been
estimated to annually eat nearly 2.3 million pest insects. We
also know that the one million bats that have already died from
the fungus would have consumed more than or between 660 and
1,300 metric tons of insects each year.
By losing these bats, farmers and timber harvesters now
have to spend millions of additional dollars to buy pesticides
to protect their crops and trees.
As a doctor, I was interested in learning that some 80
different medicines come from plants that need bats to survive.
While it is reassuring to know that no human illness has been
associated with exposure to infected bats or caves, it is
important that we try to find out why this fungus is killing
bats in the United States.
Yet, apparently the same disease has not caused mass
mortality in Europe. Although this disease has spread through
bat-to-bat contact, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the
United States Forest Service have closed thousands of caves and
abandoned mines in an effort to try to stop the spread of this
disease.
I am interested in finding out the results of these
efforts, and whether prohibiting human caving activities has
saved hibernating bats. I look forward to hearing from our
distinguished witnesses on how we can effectively address what
many experts are now calling the most precipitous wildlife
decline in the past century in North America.
Now, before I recognize the gentlelady from Guam, I will
mention that we are probably going to have a vote in about 10
minutes. We will try to get through our witnesses as much as
possible.
But I understand that it is probably one or two votes at
the most, and so we will come right back immediately after
voting, and pick up where we left off. With that, I am now
pleased to recognize the gentlelady from Guam, Ms. Bordallo.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Fleming follows:]
Statement of The Honorable John Fleming, Chairman,
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
Good morning, today, we are having a follow-up hearing on a subject
this Subcommittee first examined in June of 2009. Since it was first
discovered in caves west of Albany, New York in 2006, the White-Nose
Syndrome has killed more than 1 million bats. It has spread to 18 U.S.
states from Maine to Kentucky.
Despite a considerable amount of effort by six federal agencies and
various affected states, which have spent more than $16 million
dollars, we are apparently no closer to stopping this disease, which
has devastated more than half of the 47 species of bats native to North
America.
Why is this hearing important? Bats consume vast amounts of insects
and according to the April edition of Science magazine, their value to
U. S. agriculture is between $3.7 billion to $53 billion each year. In
the United States, they pollinate more than 360 plants and they are so
effective in dispersing seeds that they have been called the ``Farmers
of the Tropics''.
Also, certain bat species can capture from 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes
in just one hour. A single colony of 150 big brown bats in Indiana has
been estimated to annually eat nearly 1.3 million pest insects. We also
know that the one million bats that have already died from this fungus
would have consumed between 660 and 1,300 metric tons of insects each
and every year. By losing these bats, farmers and timber harvesters now
have to spend millions of additional dollars to buy pesticides to
protect their crops and trees.
As a doctor, I was interested in learning that some 80 different
medicines come from plants that need bats to survive. While it is
reassuring to know that no human illness have been associated with
exposure to infected bats or caves, it is important that we tried to
find out why this fungus is killing bats in the United States, yet
apparently the same disease has not caused mass mortality in Europe.
Although this disease is spread through bat-to-bat contact, the
Fish and Wildlife Service and the U. S. Forest Service have closed
thousands of caves and abandoned mines in an effort to try to stop the
spread of this disease. I am interested in finding out the results of
these efforts and whether prohibiting human caving activities.has saved
hibernating bats.
I look forward to hearing from our distinguished witnesses and how
we can effectively address what many experts are now calling: ``The
most precipitous wildlife decline in the past century in North
America''.
I am now pleased to recognize the gentlelady from Guam, Madeline
Bordallo, who chaired the first comprehensive Congressional hearing on
the White-Nose Syndrome, for any statement she would like to make on
this important subject.
______
STATEMENT OF HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, A DELEGATE IN CONGRESS
FROM THE TERRITORY OF GUAM
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I
would like to say good morning and welcome to all of our
witnesses. The White-Nose Syndrome is named for the striking
fungal growth on the muzzles, the ears, the wings, and the
tails of bats.
Much remains unknown about this disease, which was first
documented west of Albany, New York, in February of 2006. Over
the last five years, White-Nose Syndrome has spread to at least
16 states, and also to Canada.
The mortalities caused by the White-Nose Syndrome are
astonishing, reaching up to 99 percent in some caves and mines.
Over one million little brown bats have been killed, likely
contributing to a 78 percent decline in the calls of these bats
in the night sky over the Hudson River.
White-Nose Syndrome in bats has profound public health,
environmental, and economic impacts. Bats are nature's best
control of insect populations, as a single bat can eat its
entire weight in insects in just one night.
When not controlled, many insects spread disease and others
are agricultural pests. A study by one of today's witnesses,
Dr. Justin Boyles, estimated that this benefit provided by bats
to the agricultural sector is between $3 billion to $53 billion
per year.
Bats with White-Nose Syndrome exhibit uncharacteristic
behaviors, and emerge from hibernation during the winter,
consuming fat reserves, which may result in starvation.
Transmission of the disease is not fully understood, but is
believed to be bat-to-bat, or transferred by humans who visit
the affected caves.
Some caves have been closed on Federal lands, although
Federally managed caves account for only 34 percent of the
known roost areas, while 60 percent are located on privately
held lands.
It is clear that there are still large gaps in our
understanding of this disease. We must continue to support
research about causes of and vectors for the spread of White-
Nose Syndrome, and on the effectiveness of potential control
measures to better manage this disease, and ensure that the
night sky is once again full of insect-hunting bats.
Two years ago this Subcommittee held an oversight hearing
on White-Nose Syndrome, and found a commendable amount of
cooperation and coordination among Federal and State wildlife
and land management agencies.
The recent release of a national plan for assisting states,
Federal agencies, and Tribes, in managing White-Nose Syndrome
in bats provides a framework to continue this coordination, and
I do look forward to hearing more from our witnesses today on
the implementation, and on other recommendations on how to
address this challenging disease. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Bordallo follows:]
Statement of The Honorable Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Ranking Member,
Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs
White-Nose Syndrome is named for the striking fungal growth on the
muzzles, ears, wings, and tails of bats. Much remains unknown about
this disease, which was first documented west of Albany, New York in
February of 2006. Over the last five years, White-Nose Syndrome has
spread to at least sixteen States and Canada. The mortalities caused by
White-Nose Syndrome are astonishing, reaching up to 99 percent in some
caves and mines. Over one million little brown bats have been killed,
likely contributing to a 78 percent decline in the calls of these bats
in the night sky over the Hudson River.
White-Nose Syndrome in bats has profound public health,
environmental, and economic impacts. Bats are nature's best control of
insect populations, as a single bat can eat its entire weight in
insects in one night. When not controlled, many insects spread disease
and others are agricultural pests. A study by one of today's witnesses,
Dr. Justin Boyles [boils], estimated that this benefit provided by bats
to the agricultural sector is between $3 billion to $53 billion per
year.
Bats with White-Nose Syndrome exhibit uncharacteristic behaviors
and emerge from hibernation during the winter, consuming fat reserves,
which may result in starvation. Transmission of the disease is not
fully understood, but is believed to be bat-to-bat or transferred by
humans who visit affected caves. Some caves have been closed on federal
lands, although federally managed caves account for only 34% of the
known roost areas, while 60% are located on privately held lands.
It is clear that there are still large gaps in our understanding of
this disease. We must continue to support research about causes of and
vectors for the spread of White-Nose Syndrome, and on the effectiveness
of potential control measures to better manage this disease and ensure
that the night sky is once again full of insect-hunting bats.
Two years ago, this Subcommittee held an oversight hearing on
White-Nose Syndrome, and found a commendable amount of cooperation and
coordination among Federal and State wildlife and land management
agencies. The recent release of ``A National Plan for Assisting States,
Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats''
provides a framework to continue this coordination and I look forward
to hearing more from our witnesses today on its implementation and on
other recommendations on how to address this challenging disease.
______
Dr. Fleming. I thank the gentlelady, the Ranking Member,
and I also want to congratulate her for having chaired the
first comprehensive Congressional hearing on the White-Nose
Syndrome.
Votes have already been called. It is only one vote. So I
am going to go ahead and release the Subcommittee to vote, and
return immediately, and then we will begin hearing from our
witnesses.
I do appreciate your patience on this, but we won't have
any further interruptions after this. We will be good for the
remainder of the hearing.
[Recess.]
Dr. Fleming. The Subcommittee will come to order. I am
addressing the witnesses now. Like all witnesses, your written
testimony will appear in full in the hearing record, and so I
ask that you keep your oral statements to five minutes as
outlined in our invitation letter to you and under Rule 4(a)
Our microphones are not automatic so please press the
button when you are ready to begin. I also want to explain how
our timing lights work. When you begin to speak, our Clerk will
start the timer and the green light will appear. After four
minutes, a yellow light will appear, and that is a signal to
you to go ahead and begin to wrap up. When the red light comes
on, that means that your time is up, your full five minutes. So
we would certainly ask you to conclude with that sentence if at
all possible.
You may complete your sentence, but at that time I just ask
that you stop. I would like to welcome today's witnesses. First
of all, Dr. Gabriela Chavarria--I hope I am coming close to the
correct pronunciation on that--Science Advisor to the Director
of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, accompanied by
Dr. David Blehert, who is a Microbiologist at the National
Wildlife Health Center, of the United States Geological
Society, who will be available to answer questions.
And Mr. Jim Pena, Associate Deputy Chief, United States
Forest Service; Dr. Jon Gassett, Commissioner, Kentucky
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources; Ms. Nina Fascione,
Executive Director, Bat Conservation International; Mr. Peter
Youngbaer, White-Nose Syndrome Liaison, National Speleological
Society; and Dr. Justin Boyles, Department of Ecology and
Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee. Dr. Chavarria,
you are now recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF DR. GABRIELA CHAVARRIA, SCIENCE ADVISOR TO THE
DIRECTOR, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Dr. Chavarria. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Fleming,
Ranking Member Bordallo, Mr. Wittman, I am Dr. Gabriela
Chavarria, Science Advisor to the Director of the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, and I would like to also recognize
with me Dr. David Blehert, with the National Park Service, and
Dr. Jeremy Coleman, with the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Thank you for the opportunity to update The Subcommittee
about White-Nose Syndrome in bats, and the Department of the
Interior's efforts to address this wildlife disease crisis. As
you mentioned, White-Nose Syndrome is an emerging wildlife
disease that was first recorded in 2007.
But unlike a lot of the familiar wildlife diseases that we
know of, like West Nile Syndrome, or Avian Influenza, the fungi
that comes with the White-Nose Syndrome, Geomyces destructans,
is a new species to science. So we were confronted with a
totally new disease when it was first discovered.
It was found in caves where bats hibernate during the
winter, and it grows at low temperatures. Unlike other fungi,
they found in the environment that it grows in living tissues,
and it affects a lot of the bats that are hibernating.
In infected hibernating bat populations, 80 to 100 percent
of bats will die. Unlike most small mammals, bats have only one
pup each year, and they only live 5 to 15 years. While it is
challenging to estimate the number of bats skilled, or a
percentage of bat loss to White-Nose Syndrome, losses have been
significant in monitored caves with White-Nose Syndrome
affected bats.
The White-Nose Syndrome is now found from Canada to
Tennessee. It has been confirmed in 16 states, and in four
Canadian provinces. Evidence indicates that it is spread from
bat to bat, and may be spread through human activity in caves
and mines where bats hibernate.
The role of bats in ecosystems as you both have mentioned
is critical. It is very important. But the Department of the
Interior two years ago when this disease was recognized started
to lead a coordinated effort and respond together with the
Bureaus within the Department of the Interior, the Fish and
Wildlife Service, and Geological Survey, and National Park
Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA, the
Department of Agriculture, and other affected Federal agencies,
affected states, the academic community, and private non-profit
organizations.
We assembled a team of a hundred experts that come from
different partners and organizations, and that are working
together to monitor White-Nose Syndrome. They conduct and
assess relevant research, develop and carry out mitigation and
conservation efforts, and conduct outreach through the national
plan.
The team of partners is working to identify the impact of
White-Nose Syndrome on bat populations, and the ecosystem as a
whole, the mechanisms by which the disease is transmitted, and
the mechanisms through which it contributes to mortality in
infected bats.
The team is also cooperating to monitor the spread of
White-Nose Syndrome, and to develop management and containment
options for Federal State wildlife managers. The team of
partners has developed science based approaches to addressing
this disease within the framework of the national plan.
We have established an executive committee that overseas
the work of the partnership and facilitates the coordination.
This executive committee is co-chaired by the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, and by the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies.
The United States Geological Survey is the science branch
of the Department of the Interior. It conducts or partners to
conduct much of the research supporting our response to White-
Nose Syndrome.
The National Park Service educates parks and visitors about
the White-Nose Syndrome, and it has developed management
recommendations for park units in infected or potentially
infected areas.
The Bureau of Land Management is an active partner. The
Department works very closely with the recreational caving and
cave research communities to improve the contamination
protocols and cave access recommendations, and to limit the
spread of the fungus through human activities.
We have closed caves to prevent the spread and we
understand and share concerns about the loss of recreational
opportunities and tourism supported economies, because many of
our lands serve these stakeholders, and we endeavor to find new
ways to minimize such impacts.
White-Nose Syndrome is the greatest challenge to bat
conservation that we have ever faced. We are very happy to be
here, and we are very happy that the Committee has a strong
interest in this issue, and we will be happy to continue to
collaborate, and I will be happy to answer any questions. Thank
you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Chavarria follows:]
Statement of Dr. Gabriela Chavarria, Science Advisor to the Director,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Chairman Fleming, Ranking Member Sablan, and Members of the
Subcommittee, I am Dr. Gabriela Chavarria, Science Advisor to the
Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). I am accompanied
by Dr. David Blehert with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National
Wildlife Health Center. Thank you for the opportunity to update the
Subcommittee on white-nose syndrome in bats, the National Plan for
Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose
Syndrome (WNS) in Bats, which was released in May of 2011 and the
Department of the Interior's (Department) role in addressing this
problem.
The sudden and widespread mortality associated with this disease
has never before been observed in any of the more than 1,100 species of
bats known to science. Since the Department first testified before the
Subcommittee on this topic in 2009, significant progress has been made
toward identifying and understanding the cause and ecology of white-
nose syndrome.
Background
White-nose syndrome was first recorded in March of 2007 near
Albany, New York. WNS is associated with greater than 90 percent
mortality of hibernating bats in affected caves from the Northeast to
the South and into the Midwest of the United States. It has also been
confirmed in Canada. In some caves within its current range, close to
100% of hibernating bat populations have died. Thus far, six bat
species have been confirmed with the disease, including the federally
endangered Indiana bat. The fungus associated with WNS has been
detected on an additional three bat species, including the federally
endangered gray bat.
Affected bats may display a white powdery growth on their faces and
many show tissue damage and scarring in their wings. The powdery growth
and tissue damage is caused by a fungus from a group of fungi that is
common in the soil environment. However, this particular species of
fungus, Geomyces destructans, was not known to science until it was
documented in association with WNS in 2008. It grows only in cold
temperatures, and unlike other fungi found in bat hibernation sites, it
invades living tissues of hibernating bats. When hibernating, bats
lower their body temperature significantly, and may pack tightly
together--two factors which seem to promote the spread of the fungus
from bat to bat. Although the primary route of transmission is believed
to be from bat to bat, WNS may be inadvertently spread from cave to
cave by human activity in caves. Although the exact cause of mortality
of affected bats is not yet fully understood, evidence to date suggests
G. destructans is the likely cause. Dead bats are often found to be
emaciated, and bats in affected caves have been observed exhibiting
more activity than is normal during hibernation, including leaving
caves on cold winter days. Since 2007, WNS has been confirmed in over
190 sites in 16 states \1\ and 4 Canadian provinces.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, North
Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maine, Indiana.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The species of bats thus far affected by WNS are insectivorous, and
they all rely on hibernation as a strategy for surviving harsh winter
conditions when their insect food is not available. Prior to
hibernation, these bats build up fat reserves to sustain them through
the winter. Maintaining a low body temperature during hibernation, just
a few degrees above the temperature of their cave, allows them to
survive the winter on their stored fat, which can be quickly depleted
in only a few hours of non-hibernation activity.
G. destructans has been observed to invade the skin and underlying
tissue, particularly of the wings of affected bats, where it causes
significant damage. Wing membranes represent about 85 percent of a
bat's total surface area and play a critical role in balancing complex
physiological processes, such as body temperature regulation, blood
pressure, water balance, and gas exchange, as well as allowing bats to
fly and to capture insect prey. Scientists are investigating how WNS
interferes with these critical functions and how it contributes to the
loss of body fat reserves in affected bats.
For some small mammal species, a mass mortality event like that
caused by WNS would not significantly affect the long-term
sustainability of their populations. However, bats differ from most
other small mammals in that they have long lives and reproduce slowly--
a combination that precludes rapid population growth and recovery. Most
of the bat species currently affected by WNS live about 5-15 years and
have only one offspring per year. Biologists are concerned that, even
if WNS and its spread could be abated, it will take many decades for
populations of WNS affected bat species to recover.
The Department is concerned about the potential impact of WNS on
bat populations, especially those species currently listed as federally
endangered, due to the high mortality of WNS and its rapid spread.
There are 25 bat species in North America that hibernate during the
winter, and all are at risk for WNS. Of these, there are four species
and subspecies of federally listed, hibernating bats, all of which
hibernate in either caves or mines.
Most recently, WNS was confirmed in Maine, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio,
Tennessee, and North Carolina, demonstrating its continued spread from
Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states to Southeastern and Midwestern
states. These regions support much larger caves and populations of
hibernating bats, including millions of individuals of several species.
These populations include the majority of the remaining populations of
the federally endangered gray bat and remaining populations of the
federally endangered Virginia big-eared bat, of which there are only
about 20,000 individuals remaining. It is possible that other federally
listed bat species, such as the Ozark big-eared bat, may be impacted if
the disease continues to spread. Also, significant mortality of more
common species may threaten the stability and health of these
populations. The FWS is currently reviewing the status of two bat
species--the Eastern small-footed bat and the Northern long-eared bat--
in response to petitions to list them under the Endangered Species Act.
The role of bats in larger ecosystems is not well understood, but
bat species comprise about one-fifth of all mammal species in the
world, making their loss potentially significant to the sustainability
of other animals and the plants that share their landscapes. One
million bats can consume up to 8,000 lbs of flying insects in one
night, including pests like mosquitoes and moths. As predators of these
insects, bats play an important role in protecting agriculture crops
and forests and in reducing risk of human disease transmitted by flying
insects.
In addition to impacts on biological resources, WNS will have
impacts on some local economies through reduced opportunities for
tourists. Caves with bats are the primary attractions at many national
park units, including Mammoth Cave National Park (Kentucky), Carlsbad
Caverns National Park (New Mexico), and Timpanogos Cave National
Monument (Utah), Lava Beds National Monument (California) and Ozark
National Scenic Riverways (Missouri).G. destructans has been detected
in four national park units: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation
Area (Pennsylvania and New Jersey), Great Smoky Mountains National Park
(Tennessee and North Carolina), New River Gorge National River (West
Virginia), and Ozark National Scenic Riverways (Missouri).
Cave closures and drastically reduced bat populations could impact
the enjoyment of visitors who come to see them on national park units
and other lands. The closure of caves could also reduce opportunities
for recreational caving and could impact many caving organizations,
clubs, and local grottos that rely on access to these resources. As
caves and bat populations on federal lands are affected by WNS, gateway
communities, outdoor recreation guides, and outfitters may experience
loss of visitors and income.
U.S. Department of the Interior Response to WNS
The Department is leading a cooperative and coordinated response
among its bureaus, including the FWS, the National Park Service (NPS),
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the USGS, as well as the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense, and other
affected Federal agencies; all states; provincial and federal Canadian
agencies; the academic community; private nonprofit organizations; and
other stakeholders. Through the FWS, the Department has assembled a
team of experts from these agencies and stakeholders to address this
disease. Today, more than 100 partners are working together to identify
the impact of WNS on bat populations and the ecosystem as a whole, the
mechanisms by which the disease is transmitted and the mechanism
through which it contributes to mortality in affected bats. The team is
also cooperating to monitor the spread of WNS and to develop management
and containment options for federal and state wildlife managers.
One of the team's priorities is to provide resource managers with
management recommendations, based on the best available science, to
control the spread and minimize the effects of WNS. To this end, the
Department and its partners, including the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Association of Fish
and Wildlife Agencies, tribal agencies, and others have developed a
National Plan to guide the collective response to the research and
management of WNS.
The National Plan focuses on seven elements through working groups,
including:
Communications
Data and Technical Information Management
Diagnostics
Disease Management
Epidemiological and Ecological Research
Disease Surveillance
Conservation and Recovery
The National Plan also formally establishes two oversight
committees with representation from Federal, State, and tribal resource
management agencies. The National Plan for Assisting States, Federal
Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats is based
on similar disease response plans that have effectively been
implemented in the past (e.g. Chronic Wasting Disease), and builds upon
the coordinated efforts to address WNS, initiated in 2008.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The FWS is coordinating the Department's response to WNS, and
continues to collect and distribute critical information to other
Federal agencies, States, partners, and the public; to administer
several of the working groups and/or sub-groups established through the
National Plan; and to work with stakeholders to identify and carry out
collaborative investigations, monitoring, and management actions. The
FWS serves as the primary resource for up-to-date information and
recommendations for all partners, such as important decontamination
protocols for cave researchers and visitors and a cave access advisory
that requests a voluntary moratorium on activities in caves in affected
states to minimize the potential spread of WNS.
The FWS has dedicated funding toward WNS in fiscal years 2007
through 2011 for coordination, research, and state assistance. In
addition to developing science-based protocols and guidance for land
management agencies and other partners to minimize the spread of WNS,
the FWS has funded numerous research projects to support and assess
management recommendations and improve our basic understanding of the
dynamics of the disease. These have included investigations into the
transmission and etiology of the disease, the factors that influence
the apparent differences in vulnerability of different bats to WNS, the
genetic differences between samples of G. destructans from around North
America and Europe, and the potential for species or individuals to
develop resistance to the effects of the fungal infection. With funds
provided by the FWS, for example, the U.S. Forest Service is developing
DNA-based detection techniques to distinguish the pathogenic fungus
from many closely related non-pathogenic Geomyces species in North
American caves. As new data are collected and analyzed, the FWS has
coordinated with partners to develop science-based approaches to
addressing this disease within the framework of the National Plan.
Information on WNS-related research projects is available at: http://
www.fws.gov/whitenosesyndrome/research.html.
The FWS continues to work with and support states in identifying
and monitoring bat hibernacula, surveying for WNS, and preparing
response plans. This role is becoming increasingly complex as WNS
continues to spread to new states and regions of the nation. The FWS
will continue to monitor federally listed species impacted by WNS and
to support states in monitoring and management of WNS in species under
state jurisdiction through State Wildlife Grants and other programs.
U.S. Geological Survey
The USGS, DOI's science bureau, has unique capabilities to address
emerging wildlife diseases, including specialized facilities for
diagnosing and researching wildlife diseases, as well as expertise in
field studies of bats. Since 2008, researchers with the USGS National
Wildlife Health Center and the Fort Collins Science Center, in
collaboration with partners, established criteria for diagnosing WNS;
identified and first documented the fungus, G. destructans; linked this
newly identified fungus to the cause of the skin infection that is the
hallmark of WNS; and developed rapid diagnostic tests for G.
destructans. Additional work by USGS and research partners identified
probable modes of disease transmission, proposed mechanisms by which
WNS causes bats to die, confirmed the presence of viable fungus (G.
destructans) in cave environments, and documented recovery of bats
naturally infected with WNS. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center,
along with many partners, continues to play a primary role in WNS
research. Projects underway include studies to understand WNS
transmission/pathogenesis/recovery, comparative genomic analyses to
determine the origin of G. destructans, development of improved tools
for molecular detection of G. destructans, and investigation into the
microbial ecology of G. destructans in bat hibernacula.
In order to fully implement the National Plan, USGS is assessing
its capacities to most effectively manage WNS, including better methods
of detecting the disease early, training personnel to conduct active
field surveillance and sample collection, increasing diagnostic testing
of field samples, and additional ecological field research aimed at
providing the science-based guidance needed by state and federal
agencies managing this devastating disease. Improved diagnostics,
surveillance, and research will contribute to a better understanding of
how WNS spreads and will help to identify weak links in the disease
cycle that can be exploited to manage and control WNS.
National Park Service
The National Park System contains 394 national park units
comprising approximately 84 million acres. Nearly one in four national
park units have caves, and one in three units contain mines that can
provide habitat for bats. System-wide, all 45 species of bats in North
America occur in national park units, including seven species that are
federally listed as threatened or endangered, and numerous others that
are listed through state laws as threatened or endangered.
The NPS comprises one of the largest systems for informal learning
in the world, and it educates millions of visitors about cave
ecosystems, bats, and the potentially devastating impacts of WNS.
Commercial cave operations in parks, such as Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad
National Parks, remain open. NPS guidance recommends that access to
caves requires a permit or tour ticket, which has enabled NPS to be
proactive in minimizing the risk of visitors in spreading WNS. Visitors
are screened prior to cave entry and gear is disinfected when
necessary. The NPS develops guidance for parks through a working group
comprised of veterinarians, managers, and ecologists from across the
national park system. In addition, NPS continues to work with multiple
partners to investigate WNS and its impacts on bat populations by
providing access to sites, samples for analyses, and assisting planning
for coordinated response.
Bureau of Land Management
The BLM, responsible for managing more than 245 million acres of
public lands, is working to better understand and prevent the spread of
WNS. The BLM was an active participant in the recently released
national plan and is now focused on plan implementation. BLM Field
Offices have been instructed to consider restricting access to caves
and abandoned mines on BLM-administered lands and to use a targeted
approach to closure that prioritizes sites with important bat
resources. Prior to the completion of the 2011 national plan, the BLM
in New Mexico closed 28 caves to public visitation in an effort to
reduce the threat of WNS to bats. The BLM issued policy to encourage
the continued engagement of external stakeholders to prevent or contain
the spread of WNS including additional cave and abandoned mine closures
in areas with important bat resources.
Limiting Potential for Human Transmission
The Department is working closely with the recreational caving and
cave research communities to develop and improve decontamination
protocols and cave access recommendations to prevent potential spread
of the fungus through human activities. A decontamination protocol team
has been formed, consisting of participants from across state and
federal agencies, and the cave and karst research community, and the
team is working to maintain consistency in methodology while
incorporating the latest procedures. In March 2009, the FWS issued an
advisory recommending voluntary suspension of caving activities in the
states with affected bats, as well as in the adjoining states. In
addition, the FWS has developed guidelines for scientists working in
hibernacula to take precautions to avoid spreading the disease. The NPS
has closed ``wild'' caves and mines in several units of the National
Park System, although large, commercial caves in national park units
remain open at this time. More closures may occur in response to the
further spread of WNS. Several states have closed caves on lands under
their management, including Indiana, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. Wisconsin
has also designated G. destructans as an invasive species, making its
transport an act which can be prosecuted under state law. The National
Wildlife Refuge System (Refuge System) under FWS management includes
lands with significant bat hibernacula, including those of the
federally listed gray bat. All caves and abandoned mines on Refuge
System lands have been closed to public entry to protect wildlife,
including bats, from human disturbance.
Conclusion
White-nose syndrome remains the greatest challenge to bat
conservation we have ever faced. The Department is dedicated to
continuing its coordination of research and response to WNS and its
impact on bat populations. Through ongoing efforts to improve
diagnostic techniques, to expand disease surveillance, and to enhance
research efforts, we hope to continue to further our understanding of
WNS to identify weak links in the disease cycle that can be exploited
to manage and control this devastating wildlife disease. We also hope
to refine and improve the processes and framework through which we
address and manage similar wildlife health crises. The Department
appreciates your interest in WNS and our collective efforts to address
it. We look forward to working with you to slow the spread of this
disease and to mitigate its impacts on bat populations.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I would
be happy to answer any questions that you or the committee members
might have.
______
Dr. Fleming. Thank you, Dr. Chavarria, and thank you for
your testimony. Next, we have Mr. Pena. You are now recognized,
sir, for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF JIM PENA, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY CHIEF,
U.S. FOREST SERVICE
Mr. Pena. Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and Members, thank
you for the opportunity to testify this morning. The subject of
White-Nose Syndrome is important to forest managers, wildlife
managers, agricultural producers, and members of the public.
The Forest Service is contributing to the larger effort to
better understand White-Nose Syndrome, and is playing a role in
controlling the spread of White-Nose Syndrome to hibernation
sites in caves, and in abandoned or inactive mines.
The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health,
diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and
grasslands, and to meet the needs of present and future
generations.
This mission includes sustaining the health, diversity, and
productivity of many species that uses the Nation's forests and
grasslands as habitat, including bats. I am going to focus my
remarks on what we are doing to try and coordinate and
collaborate, as opposed to rehash a number of the science
topics.
And so the coordination and cooperation among all parties
involved in addressing White-Nose Syndrome is critical to
arrest the spread of White-Nose Syndrome. The Forest Service is
committed to full partnership and cooperation with other
Federal, state, Tribal, wildlife management agencies,
universities, industrial and non-industrial private forest
owners, and non-government organizations such as Bat
Conservation International, and the National Speleological
Society.
The Forest Service has been a cooperator in the development
of a White-Nose Syndrome Response Plan, and has served on
White-Nose Syndrome working groups, and is actively involved in
the development of several parts of the implementation plan.
There is evidence to suggest that humans can spread White-
Nose Syndrome from cave to cave on their gear and equipment,
and in an attempt to slow the spread of White-Nose Syndrome, we
have closed nearly all caves, and abandoned or inactive mines
in the Southern, Eastern, and Rocky Mountain regions.
Exceptions to the close orders are for research and
monitoring, law enforcement, research, search and rescue
operations, and to any cave that is specifically posted as
open.
We implemented these closures because we observed the
White-Nose Syndrome jump from New York to Southwest Virginia in
one winter, and the next winter the fungus that causes White-
Nose Syndrome was detected in the Oklahoma Panhandle, a far
greater distance than bats could travel in such a short time
frame.
There is no known cure for White-Nose Syndrome, and so we
must rely upon trying to limit disease spread between
geographic regions and using decontamination procedures. Our
cave closures may have slowed the westward spread, but it is
likely too early to tell.
By acting now, we hope to substantially delay the westward
spread enough for science to inform us on more effective ways
to manage and contain the fungus. Given growing concerns over
the viability of bat populations and the awareness of the role
of bats in maintaining healthy ecosystems, the Forest Service
research and development has established bat research
throughout the United States.
In the past three years, we have expanded research to
address challenges posed by the White-Nose Syndrome. Our
current research efforts are aimed at understanding the
pathogen associated with White-Nose Syndrome, including
potential biological control.
Planning for conservation and recovery of affected bat
populations by evaluating populations genetics and viability,
assessing and quantifying the economic and ecological
importance of bats to forests and agricultural systems, and
finally assessing bat habitat requirements, and effects of
forest management on bats.
The Forest Service understands the impacts closures are
having and will continue to have on the recreating public. We
will continue evaluating these decisions as new information and
science becomes available, with the intent of balancing greater
access to caves, while striving to maintain healthy bat
populations.
In conclusion, we are responding to the serious threat
populations posed by the White-Nose Syndrome. To further the
conservation and management of vast and diverse habitat on our
national forests and other lands, the Forest Service is
committed to cooperation and partnership with Federal, state,
Tribal, and non-government organizations. I would be happy to
take any questions at this time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Pena follows:]
Statement of Jim Pena, Associate Deputy Chief,
National Forest System, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to testify before you today on bat white-nose syndrome. The
subject of white-nose syndrome is important to forest managers,
wildlife managers, agricultural producers, and members of the public.
This hearing is timely because white-nose syndrome is an emerging
disease of cave dwelling species of bats that is both perplexing and
devastating.
The Forest Service is very concerned about white-nose syndrome and
the future of bats in the United States and North America. White-nose
syndrome (WNS) is a disease believed to be caused by a fungus recently
identified as Geomyces destructans, which is associated with mass
mortality of several bat species at hibernation sites in the New
England, Mid-Atlantic and northern Appalachian States. Since our
previous testimony on June 4, 2009, WNS has continued to spread to the
north, south, and west. WNS has now been confirmed in 16 states
stretching from Maine to west Tennessee, and 4 Canadian provinces. DNA
from Geomyces destructans, the fungus that is associated with WNS, has
been confirmed on a bat in Western Oklahoma, although the bat lacked
the pathological invasion of the skin that is characteristic of the
disease.
Once introduced into a cave or abandoned and/or inactive mine, WNS
has the potential to kill more than 90 percent of the hibernating bats
(Blehert et al. 2009 Science Vol. 323 pg. 227). It is estimated WNS has
killed more than 1 million bats during the last four years. Since 2007,
when WNS was first documented in New York, populations from six bat
species, including little brown, big brown, northern long-eared,
eastern small-footed and tri-colored bats, as well as the endangered
Indiana bat, have suffered mortality from WNS. DNA from the fungus has
also been identified on three additional species, the southeastern bat,
the cave bat, and the endangered gray bat, but no mortality or
pathology has been documented among these species to date.
The Forest Service can contribute towards the larger effort to
better understand WNS, and can play a role in controlling the spread of
WNS to hibernation sites in caves and abandoned and/or inactive mines.
The mission of the Forest Service is, ``to sustain the health,
diversity and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to
meet the needs of present and future generations.'' This mission
includes sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the many
species that use the Nation's forests and grasslands as habitat,
including bats.
Declining bat populations diminish the integrity of our forest and
grassland ecosystems. The continued loss of bats in forested ecosystems
could have ecological and economic impacts. Because bats are primary
predators of night-flying insects, a significant decline in bat
populations could contribute to larger insect pest populations, a
possible decrease of agricultural crop production, and a potential
decline in forest health. Increases in insect pest populations could
lead to an increase in the perception of the need for pesticides, which
would have both environmental and economic consequences (Kunz et al.
2011). The value of bats to agriculture was recently estimated to be
$23 billion per year (Boyles et al. 2011, Science Vol 332 pages 41-42).
The strategy to prevent WNS must be a multi-pronged one and involve
strategies in both affected and currently unaffected regions.
Coordination and cooperation among all parties involved in
addressing WNS are critical to arrest the spread of WNS. The Forest
Service is committed to full partnership and cooperation under the
National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in
Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats, along with the Department of the
Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S.
Geological Survey, and Bureau of Land Management), State and Tribal
wildlife management agencies, universities, industrial and non-
industrial private forestland owners and non-governmental
organizations, such as Bat Conservation International and the National
Speleological Society. The Forest Service has been a cooperator in the
development of the National WNS Response Plan and is actively involved
in several parts of the implementation plan. We will continue to assist
in the cooperative effort. Cooperative efforts include monitoring the
spread of WNS,, epidemiology and isolation procedures to better
understand and control the disease, and cave and mine management in
order to reduce the spread of WNS to unaffected areas and regions of
the United States.
THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM
The Eastern and Southern Regions of the National Forest System have
adopted an appropriately aggressive response to the threat posed to
bats by WNS. This includes, starting with the FY2009 Budget, specific
budget direction to address bat species conservation relative to WNS in
the Forest Service. There are approximately 24 million acres of
National Forest System lands in the Eastern and Southern Regions of the
Forest Service with approximately 2,000 caves and abandoned and/or
inactive mines that serve as bat hibernation sites. Several species of
bats listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under
the Endangered Species Act use these sites, including the Indiana bat,
gray bat, Virginia big-eared bat, and Ozark big-eared bat. It is in
these sites where WNS mortality is most evident. White-nose syndrome
has not yet been documented in populations of migratory bat species
that hibernate in trees or forest leaf litter.
For the Eastern Region of the Forest Service, WNS is confirmed in
an abandoned and/or inactive mine in the Green Mountain National Forest
(Vermont), in the Wayne National Forest (Ohio), and in caves in West
Virginia's Monongahela National Forest and Indiana's Hoosier National
Forest. In the Southern Region, WNS has been confirmed in Virginia on
the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, as well as in the
National Forests in North Carolina. Of significant concern is the
confirmation of WNS in the privately owned Hellhole Cave, in West
Virginia, which is designated critical habitat for both the Indiana bat
and the Virginia big-eared bat--both Endangered Species. Hellhole Cave
is habitat for approximately 45 percent of the known population of
Virginia big-eared bats and more than 100,000 little brown bats, the
species hit hardest by WNS.
If we fail to contain WNS, there could be a rapid and precipitous
population decline for many bat species. With discovery of WNS in three
counties in Indiana, there is great concern about the fate of the
endangered Indiana bat. Nearly 50 percent of Indiana bats hibernate in
Indiana and all are susceptible to WNS. Two recent and independent
studies in New England determined a 73 percent overall decrease in
summer bat activity (Brooks 2011, Biodiversity and Conservation, 5-
pages, online; Frick et al. 2010, Science 679--682). Therefore, it is
critical that bat hibernation locations are isolated from Geomyces
destructans. There is no known cure for WNS, so we must rely upon the
basic principles of epidemiology, which includes trying to limit
disease spread between geographic regions and using decontamination
procedures when visiting hibernacula.
Forest Service Cave and Mine Closures
There is evidence to suggest humans can spread WNS from cave to
cave on their gear and equipment (Blehert, et al. 2011, Microbe: 267--
277). This includes cavers as well as resource managers. In an attempt
to slow the spread of WNS, the Forest Service has closed nearly all
caves and abandoned and/or inactive mines in the Southern, Eastern, and
Rocky Mountain Regions. The Forest Service acted because we observed
WNS jump from New York to southwest Virginia in one winter. The next
winter, DNA from the fungus that causes WNS was detected in Woodward
County, in the Oklahoma panhandle, a far greater distance than bats
could travel in such a short time frame. The closure orders are crafted
to reduce concerns that they would deny access for Tribal rights and
ceremonies by allowing requests for Tribal ceremonies to be authorized
by permit on a case-by-case basis. Our Tribal partners are supportive
of our efforts to slow the spread of WNS.
Exceptions to the closure orders are for research and monitoring,
law enforcement, search and rescue operations, and any cave
specifically posted as open. The Forest Service has been coordinating
with the National Park Service on decontamination protocols for sites
that are not subject to the closure orders. We are implementing the
same decontamination protocols as Mammoth Cave National Park to ensure
that cave visitors, including researchers and managers, do not spread
WNS. The protocols include the use of specific clothing and equipment
for each individual cave and abandoned and/or inactive mine.
Because there are critical bat hibernating sites in the Midwest and
West, we are very concerned about the continued western spread of WNS
and what we can do, working with partners, to enact proactive measures
now, rather than waiting until WNS spreads to currently unaffected
areas in the western United States. Opportunities exist to implement
proactive habitat management monitoring and surveillance activities now
in areas to which WNS has not yet spread. The hope is that acting now
will substantially delay the westward spread, in enough time for the
science to inform increasingly effective ways to manage and contain the
fungus. In addition to the closures already mentioned, a response plan
has been finalized for New Mexico which calls for targeted closure of
caves determined to have significant bat roosts. In Arizona, a draft
Response Plan has been prepared that would institute a similar
approach. It is expected that the Arizona plan will be finalized
sometime this summer. Closure decisions are also pending for the
Northern and Intermountain Regions. These regions are working with
other federal and state agencies to assess risk of WNS across the
landscape, prioritize monitoring and surveillance activities, and adopt
adaptive management approaches well ahead of WNS spread into those
areas.
Management of National Forests
Bats need healthy forests and healthy forests need bats. Other than
implementing the cave and abandoned and/or inactive mine closure order,
the best thing we can do to conserve bats is to manage for healthy
forests. While the national forests are approximately six percent of
the forested lands in the Eastern and Southern U.S., they play a
critical role in conservation of all species. We are using research
findings to develop management strategies to benefit bats. The
objective is to create suitable roosting and foraging habitat across
the landscape in the quantities and patterns that mimic natural
disturbance regimes, in the hopes of restoring habitat conditions for
all species (Perry et al. 2008, Journal of Wildlife Management 72:
913--925; O'Keefe et al. 2009, Forest Ecology and Management 1757--
1763; Hayes and Loeb 2007, pages 207--235 in Lacki et al. editors, Bats
in Forests: Conservation and management, John Hopkins University Press
329 pp). The Eastern and Southern Region national forests are ideally
suited to contribute to large forested landscape ecosystems. There is a
significant but discontinuous corridor of national forests and parks
from northern Georgia to New Hampshire. If we can retain healthy bat
populations on national forests and parks, the corridor could serve as
a conduit to repopulate bat populations in areas decimated by WNS. This
assumes our ability to arrest the spread of WNS; that the bats develop
some resistance to it; or a method is found to address the fungus that
presumptively causes WNS.
There may be potential to increase our management efforts to
develop suitable habitat at an accelerated rate. There is potential to
increase adaptive management strategies in cooperation with research to
enhance suitable habitat while monitoring the effectiveness of these
treatment strategies. As mentioned earlier, the Forest Service is also
exploring, with several other federal and state agencies, the potential
for a broad-scale collaborative effort in the West to prioritize
monitoring and implement management aimed at slowing and halting the
westward spread of WNS.
FOREST SERVICE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (R&D) ROLE IN BAT HABITAT
RESEARCH
Given growing concerns over the viability of bat populations and
awareness of the role of bats in maintaining healthy ecosystems, the
Forest Service Research and Development Deputy Area has established bat
research throughout the United States. In the past three years, Forest
Service has expanded this research to address the challenges posed by
WNS in four areas:
WNS-related declines, assessment, and control;
Population genetics and population viability;
Basic habitat requirements and effects of forest
management on bats: and
Economic and ecological importance of bats.
Forest Service scientists are internationally recognized for their
expertise in identifying fungi through DNA fingerprinting. Their
expertise was responsible for development of DNA detection methods for
screening cave soils and debris for the pathogen. These scientists are
currently developing genetic techniques that can be used in the field
to detect the pathogen in the environment or in infected bat tissue
more accurately. This advance will save weeks in response time by
enabling scientists and managers to identify the pathogen on site in
the field.
Forest Service scientists are also evaluating the potential for
biological controls of the fungus. By testing naturally occurring
microflora from healthy bats, they hope to find a microbial species
that will reduce the ability of G. destructans to destroy bat skin
cells.
As part of Forest Service population viability research, scientists
are developing viability models for Indiana bat to estimate population-
wide impacts of current and potential future mortality. To date there
is no indication of innate bat immunity to the disease. Modeling the
possible trajectories of declining populations should provide
information needed to identify management options for conservation or
recovery of this species.
Our research to understand habitat needs and inform management
practices has identified optimal roosting requirements of bats during
the maternity season. In general, this research has shown that bats
prefer large trees or snags, often in relatively open areas. However,
there is still considerable unexplained variation within and among bat
species that requires further study. Additional research on the effects
of forest management has shown that forest management practices,
particularly thinning, prescribed fire, and creation of small canopy
gaps or openings, generally do not reduce habitat attributes for bats
and may be very beneficial. Forest Service scientists, in collaboration
with agricultural economists, have also initiated development of models
to quantify the ecological and economic importance of bats to
agriculture and forest ecosystems.
Forest Service Research and Development works closely with
managers, partners, and the public to ensure our research informs
management strategies for the National Forest System and other public
and private lands in the future. Information gained from Forest Service
R&D studies on habitat requirements, bat response to forest management,
and the consequences of human development on bat habitat and
populations will be critical to understanding the direct, indirect and
cumulative effects of WNS and other stressors on bat populations.
THE ROLE OF STATE AND PRIVATE FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION EDUCATION
Another approach for the management of healthy and resilient
forests is to implement efforts with State Foresters through the State
and Private Forestry arm of the Forest Service. The Forest Stewardship
Program provides financial and technical assistance to State Forestry
organizations for private forestland management consultation and plans.
Targeting private forest management efforts to implement prescriptions
that would enhance or develop attributes for bat foraging, roosting or
maternity habitat in privately owned forests in and near areas affected
by WNS could help bat populations recover once WNS is controlled.
Conservation Education
We know that the public is a critical partner in the effort to help
save the bats. The Forest Service is actively involved in educating
people regarding WNS, bat species conservation, and the ecological and
economic importance of bats. Children find bats fascinating and are a
key part of our education programs. We are informing people why Eastern
and Southern National Forest System caves and abandoned and/or inactive
mines are closed to the public until more is learned about the
pathology of WNS.
CONCLUSION
The Forest Service is in the process of responding to the serious
threat to bat populations posed by WNS. The Forest Service Deputy Areas
for the National Forest System, Research and Development and State and
Private Forestry are contributing to this vital cause. To further the
conservation management of the vast and diverse habitat and fauna on
National Forest System and other lands, the Forest Service is committed
to cooperation and partnerships with Federal, State, Tribal and
nongovernmental organizations interested in the conservation and
preservation of bats. Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I am
pleased to answer any questions that you or the Members of the
Subcommittee may have.
______
Dr. Fleming. Thank you, Mr. Pena, for your testimony. We
now have Dr. Gassett, and you have five minutes, sir.
STATEMENT OF DR. JON GASSETT, COMMISSIONER, KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT
OF FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES
Dr. Gassett. Thank you, Chairman Fleming, and Subcommittee
Members. I am Dr. John Gassett, Commissioner of the Kentucky
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and the Vice
President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as
well as the Chair of the Association's White-Nose Syndrome
Working Group.
During the last several years with my personal involvement
with White-Nose Syndrome has grown from watching its advance
southward and westward, to chairing the Association Working
Group to garner further state awareness, to bearing
responsibility in my state upon confirming White-Nose Syndrome
in Kentucky this spring.
And I am encouraged by the amount of dedication and
commitment by the community of individuals, both here and
abroad, that care deeply about our bat resources. But I am here
today to bring you a state perspective on where the battle
against White-Nose Syndrome will ultimately be won or lost.
In my home state of Kentucky, we are known for a few
products for our vast limestone substrate, the best
thoroughbred race horses in the world, and fine Kentucky
Bourbon, are both products of our limestone beneath our feet.
But this limestone topography is also conducive to cave
formation. Kentucky is home to thousands of limestone caves and
caverns, some large, such as Mammoth Cave, and some so small
that you couldn't fit a single person inside.
What many of these caves have in common are the bats that
live there and the ecosystem that those bats support. Kentucky
is home to a number of bat species, including a large
percentage of the world's known population of Federally
endangered Gray bats and Indiana bats.
The fact that we have tremendous numbers of caves that are
homes to these bats that are now experiencing a disease that
has the potential to devastate their numbers, obviously causes
us some concerns.
Since the discovery of White-Nose Syndrome a few years ago,
my agency has aggressively increased surveillance and
monitoring of bats, and educating landowners and grottos on the
importance of minimizing cave disturbance, and closed non-
commercial caves on public lands that were known to house bats.
We have initiated a voluntary cave closure on private land,
and we have assisted the Service with a cave closure advisory.
Have we taken some drastic measures? Yes. Will they be
effective in controlling the spread of the disease? We are not
sure yet.
Our approach to preventing this disease from entering
Kentucky, and then arresting its spread once it got there has
been controversial. For example, several years prior to the
discovery of the disease in Kentucky, we began initiating cave
closures on state-owned lands.
One of these closures was in a small community of Carter
Caves, and on the weekend before a major caving event that had
over 900 participants registered, we decided that the event
could potentially jeopardize the resident bats from a caver
inadvertently bringing in infected material.
We closed this event three days before it happened.
Obviously, the caving community was disappointed, and we worked
with a State Park to offset some of their revenue losses, but
the local economic impact was significant to this small
community.
We followed public cave closures by turning toward private
land caves. We worked with landowners cooperatively through an
educational campaign to inform them of the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service cave closure advisory, and asked them to
voluntarily close their caves.
Of the 80 caves or 80 cave owners that we sent letters to,
only three refused to do so, and the remainder did. So once
again landowners are responding to the disease threat.
Cave closures haven't been the only controversial approach
to controlling disease in Kentucky. Once it was found in Ohio
this spring, we visited a sampling of caves across the state to
be sure that we hadn't missed it. Unfortunately, we did turn
the disease up in Western Kentucky.
So we consulted with our Federal partners, because there
are Federal bats involved, and began an immediate recon of the
cave system within a 10 mile radius, and it turned out that
this was an isolated event.
So we took what some people would say are drastic measures.
We went in and evaluated the situation, and determined that we
can protect the threatened and endangered bats that weren't
infected, but could remove the infected non-endangered bats. We
did so, and we removed approximately 60 bats, which were all
that we could get to at that time.
We made a difficult call to alter the cave artificially,
and where these bats were infected, and where they were
hanging, we went in and attached artificial structures to keep
bats in the future from roosting there.
So obviously there were folks from the caving communities
and from the cave biologist side of things, and who were very
upset with the fact that we had actually physically altered the
cave, but to us, it wasn't worth the risk of allowing those
3,500 Federally listed bats that were in that cave the
opportunity to roost in an area that might become infected.
We have taken some drastic measures in Kentucky, and we
feel that that is what states are going to have to do to
ultimately win this fight against this disease. There are a
litany of needs to address White-Nose Syndrome properly,
particularly in the realm of research.
And we ask that research activities and funding focus on
treatment and on the ground management needs. As White-Nose
Syndrome moves across the landscape, a coordinated and informed
effort is more important than ever before, and wildlife
managers are in need of support to broaden their surveillance
efforts.
We have thousands of caves in Kentucky, and it is difficult
to surveil them all. States need continued support of all
entities, both public and private, Federal, and non-profit, to
effectively manage on a broad scale, and Congressional support
via funding is critical if we are to conserve this national
biological treasure.
While the professionals within this room realize that this
may be the most challenging wildlife disease issue in our time,
we are optimistic and hopeful that treatment controls will be
found, and we will continue to press forward working in concert
to ensure bat populations be afforded every opportunity to
thrive.
Mr. Chairman, and Honored Subcommittee Members, thank you
for the opportunity to share our perspectives, and I would be
pleased to answer any questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Gassett follows:]
Statement of Jon Gassett, PhD, Commissioner,
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Thank you, Chairman Fleming and Subcommittee Members for the
opportunity to share the perspectives of the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies on this important environmental issue. I am Dr. Jon
Gassett, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources and the Vice President of the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies as well as the chair of the Association's White-Nose
Syndrome Working Group.
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) promotes and
facilitates sound fish and wildlife management and conservation, and is
the collective voice of North America's fish and wildlife agencies. The
Association provides its member agencies and their senior staff with
coordination services that range from migratory birds, fish, habitat,
and invasive species, to conservation education, leadership
development, and international relations. The Association represents
its state fish and wildlife agency members on Capitol Hill and before
the Administration on key conservation and management policies, and
works to ensure that all fish and wildlife entities work
collaboratively on the most important issues. All 50 states are members
of the Association.
During the last several years, my personal involvement with WNS has
grown from watching its advance, moving southward and westward, to
bearing responsibility in my own state upon confirming WNS in Kentucky
this spring. I am encouraged at the amount of dedication and commitment
by a community of individuals who care deeply about our bat resources.
At the same time, I am concerned at the rate of spread, the high
suspect ability of certain species and the lack of available treatment
options. Again, I am encouraged by the genuine concern and interest as
shown here by this Subcommittee.
White-Nose Syndrome: What Is It and Where Is It?
In the winter of 2006 the first signs of a destructive fungus
(Geomyces destructans) appeared on hibernating bats in Howe's Cave in
upstate New York. By 2009 thousands of hibernating bats from a variety
of species across the northeast (New York, Vermont, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
and Virginia) were dying or had died from this new disease now known as
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) for the tell-tale white fungus found on the
muzzle of infected bats. As of 2011 WNS has spread north to Maine and
the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec. The
disease has also spread south to Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky,
and Tennessee as well as to the Midwest to Indiana and Ohio. WNS has
also been confirmed in Delaware, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Thus far, of
the twenty-five hibernating bat species in North America, six species
have been affected by WNS including the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis
sodalis) and the endangered Gray bat (Myotis grisescens). The
endangered Virginia big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) and Ozarks
big-eared bat (Corynorhiunus townsendii ingenus) are both found within
the geographical range of WNS, but no infected bats from either species
have been found at this time.
G. destructans infects not only the muzzle but also the ears, and
(most importantly) the wings of bats. Once G. destructans infects an
individual the fungus colonizes the area of infection, erodes the
epidermal layer, and eventually reaches the connective tissue where
damage can be intensive. Infection of the wings is of the great concern
as they play a key role in homeostasis. The exact cause of death is
uncertain but frequent arousals due to irritation from the infection
and the subsequent depletion of fat reserves may be a factor. Bats have
also been reported to leave their hibernacula prematurely and succumb
to the cold. Mortality can be as high as 90-100% of an infected
population and estimates suggest that over 1 million bats have died
from WNS to date.
Exposure to G. destructans occurs within caves and/or abandoned
mines where certain species hibernate in huddled masses through the
winter as a mechanism to survive cold temperatures and limited food
supply. Temperatures within any given hibernacula range from 2-14+ C
which is also within the optimal range for G. destructans growth. North
American bats have been exposed to a variety of fungal species with no
detrimental effects until now. Surveys of European bat populations
indicate exposure to G. destructans, but with none of the mortalities
associated with the fungus in North America. This suggests that the
fungus may have European origins, and bats there co-evolved with the
fungus. This also suggests that G. destructans crossed over to North
America through unintentional human importation (i.e. on caver's boots
or other caving gear) and is now spreading throughout immunologically
naive bat populations throughout North America.
Importance of Bats and the Future Impacts of WNS
Bats play an important role in the environment as well as natural
resource-based economies such as agriculture and forestry. They may act
as pest control, pollinators, or seed dispersers depending on the
species. Bats are a keystone species in most ecosystems and help
maintain balance. So far WNS has only impacted insectivorous bats,
which consume large amounts of nocturnal insects that may act as
agriculture or forestry pests. Recent estimates suggest that
agriculture losses from WNS could exceed $3.7 billion per year. For
certain crops (ex. cotton), bats play a prominent role in pest
suppression which could lead to even larger losses. Without these
ecosystem services, increased pesticide application will be used. Not
only will this be expensive to farmers but could adversely affect fish
and wildlife in surrounding areas through direct exposure or indirect
exposure through runoff. The loss of large populations of insectivorous
bats could also lead to future public health and wildlife health crises
with increased cases of West Nile Virus and other similar diseases.
The National Plan
We applaud the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their
conservation partners for the creation of the National Plan for
Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing White-Nose
Syndrome in Bats. State fish and wildlife agencies sit on the National
Plan Executive Committee and on the technical teams and were thus
significantly involved in drafting the Plan. Recently released in May
of this year the National Plan will serve as a framework for federal,
state and private entities. This National Plan is only the first step
as the National WNS Implementation Plan is now underway. Details for
each goal and objective outlined in the National Plan will be found
here. This will serve to delineate options, responsibilities and a
means of checks and balances to insure that previously defined goals
and objectives can and will be met. While state fish and wildlife
agencies are the ultimate decision makers for strategies to reduce the
impact and spread of WNS, the National Plan acts as an overarching
framework where all may move towards a common goal. With the far-
reaching affects of WNS, it is imperative to have a clear roadmap for
success. The National Plan and the forthcoming National Implementation
Plan serve as that roadmap
State Action
For more than 100 years, state fish and wildlife agencies have been
managing natural resources for the public trust by addressing threats
to fish and wildlife including habitat fragmentation, degradation,
disease and pathogens, and loss from changing land uses, pollution and
sedimentation, deleterious or invasive species, and unsustainable use
of natural resources. State, provincial and territorial fish and
wildlife agencies have upheld the primary responsibility for conserving
and preventing the exploitation of those resources on public and
private lands and waters within their borders. State fish and wildlife
agencies are proactively combating the effects of WNS through
collaborative efforts with their fellow state fish and wildlife
agencies, federal agencies, and NGO partners. State biologists, on
average, have numerous species and duties under their purview and are
limited in their ability to respond to crises at the scale of WNS. In
these current economic times when state budgets are slowly shrinking,
it is these partnerships that allow states to expand their efforts.
States have been resourceful in utilizing federal, state and NGO
partner capacity for addressing WNS, along with various funding
mechanisms. States have also been utilizing the limited funding
available to further baseline knowledge and track the spread of WNS.
Examples of state efforts are as follows:
Virginia
Through federal WNS Grant funds, the Virginia Department of Game
and Inland Fisheries and partners initiated three projects to assist
with the understanding of WNS and its impacts. These efforts included
banding bats with the objectives of monitoring demographic and
biometric changes associated with WNS, determine changes in population
levels, and monitor individuals over time to determine potential
resistance.
Western Coordinated Multi-State Response: Arizona, California,
Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Washington, and Bat Conservation International
The major focal areas of this State Wildlife Grant (SWG) are
oversight, surveillance, outreach, and research. The 6 states intend to
develop response plans, purchase equipment, conduct surveillance and
monitoring, outreach, and research. The lead state (Arizona), Bat
Conservation International, and partner states will actively engage
with existing and emerging WNS networks--connecting representatives
from each state partner with the broader national network of partner
state and federal agencies and nonprofits (working on WNS), as well as
private landowners, recreational caving interests, and corporate and
foundation interests that can provide critical private dollars.
Vermont
Vermont has applied appropriated federal funding with state match
dollars through the SWG program and the direct federal WNS Grants to
the States. In recent years, such funds have been applied to WNS
surveillance, addressing public concerns, and participating in regional
or national research projects on the disease itself.
Tennessee
Current funding from the White Nose Syndrome Grant, Endangered
Species Act Habitat Conservation Plan and Section 6 (Indiana and Gray
Bats) funds to survey bat populations and incidence of WNS have helped
identify caves with bats. The WNS Grant allowed the Tennessee Wildlife
Resource Agency to purchase an array of equipment used in bat surveys.
Iowa
With USFWS WNS Grant funds Iowa Department of Natural Resources
prepared Web-based and written materials regarding white-nose syndrome,
identification, cause, means of transmission, actions that landowners
should take to minimize spread of disease, reporting protocols, links
to USFWS' and other pertinent white-nose syndrome sites and information
sources, and contact information for Iowa DNR personnel to answer
queries regarding white-nose syndrome and coordinate monitoring for
disease.
Signs were prepared for posting on public lands which harbor
hibernating cave bats and printed written materials for distribution to
target audiences were also done under the USFWS WNS grant.
Kentucky
The agency has aggressively increased surveillance and monitoring,
educated landowners and grottos on the cave closure advisory, provided
signage and has worked with numerous researchers throughout the nation.
Funding for these efforts was provided for through a USFWS WNS grant
and State Wildlife Grant (SWG). Kentucky detected a WNS positive site
this spring and is aggressively researching management measures that
may help slow the spread.
WNS-Cave Closings
States have acknowledged and supported the USFWS's voluntary cave
closure advisory issued in 2009. While this ban affects non-commercial
caves on public and private property, it does not address the
commercial cave industry. Many state agencies have worked diligently
with private landowners, educating them on the importance of limiting
disturbance to hibernating bats during the winter, as well as, the
threat of WNS. Conscientious landowners have allowed signage to be
erected, talked with local cavers and indicated an overall support of
the voluntary closure.
While commercial cave operations are important to local economies,
they too can potentially be a source of contamination. There is an
effort underway by state, federal and non-governmental organizations to
develop a Commercial Cave Advisory document that will assist commercial
cave owners/operators. This will allow them to maintain a ``clean''
cave environment without crippling their business, during these
difficult economic times. While recognizing the importance of caving to
interest groups and commercial venues, we also recognize the associated
responsibility to those organisms that inhabit these systems. Bats,
invertebrates and other cave dependent species are critical to
maintaining a healthy cave ecosystem.
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife worked with landowners
through an educational campaign and letter to inform them of the USFWS
cave closure advisory. Over 80 letters were mailed to landowners asking
if they would like to close their cave and receive signs for their
property. The response was overwhelming, with only 3 property owners
indicating that they would prefer to leave their cave open.
An excellent example of partners working together for the benefit
of bats, while acknowledging economic impacts, exists at Mammoth Cave
National Park (MCNP). Mammoth Cave is located in south-central Kentucky
and received over 400,000 visitors per year and has an enormous
economic impact in the local region. Gross ticket sales average $3
million dollars. Mammoth Cave is also home to at least 3 caves
harboring the federally endangered Indiana bat and Gray bat. MCNP
developed a screening process, educational materials, hired staff and
developed decontamination stations to assure visitors were not a
potential source of spreading WNS. Overall, visitors have been very
receptive and eager to ensure protection of this valuable resource.
What is still needed?
There is a litany of needs to address WNS properly, particularly in
the realm of research. We ask that research activities and funding
focus on treatment and `''on the ground'' management needs. As WNS
moves across the landscape a coordinated, informed effort is more
important than ever before. Wildlife managers are in need of support to
broaden their surveillance efforts, in attempts to spot and perhaps
slow or limit the spread of this disease. States need continued support
of all entities, federal and private, to effectively manage on a broad
scale. Congressional support via funding is critical if we are to
conserve this national biological treasure.
Specific needs include:
Strategies for collaboration with public health
departments to increase surveillance
Identification of priority cave systems (in the west)
and methods of protection for uninfected populations
Training workshops for state agency staff on
protocols for samples collection, preparation, and euthanasia
(where appropriate)
Education and outreach plans for the public and
private land owners
More diagnostic facilities throughout the country
Increased surveillance and monitoring in both regions
where WNS has not been detected and regions where WNS has
occurred
State and/or Regional WNS Plans
Cost effective treatment for infected individuals in
the wild
Improved survival of infected individuals from the
known causes of mortality by WNS (starvation and dehydration)
Closing Remarks
While the professionals within this room realize this may be the
most challenging wildlife disease issue of our time, we are optimistic
and hopeful that treatment and controls will be found. We will continue
to press forward working in concert to ensure bat populations will be
afforded every opportunity to thrive.
Mr. Chairman and honored subcommittee members thank you for the
opportunity to share our perspectives and I would be pleased to address
any questions.
______
NOTICE TO KENTUCKY CAVE OWNERS
``White Nose Syndrome--a new threat to cave bats''
Cave Name:____________________________________________________
You are receiving this letter because you own one or more caves. If
you have received this letter and do not own a cave or caves, please
contact us (contact information can be found at the end of this letter)
and we apologize for any inconvenience.
Background
In 2006, a mysterious fungus was discovered growing on the muzzles
of several bats hibernating in a cave near Albany, New York, and the
term ``White Nose Syndrome'' (WNS) was coined. Between 2006 and 2007,
this syndrome spread to five caves in New York. Since then, WNS has
spread to over 60 caves and mines in nine states in the northeast and
eastern U.S. WNS has been associated with the deaths of approximately
1,000,000 bats and that number continues to rise. Several bat species
have been affected, including the federally endangered Indiana bat. So
far, this disease has not been found in Kentucky caves, and we want to
do everything possible to keep it that way. This letter is being sent
to you to inform you of the problem and to ask for your help, as an
owner of an important bat cave, to assist in keeping this problem out
of Kentucky, if possible.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recently issued a cave
advisory in states that are affected with WNS and those states adjacent
to affected states. Because it was found in West Virginia and Virginia
this year (2009), Kentucky is now considered an adjacent state.
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, USFWS Kentucky
Field Office, and Kentucky Geological/Speleological Society have been
working closely with cave groups and organizations through meetings to
develop a state-specific response to this advisory. In Kentucky, non-
commercial state and federally-owned caves have been temporarily closed
to caving activities.
What we know
Several species of bats are affected and it is
estimated that over a million bats have been affected or have
died from WNS
Most affected bats have a white fungus on their face
and low body weight
Bat populations at affected sites have declined over
90% and the remaining bats are starving to death
At some sites, cave owners reported bats flying
outside during the winter
White Nose Syndrome was found in caves in 2009 that
were not affected in 2008
As of April 2009, nine states are now infected with
WNS
What we don't know
At this time we do not know the cause of the problem
A fungus is apparent on the bats, but no one knows if
the fungus is the cause of the problem or if it is a secondary
infection caused by something else
Several labs, including the Southeastern Cooperative
Wildlife Disease Study lab, Cornell University lab, and the
USGS disease lab in Madison, WI, are working on this problem
We do not know how the disease is spread from bat to
bat or from cave to cave. It may be spread via the air, soil,
or water in the cave and then transferred from cave to cave by
cavers
Until we know more, we need to assume this is a
possible means by which the disease spreads. If it is carried
from cave to cave by the bats themselves, there may be little
we can do
At this time we do not know if there are risks to
humans, but the potential risks to humans are being assessed
Biologists working at affected sites in New York have
not shown any signs of problems, but we cannot assume there are
no risks to humans at this time
Also, potential impacts to other wildlife species are
not known
Implications for Kentucky bats
Several Kentucky caves are important hibernation sites for bats,
including three federally endangered species: the Indiana bat, Gray
bat, and Virginia big-eared bat. Thousands of other caves are home to
many other species of bats.
Virginia big-eared bats
Kentucky has the second largest hibernating population of Virginia
big-eared bats in the country! A serious concern is that our population
of Virginia big-eared bats hibernates in only a few caves during the
winter, which leaves this species vulnerable to being entirely wiped
out by WNS. Virginia big-eared bat populations in states that have WNS
such as West Virginia and Virginia appear to be unaffected; however,
these bats hibernate in caves with species affected by WNS.
Indiana bats
In the past few years, populations of Indiana bats in Kentucky
caves have just started to show an increase thanks to cave protection
efforts. However, Indiana bats continue to decline in many other parts
of their range. Populations of Indiana bats in the northern states are
currently being severely impacted by WNS. If populations in Kentucky
become affected, the likelihood of recovery for this species could be
greatly reduced.
Gray bats
There have been great strides made towards the recovery of the gray
bat since it was first listed as endangered in 1976. Populations in
Kentucky have been on the rise and in the summer, the species can be
found in caves throughout the Pennyrile Region and a few in the
Bluegrass. Unfortunately, this number has only grown slightly as
approximately 95 percent of the entire gray bat population hibernates
in only 17 caves in 5 states, Kentucky being one of them. This
concentration makes them very susceptible to being wiped out quickly by
WNS.
What can we do?
1. Close bat caves to human traffic until we know more about how to
contain this problem. This is the best precautionary step we can take
at this time. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are preparing a list of the caves we
feel should be voluntarily closed. Cavers will be asked to voluntarily
stay out of these caves.
2. If, as a cave-owner, you would like to officially close your
cave while we learn more about this problem, we will include your cave
on the list of closed caves that will be posted on a website cavers can
access. We have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope and a form
to be completed by you as the cave owner. Please check that you would
like to have your cave on the ``Cave Closed'' list and sign and date
the form. The list of closed caves will also be distributed to local
caving groups. You can also contact Brooke Slack or Mike Armstrong
(contact information below) for more information.
If you do not want your cave placed on the official closed cave
list, we still plan to ask cavers to stay out of the cave voluntarily
as we try to learn more about this problem. We have enclosed a self-
addressed stamped envelope and form to be completed by you as the cave
owner. Please check the ``Cave Open'' box and sign and date the form.
If you allow cavers to enter your cave, we strongly recommend they
clean their gear, clothing, and boots before entering the cave. A
procedure for disinfection can be found at http://www.fws.gov/
northeast/wnscavers.html. If cavers going into your cave have been
caving in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia (states known to be
affected as of June 2009) or any states adjacent to these prior to
entering your cave, we highly recommend that they replace their gear
and not use any gear/clothing/boots that has been used in potentially
affected sites. If this is not possible, they should disinfect their
gear, clothing, and boots before going in to Kentucky caves following
the protocols recommended by the USFWS. If cavers find WNS in your
cave, please have them report it as soon as possible to Brooke Slack or
Mike Armstrong.
3. If you do not respond within 14 days, we will consider your
cave(s) temporarily closed.
4. Report any unusual bat activity at the cave, such as bats flying
outside the cave during winter. Some bat activity on warm winter days
is not unheard of, but large number of active bats would be unusual. If
you find dead bats outside your cave, contact Brooke or Mike.
Bat populations are doing well in Kentucky caves thanks to the
cooperation and assistance of cave owners like you willing to help
protect this resource. Great strides have been made in the last 20+
years. We could be taking a giant step backward should WNS appear in
Kentucky caves. Once it is here, there will be no going back. Your
assistance at this time is greatly appreciated. We would like to have
the initial list of closed caves available to the caving community as
soon as possible, but the list can be updated later if you wish to
change the status of your cave.
To get the latest information on White Nose Syndrome, visit: http:/
/www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html
Sincerely,
Brooke Slack
Wildlife Biologist
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
502-564-7109 ext. 4573
Mike Armstrong
Endangered Species Biologist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
502-695-0468 ext. 101
v I have read the enclosed letter informing me about WNS and
the recommendations of the Kentucky Department of Fish and
Wildlife Resources. I would like to close my cave or caves.
Please include caves that I own on your ``Cave Closed'' list.
v I have read the enclosed letter informing me about WNS and
the recommendations of the Kentucky Department of Fish and
Wildlife Resources. At this time I am choosing to keep my cave
or caves open to caving. I understand by doing this that I risk
exposing my cave(s) to WNS.
_______________________________________________________________________
Signature of Cave(s) Owner Date
[NOTE: Attachments have been retained in the Committee's official
files.]
______
Dr. Fleming. Thank you, Dr. Gassett. Next, Ms. Fascione.
You are now recognized for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF NINA FASCIONE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
Ms. Fascione. Thank you, and good morning, Chairman
Fleming, Ranking Member Bordallo, and Members of the
Subcommittee. Thank you for providing this opportunity to
testify on this important issue today.
My name is Nina Fascione, and I am the Executive Director
of Bat Conservation International. We are a non-profit
conservation organization headquartered in Austin, Texas, with
about 30,000 members and supporters in all 50 states and
abroad.
Thank you for addressing an issue that can only be
described as a massive wildlife crisis with this new emerging
disease that we are talking about, White-Nose Syndrome, which
is just decimating America's bat populations.
Scientists have described this disease as causing the most
precipitous decline in wildlife in North America. Since its
discovery in 2006, more than a million bats have died, and I
would say that although the official number is more than a
million, bats are hard to count, and the number is likely in
the millions.
The disease strikes hibernating bats, bats that sleep
through the winter in caves and mines, and of the Nation's 45
bat species, 25 hibernate. So more than half of our species in
the United States are at risk.
It currently affects nine species, including two endangered
species, the Indiana Bat and the Gray Bat. Losses are so severe
that researchers are predicting a regional extinction of the
Little Brown Bat, which was once one of North America's most
common mammals in the Northeast region, and in as little as 16
years.
Bats provide enormous benefits to humans, and their loss
would have serious ecological and economic consequences. They
are the primary predators of night flying insect pests, and are
critical to maintaining the balance of nature.
A bat can eat to half to all of its body weight in insects
each night, consuming huge numbers of insects that damage
crops, such as corn, cotton, and potatoes. One million bats
again is a conservative number of the amount that have died so
far, and would have consumed nearly 700 tons of insects a year,
which is a lot to lose.
The study published this spring in the Journal of Science,
which you both mentioned, estimates the value of bats to the
agricultural industry of between $3 billion and $53 billion a
year, and those researchers believe that the agricultural
industry will see impacts of this in as little as four to five
years.
In additional to the crop losses, farmers will need to use
more pesticides, which of course is an economic burden to them,
as well as adding more pollutants to our environment. Bats also
eat insects that damage forests, such as the Emerald Ash Borer,
and that spread disease, such as mosquitos.
Another issue is that the population declines from White-
Nose Syndrome could lead to listing more bat species under the
Endangered Species Act or under state laws, which could cause
further far-ranging economic impacts.
Already there have been several petitions for listing or
status review, and many states are actively listing that
species. So, regulations stemming from listing more bats could
have economic impacts on many industries, including mining,
defense, forestry, construction, transportation, tourism, and
outdoor recreation.
The national plan for assisting states, Federal agencies,
and Tribes, in managing White-Nose Syndrome in bats represents
the first step in combating White-Nose Syndrome, and addressing
the critical need for a national plan for this crisis.
We recognize that the details will appear in subsequent
implementation plans developed by state and Federal agencies,
but we must stress the implementation is urgent. We encourage
the agencies to quickly identify detailed concrete actions for
fighting White-Nose Syndrome and begin to address them.
But to do so requires funding, and the need for White-Nose
Syndrome funding is increasing as the disease spreads. In
Fiscal Year 2010, the Fish and Wildlife Service awarded $1.6
million for White-Nose Syndrome research through a granting
process, for which the agency received $10.5 million in
proposals.
So clearly the demand for research outstrips the supply.
Also, the westward spread of the disease is sharply increasing
the need for a Federal response and funding as well. Western
states have a higher portion of public land than in the East,
and beyond that, much less is known about Western bat
populations, and the rugged terrain out West makes data
gathering more difficult.
To this point, Fiscal Year 2012 is the first year for which
BLM anticipates significant White-Nose Syndrome expenses, many
of which will go toward surveying approximately 400 Western
caves and abandoned mines simply from baseline data on bat
populations.
We recognize Congress' is facing difficult financial times,
and so let me point out that monies spent on White-Nose
Syndrome is a wise investment. Stopping White-Nose Syndrome now
will reduce future expenses to the United States economy,
resulting from pest impacts to agriculture and forestry,
businesses impacted by additional bat listings, and the cost of
listed species recovery. In this case, an ounce of prevention
is truly worth a pound of cure.
Without the efforts of the Federal Government, White-Nose
Syndrome will continue to spread across the country unchecked,
killing even more bats, and consequential ecological and
economical impacts will affect all of us as consumers,
taxpayers, and residents of a planet further impoverished by
biological diversity.
Thank you again for this opportunity to share Bat
Conservation International's position on this serious matter.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Fascione follows:]
Statement of Nina Fascione, Executive Director,
Bat Conservation International
Chairman Fleming, Ranking Member Christensen, and members of the
Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. Bat
Conservation International (BCI) is a non-profit organization that
conducts and supports science-based research, education, and
conservation to ensure that bats will still be helping to maintain
healthy environments and human economies far into the future. We are
based in Austin, Texas, with a membership of more than 10,000 from all
50 of the United States.
WNS poses the gravest threat ever faced by U.S. bats. Since its
discovery in 2006, the disease has killed well over one million bats.
It is named for the previously unknown, cold-loving white fungus found
on faces and wings of infected bats that is believed to cause the
disease. WNS-infected bats awaken frequently during hibernation,
burning the fat reserves they need to survive the winter. They often
emerge early from hibernation, before the return of warm weather and
insects, only to freeze or starve to death. The disease or its
associated fungus has spread to 19 states and four Canadian provinces
in the five years since WNS was first observed in a cave near Albany,
New York. The Northeast has borne the brunt of WNS so far, but the
disease or its fungus has spread as far south as North Carolina and
Tennessee, and as far west as Oklahoma.
Biologists consider the WNS die-off to be North America's most
precipitous wildlife decline in the past century. The disease strikes
hibernating bats--those that sleep through the winter in caves and
mines--and has affected every hibernating bat species in its geographic
path. Of the nation's 45 bat species, 25 hibernate, and all of these
hibernating species are potentially at risk of the disease. WNS or the
fungus currently affects nine species, including the Federally
endangered Indiana and gray bats, which could well be even closer to
extinction as a result. Some WNS-infected sites experience mortality
rates of almost 100%. Losses are so severe that researchers are
predicting regional extinctions of the little brown bat--previously one
of America's most common mammals--in northeastern states by 2026.
Bats provide many benefits to humankind. As primary predators of
night-flying insects, bats are critical to maintaining the balance of
nature. A bat can eat half to all of its body weight in insects per
night, consuming pests that damage crops such as corn, cotton,
soybeans, potatoes, and pecans. A recent article in the journal Science
estimates the value of bats to U.S. agriculture ranges from $3.7
billion to $53 billion per year. Bats also eat insects that damage
forests, such as the emerald ash borer, and that spread disease, such
as mosquitoes. Some bat species pollinate crops and disperse seeds.
Research of bat biology has yielded important chemical products,
including a medication to prevent strokes. Bat droppings in caves
support unique ecosystems, including microorganisms that could provide
resources for detoxifying industrial wastes and producing pesticides
and antibiotics.
The loss of bats would have serious ecological and economic
consequences. The one million-plus bats killed by WNS would have eaten
more than 700 tons of insects each year. With the bats gone, these
insects are surviving to attack crops and forests. The authors of the
Science article argue that, as a result of WNS, North American
agriculture will begin noting economic losses within four to five
years, with especially severe impacts to the Midwest and Great Plains
regions. In addition to crop losses, farmers will need to use more
pesticides, increasing the financial strain on farming families,
raising the price of food for consumers, and releasing more chemicals
into our environment. Bats are important predators, so their
disappearance could have broad, ripple effects on the environment that
we cannot yet assess.
The population declines from WNS could well lead to listing more
bat species under the Federal Endangered Species Act, as well as state-
level statutes, which would cause far-ranging economic costs. The
Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the FWS for listing of
the northern long-eared bat and eastern small-footed bat because of WNS
and other factors, while BCI and other organizations have requested the
FWS to review the status of the little brown bat and to file an
emergency listing of the species in the interim. At the state level,
Ohio has designated four bat species as species of concern; Wisconsin
listed four bat species as threatened; and other states, including New
York and New Hampshire, are considering designations. According to the
Government Accountability Office (GAO-06-463R), the average cost for
recovery of an endangered species is $15.9 million. The highest
estimate on record is $125 million to recover the whooping crane. Bat
species affected by WNS have broad geographic distributions and complex
ecological patterns, which would likely require very high recovery
costs. Finally, regulations stemming from listing more bat species
would have economic impacts on industries such as mining, defense,
energy, forestry, construction, transportation, tourism, and outdoor
recreation.
The Federal government recognizes how much is at stake from WNS
and, in conjunction with state, local, and tribal agencies, academic
institutions, and nonprofits, has mounted an admirable response to the
disease. WNS and its associated fungus were unknown to science until
discovered in New York, but since then, Federal dollars have enabled
researchers at USGS and elsewhere to isolate, identify, and develop a
test for the WNS fungus, to map its genome, and answer some basic
questions about the nature, transmission, and diagnosis of the disease.
The FWS, the lead agency for WNS response, coordinates government and
other entities in order to maximize efficient use of resources, prevent
redundancy, and facilitate an effective national response. In this
role, the agency has funded scientific research and on-the-ground
disease surveillance and management, developed recommendations to help
prevent disease spread, and created the National Plan for Assisting
States, Federal agencies, and Tribes in Managing White Nose Syndrome in
Bats in collaboration with all involved Federal agencies, as well as
State and other entities. Land-management agencies have been at the
forefront in developing disease-monitoring techniques, gathering bat-
survey data, managing resources to increase bat survival, and producing
materials to educate the public about WNS. The NPS's Mammoth Cave
National Park has developed a site-based response plan that is being
used as a model for public lands throughout the country; USFS is
testing ways to improve bat habitat to boost post-disease survival
rates; and DoD is refining acoustical bat-monitoring methods. All of
these agencies provide technical support to, and collaborate and pool
resources with, State, Local, and Tribal agencies as well as academic
institutions and non-profits.
The National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and
Tribes in Managing White Nose Syndrome in Bats represents a commendable
step in combating WNS and addressing the urgent need for a national
approach to our WNS response. BCI agrees with the overall framework
described in this plan as a preliminary step toward guiding and
coordinating WNS work nationwide. We recognize that details will appear
in subsequent implementation plans developed by State and Federal
agencies to meet specific needs, but we must stress that implementation
is critical. We encourage the agencies to quickly identify detailed,
concrete actions for fighting WNS. BCI is also pleased with the plan's
acknowledgment that effective response requires adequate capacity.
While we patiently await the development of permanent funding
mechanisms, we emphasize that federal funding to fight WNS is
desperately needed. We encourage agencies to include adequate funding
requests in their FY2013 budgets to ensure that their response is not
hampered by lack of capacity. Additionally, BCI: underscores the
importance of involving the academic and professional conservation
community (in addition to State and Federal employees) in developing
the implementation plan; urges agencies to fund immediate and
definitive research to determine relative risk of activities and
establish levels of acceptable risk (for example, research on WNS
transmission); encourages an extremely cautious approach to removing
infected or uninfected bats from the environment, limiting bat access
to hibernacula, and deploying treatments into natural environments;
supports expanding outreach and education efforts to include all
scientific and recreational communities that may pose a risk of
transmitting fungal spores or may expect to have their activities
hampered by management decisions due to WNS; and applauds
acknowledgement of the importance of collecting baseline data on bat
communities outside the current WNS-affected area, and of assessing the
ecological impacts that may result from dramatic losses of
insectivorous bat populations.
Despite progress made by the Federal government as described above,
the need for WNS-response funding continues and, in fact, is
increasing. As the disease spreads, the number of entities involved and
the scale of the response grows. While scientists have learned much
about the disease, they cannot yet stop its spread. Critical research
topics aimed at finding solutions include the susceptibility of
different bat species to WNS, possible biological-control agents, and
the disease-producing interface of the fungus, bats, and the cave
environment. In FY 2010, FWS awarded $1.6 million for WNS research
through a granting process for which the agency received $10.5 million
in proposals. The demand for research funds clearly outstrips the
supply. On-the-ground monitoring and management is required in both
previously and newly infected areas. Overall coordination and
communication is needed to ensure efficiency and the sharing of
information and resources. The westward spread of WNS is sharply
increasing the need for a Federal response. Western states have a
higher proportion of public land than those in the East. Beyond that,
much less is known about western bat populations than eastern ones, and
the rugged western terrain makes data-gathering more difficult. To this
point, FY 2012 is the first year for which BLM anticipates significant
WNS expenses, many of which will go toward surveying approximately 400
western caves and abandoned mines for baseline data on bats.
Concluding from analysis of past WNS spending and disease-spread
trends, we have urged Congressional appropriators to ensure that
Federal agencies engaged in the WNS response receive $11.1 million to
address WNS in FY 2012. The cross-agency need is broken down as
follows:
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] 67111.001
One can compare this to WNS spending from FYs 2007 to 2010 (we
do not have reliable expenditure figures for FY 2011):
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] 67111.002
The increase for FY 2012 over FY 2010 expenses is $4,836,200,
or 77%. We believe this ask is conservative and in fact will barely
keep pace with the disease's spread. From 2007 to 2010, the disease
moved from one state to 14, and from five sites to at least 157. From
2009 to 2010 alone, the number of affected states increased by 56%, and
the number of infected sites by 78%. Overall, the number of affected
states and sites increased by 50 to 100+% each year. This year, WNS has
been confirmed in five new states, and confirmed or suspected in more
than 30 new counties. A 77% increase in WNS spending from FY 2010 to FY
2012 is therefore clearly proportionate to the disease's expected
expansion by the start of FY 2012.
Congressional support is critical for addressing WNS. Other funding
sources are extremely limited. State budgets have been drastically
reduced and, especially given the spread of the disease, Federal
agencies' existing resources are not sufficient to meet the need.
Congress is facing a difficult financial climate, so we underscore
the fact that money spent on WNS is a wise investment. First,
preventing the spread of WNS will spare businesses the regulatory and
other impacts of bat die-offs. Show caves--small businesses that
provide jobs and contribute to local economies--could also be hurt by
WNS. States with many show caves include Missouri, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, and South Dakota. In addition, implementing WNS response
generates jobs. The USFS management of forests for bat conservation
includes thinning stands of trees. The agency contracts with local
businesses to harvest, haul, and process the trees for timber. Finally,
conducting WNS research, management, and prevention now will reduce
future expenses to the U.S. economy resulting from pest impacts to
agriculture and forestry, businesses affected by additional bat
listings, and the cost of listed-species recovery. In this case, an
ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of cure.
An issue of debate in the WNS community is whether caves and
abandoned mines should be closed to prevent or delay spread of the
disease. BCI supports strong preventative measures to reduce bats' risk
of WNS. However, the mechanisms of and risk for WNS transmission among
sites is still not fully understood, and without this knowledge, it is
difficult to evaluate the risks and benefits of cave closures as a
disease-prevention tool. Given this state of knowledge, BCI advocates
targeted regional or site-specific cave closures to reduce disturbance
to hibernating bats, reduce the possibility of WNS transmission, and
address other conservation priorities. As part of this stance, we
support efforts such as combining research and monitoring activities
into efficiently coordinated visits at hibernacula so as to limit
disturbance to bats; following USFWS recommended guidelines for
decontaminating clothing and equipment; and managing caves and mines
through collaboration among natural-resource professionals, the caving
community, the public and decision-makers at all levels of government.
BCI also accepts the reality that agencies must sometimes make
management decisions with incomplete scientific data. In such cases, an
abundance of caution can be justified when the stakes are as high as
they are with WNS. We understand that cave closures can impact cavers
and other users, but we hope everyone can work together to achieve our
common goal of stopping this devastating disease so we will not have to
face such challenging decisions in the future.
Without the efforts of the Federal government, WNS will continue to
spread across the country unchecked, killing even more bats than have
already died. The consequent ecological and economic impacts will
affect all of us as consumers, taxpayers, and residents of a planet
further impoverished of biological diversity.
Thank you again for the opportunity to share BCI's position on this
serious matter.
______
Dr. Fleming. Thank you, Ms. Fascione. And next is Mr.
Youngbaer.
STATEMENT OF PETER YOUNGBAER, WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME LIAISON,
NATIONAL SPELEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
Mr. Youngbaer. Thank you, Chairman Fleming, Ranking Member
Bordallo, and Members of the Committee. I appreciate the
opportunity to return to speak with you about White-Nose
Syndrome.
My name is Peter Youngbaer, and I am testifying on behalf
of over 10,000 members of the National Speleological Society.
This year, we are celebrating our seventieth anniversary as the
Nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to the
study, exploration, and conservation of cave and karst
resources.
The NSS and affiliated cave conservancies own and manage
dozens of caves throughout the country, including endangered
habitat and several affected with White-Nose. Along with our
written testimony, we have provided you with an April issue of
our society's NSS News, which includes several articles
addressing many of the questions that you have asked of us
today.
One of those articles features a joint photo and bat survey
expedition of the NSS's West Virginia Department of Natural
Resources, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service into
Hellhole, West Virginia, and tells us several important things
that we know about White-Nose.
Over 50,000 little brown bats died here, nearly half the
population. In contrast, less than two percent of the Federally
Endangered Indiana Bats showed signs of the disease, and the
population had doubled.
The Virginia big-eared bats, also Federally endangered,
showed no signs of the disease. Concurrent with observations
elsewhere, we know that White-Nose affects bat species
differently or not at all, and cave microclimates are a factor
in disease development.
Finally, this cave is well fenced and protected by an
electronic monitoring system. We know that no human has entered
the cave since September of 2007. We know that bats transmit
the disease, but after five years there is not a single
documented case of human transmission.
We do not know what epidemiologists call the multiplicity
of infection, how much fungus is necessary to infect bats.
Disease transmission depends on critical mass of pathogens,
sufficient hosts, and appropriate environmental conditions. A
perfect storm.
This same fungus is widespread in Europe, but bats aren't
dying. Thus, we still can't say for certain that this is the
cause of the disease. Finally, we still have no treatment for
stopping or curing White-Nose. Lots of substances kill the
fungus, but can also kill the bats and other forms of cave
life.
Even if a treatment were developed the logistics of
treating millions of bats in more than 50,000 known caves, and
hundreds of thousands of mines, are staggering. This suggests
that our efforts may need to shift to recovery and
conservation.
Bats are a fascinating and valuable part of our ecosystem,
and you will hear about the potential effect the loss of bats
could have on agriculture and forestry. However, there is
already a known economic impact by White-Nose management.
The canceling of major caving events, and the closing of
State Parks with paid fees for caves has cost the travel and
tourism industry, and state coffers. The National Caves
Association, a trade group for commercial caves, reports a
depressed environment, where they are receiving calls asking if
they are open, or worse, why are they open.
With revenues of more than $117 million and an economic
impact effect of up to one-and-a-half times that, every new
headline that trumpets ``government closes caves'' is harmful
to commerce and does little to help bats.
Regarding funding, taxpayer money has actually funded a
minority of White-Nose research to date. The first appendix of
our written testimony is a summary of published White-Nose
research put together by Dr. Thomas Koonce, of Boston
University, who testified here two years ago.
Indeed, the NSS and BCI together have funded 32 projects
totaling over $200,000. Fish and Wildlife states on its website
that it has spent over $11 million on White-Nose, but only $3
million on research. This balance is wrong. There is too much
bureaucracy and management and not enough hard science.
The White-Nose national plan has major problems. It is
little more than a broad outline. It lacks any measures for
evaluating whether any of the activities are working or not. It
has no budgetary component or means of prioritizing in a
restricted fiscal environment.
And finally being a Fish and Wildlife document, it is
narrowly focused only on biology, and omitting other cave
science and conservation concerns. Our second appendix contains
our formal comments on the draft, which changed little despite
over 12,000 public comments.
Finally, we have seen no evidence that the blanket closing
of caves and mines has done anything to slow or stop White-
Nose. This should not be surprising. In the Eastern United
States, the vast majority of caves are privately owned and
open.
As Tom Aley, scientist and owner of the Ozark Underground
Laboratory points out, closing only government caves is akin to
fighting a forest fire by building a control line on only five
percent of the fire perimeter.
Further, it is a strategy to be targeted only on
underground bat habitat, and only at a potential, yet unproven,
human transmission vector. These closures and calls for private
landowners to do the same unfairly targets cavers and cave
owners, and stigmatizes them as environmentally insensitive.
Further, they alienate natural allies and belay a 70 year
history of collaboration and conservation. We ask for Congress'
help. We need targeted, not blanket management, that is
evidence-based and not speculation-based. We need significant
increase in research funding, and we ask that Congress insist
on hard science evaluative measures, and transparency and
accountability.
And we ask that you listen to the people who know caves
best. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. I will
leave you with our mottos. Cave softly, cave cleanly, take
nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, and kill
nothing but time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Youngbaer follows:]
Statement of Peter Youngbaer, White Nose Syndrome Liaison for the
National Speleological Society
Chairman Fleming and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for the
opportunity to return to speak with you today about the status of
White-Nose Syndrome, or WNS.
My name is Peter Youngbaer, and I am testifying for the National
Speleological Society as its Liaison on White-Nose Syndrome, a position
I have held since April of 2008.
This year, the NSS is celebrating its 70th Anniversary as the
nation's oldest and largest organization dedicated to the study,
exploration, and conservation of cave and karst resources, protection
of access to caves, responsible management of caves and their unique
environments, and promotion of safe and responsible caving.
Our Conservation Policy states that Caves have unique scientific,
recreational, and scenic values; that these values are endangered by
both carelessness and intentional vandalism; that these values, once
gone, cannot be recovered; and that the responsibility for protecting
caves must be formed by those who study and enjoy them.
As we stated a little more than two years ago, our membership,
numbering more than 10,000 in all fifty states, cares deeply about bats
and the cave environment which is used at times by many of America's
bat species. The NSS itself, and numerous affiliated cave
conservancies, both own and manage dozens of caves throughout the
country, including those managed as bat habitat. Some of our own
preserves have been infected with WNS, and we have had to respond as
land managers and conservationists.
The NSS operates under several Memoranda of Understanding with
several federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the
National Park Service. Under these auspices, the NSS has provided
thousands of hours of volunteer value time, labor, and expertise in
identifying, surveying, mapping, studying, and protecting cave
resources throughout the country.
Regarding WNS, we operate one of the most referred to websites on
WNS. We provided funding for 13 WNS research projects, developed
training videos on cleaning and disinfecting protocols, and developed
outreach materials for educating both cavers and the public. These
include the WNS brochures produced by the U.S. Forest Service and the
National Caves Association, the trade group of commercial, or show
caves in the U.S. Our individual members have assisted with field
surveys of bat hibernacula, summer acoustical monitoring surveys, and
in the hard science research directly related to the fungus implicated
in the disease, among many other activities.
We care deeply about bats. We use them as the universal symbol of
caving. We also understand from decades of first-hand experience how
they interface with the overall cave ecosystem, a key to developing
appropriate and comprehensive cave conservation practices in the
context of this disease, which affects just one user of the cave
environment.
Current State of Knowledge
When we last testified to you, we were literally at the front end
of this investigation. Much was unknown. No specific public funding had
been dedicated to WNS. Management was taking an approach of ``an
abundance of caution.'' We were all scrambling to try to get ahead of
the disease curve. We had just come from the second Science Strategy
Meeting, held in Austin, Texas, that had spent three days prioritizing
research needs for WNS, and developing a budget request that was
presented to you and your appropriations colleagues.
Today, we still can't say for certain that the fungus Geomyces
destructans, is the cause of WNS, despite it being implicated in some
of the physiological effects of the disease, and with bat mortalities.
It has been found on a few bats in the U.S. (Missouri and Oklahoma)
without concurrent histology (no WNS). The fungus is also widespread in
Europe, but again without the mass mortalities seen in some U.S.
colonies.
We know that the disease is transmitted bat to bat. This has been
proven in the laboratory (USGS), and the spread of the disease to bat
colonies in many caves and mines which are gated and closed to public
access demonstrates the efficiency of bat to bat transfer in the field.
There is no proof of any human transmission of the disease--by
people, clothing, or gear.
There is a single, unpublished experiment in two mines where
purportedly healthy bats from another state were placed into sites
where the previous year's local bats had died from WNS. Nearly a
quarter of the bats died at the outset, suggesting some trauma or
adjustment issues, but others did contract the disease. This suggests
that at least for some period, the fungus remains viable in the
environment.
We do not know what epidemiologists call the Multiplicity of
Infection (MOI) for the disease. How much of that pathogen (fungus) is
necessary to infect a host? Disease transmission requires not only a
pathogen, but a critical mass of that pathogen. It also requires a
critical mass of hosts. One hypothesis, based on the European colony
sizes, and observations at smaller sites in the U.S., is that the
large, tightly massed colonies of certain species of bats help with
disease transmission. This may mean that small bat colonies may not be
vectors, or that small numbers of bats may die without significant
impact. It also may have management implications for the Western U.S.
where many known bat colonies are small and widely dispersed.
A third critical element for disease transmission is the
environment. We have long observed a difference in WNS disease
progression in caves and mines with varied microclimates. In February,
2010, a joint expedition of the USFWS, West Virginia Department of
Natural Resources, and the NSS sent three teams of cavers, biologists,
and photographers into Hellhole Cave, West Virginia's largest bat
hibernaculum, and a more than 28-mile-long cave system. Thankfully,
most bats roost within 3000 feet of the entrance--a dramatic 150' drop
into a bell chamber.
Hellhole provided key information on a number of fronts. First, the
population of Little Brown bats, Myotis lucifugus, was hard hit, as
expected. Bats had been seen out and about on the winter landscape, a
sure sign of infection. After the survey, we found nearly half the
population had died--some 50,000 bats. However, several other species
were doing well, including the federally-endangered Indiana bat, Myotis
sodalis, whose population had nearly doubled to 10,000 in the three
years since the prior survey. Although an estimated 1.7% of the bats
showed signs of WNS, the population was clearly doing better than its
cousins. These two bats tend to both prefer colder cave temperatures
and higher humidity, but the species differences in WNS infection rates
was striking, suggesting a genetic element to disease spread.
More striking, however, was the population of federally-endangered
Virginia Big-eared bats, Corynorhinus Townsendii Virginianus. These
bats showed no signs of WNS. They also roost in near freezing
temperatures and low humidity. Unlike the Myotis species, they also
have a different arousal pattern, suggesting their immune systems may
not be in as deep a torpor and are thus able to mount a more immediate
immune response. The population had also doubled since the last survey,
suggesting a very healthy colony.
Finally, Hellhole provided strong evidence that the primary method
of WNS transmission is bat to bat. The cave entrance is privately
owned, and has been fenced and equipped with electronic monitors for
years. The last human entrance was in September of 2007.
I will be bringing with me to the hearing the April, 2011
Conservation issue of the NSS News, in which I report in detail on the
Hellhole trip. There is also a second, longer article where I report on
the overall status of WNS.
One other area of research and investigation bears highlighting,
that of potential treatment of the disease. While there are literally
dozens of substances that can kill this fungus, most of them will also
kill the bat. Further, bats are a key element in a cave ecosystem,
providing essential nutrients to other cave-dwelling creatures. Any
treatment must also respect those species, some of which are also on
federal and state endangered species lists.
Even if a vaccine or treatment were found to be effective, the
logistical challenges of applying treatment to individual bats or
colonies are staggering to contemplate. Caves can be immense and
terribly complex. Bats can go places humans can't. Some treatments
would need repeated applications. With more than 50,000 known caves in
the U.S., and hundreds of thousands of mines, the mind boggles. It is
highly unlikely that any mass cure or treatment will be found that
could be effectively administered. If such treatment were developed,
its application might best be focused on leading edge colonies or on
small, declining populations of endangered species as a last-ditch
effort, and as part of a longer-range conservation and recovery
program.
The science that would inform such a recovery program is not there.
While we are beginning to observe some population stability in sites
that have been infected for three or four years, we don't know why
these bats are surviving. This will take genetic and other study of the
fungus and the disease progression itself, not simply field
observation.
Why Americans Should Care
Bats are fascinating. They have provided us with knowledge of
flight, echolocation, and medicine--such as the blood anti-coagulant in
the saliva of vampire bats. More to the point, they are the primary
nighttime predator of insects. Some of these insects are pests, such as
mosquitoes, although most of these bats prefer larger, juicier prey,
such as moths and beetles. Some of these are garden, farm, and forest
pests, and also the transmitters of human diseases. Bats also are the
primary source of energy and nutrients for cave ecosystems. Without
bats, these unique environments and other species of animals are at
risk.
How the loss of bat populations will affect agriculture, forestry and
other industries in this country
One of the other witnesses will speak in detail to this subject,
but the short answer is, we don't know. We would expect that with the
loss of such a significant number of bats, the effects would be
noticeable. However, nature abhors a vacuum. To what extent other
insectivores, such as birds or other insects, would move to fill the
void, whether populations would increase and then crash, and at what
trigger point farmers and foresters would make decisions on the
increased use and cost of pesticides, would require more research.
Frankly, that's not where we would urge you to put scarce research
dollars.
There is another economic impact that we believe is being
overlooked by current management responses. Numerous caving events have
been cancelled, causing a loss of travel and tourism dollars to the
local economy. For example, the Carter Caves Crawlathon in Kentucky has
been cancelled for three years running. Typically, 600 people would
arrive in winter--the off-season--and take up otherwise empty motel
rooms and campgrounds, shop, dine, buy gas, and more--a clear boost to
the region. In Iowa, the Maquoketa State Park closed its popular family
destination caves, resulting in annual paid visitation dropping from
250,000 to just 60,000.
The National Caves Association reports a depressed environment
where people are calling to inquire if the caves are open, or worse,
asking why they are open. In an economic impact report commissioned by
the NCA, show cave visitation is more than 6.5 million visitors a year,
with @ $118 million in revenues, and employing over 4,000 people. The
economic multiplier effect varies by size of the cave operation, but
ranges from 1.1 to 1.5 times the revenues. Every new headline that
trumpets ``Government Closes Caves'' is harmful to commerce, and does
little to help the bats.
How taxpayer money is being spent on various White-nose Syndrome grant
proposals
Taxpayer money has actually funded a minority of the WNS research
to date. An appendix to this testimony is a list of Peer-Reviewed
Published Papers on or Directly Related to White Nose Syndrome. We
think that speaks volumes about how the federal agencies have handled
appropriations for WNS.
The NSS believes that far too much of the money spent on WNS has
gone to the bureaucracy. This includes significant increases in staff,
meetings, conference calls, and various plans and documents. U.S. Fish
and Wildlife, for example has hired a national coordinator, assistant
coordinator, press person, and at least seven regional WNS
coordinators. USFWS states that over $11 million of their funds have
been spent on WNS, with about $3 million for research. That's simply
the wrong balance.
Further, our scientists and others are concerned that they do not
know the criteria by which proposals are sought, reviewed, or awarded.
In the first two years of the WNS investigation, the Albany conference
and the Austin conference came away with clearly identified scientific
research gaps and priorities. The Pittsburgh conference, in May of
2010, ended with no work product. There is nothing to date from this
year's May Symposium. As a research grantor, the NSS relies on clearly
defined science research priorities to allocate our precious grant
resources. We do not have that any more.
In 1996, the U.S. Geological Survey was separated out as the
scientific research arm of the Department of the Interior. We have been
very impressed with their work and supportive of specific studies
undertaken and the quality of their work products. We suggest that
Congress consider USGS as the lead research entity for the WNS
investigation. We believe the WNS investigation, the academic
scientific community, and perhaps other federal agencies would benefit
from such a focus.
The committee may be aware of appropriations requests for WNS
research and other activities before other committees of Congress.
These requests suggest appropriating funding directly to other
agencies, as well as USFWS as a more efficient and accountable way to
use taxpayer funds. Half the funds we advocated for two years ago ($1.9
million appropriated specifically for WNS) were used internally by
USFWS; the rest weren't awarded to grantees until this past fall. The
frustration of many in the scientific and caving community is palpable.
Thoughts on the WNS National Plan
The WNS National Plan was more than two years in the making, and is
little more than a broad outline. USFWS itself says it's not the plan
that is important, but the Implementation Plan that follows will be the
living document. This means there is little to hold anyone accountable
to, and the vagueness of the document provides an umbrella under which
virtually anything can happen.
The NSS submitted more than eleven pages of formal comments to the
draft posted in the Federal Register. These were prepared by numerous
people with varied backgrounds in the cave sciences and planning and
management. Our comments are the second appendix.
The final document changed little, and USFWS tells us that they
will not post replies or discussion in the Federal Register, but will
produce some other document. This is a disservice to the public, some
12,000 of whom replied. A discussion of the rationale for choosing what
to change and what not should be provided for open, honest, and
scientific debate.
There are three major problems with the National Plan. First, it is
largely absent any measures for evaluation. How do we know if any
particular strategy or task is working without assessment? How will we
know when to stop doing something because it's not working, or do more
of it because it is?
Second, the National Plan has no budgetary component. Sure there
are lots of ideas about a website, database, research, management,
etc., but no price tag. There is no prioritization or prioritization
process. We believe this is unrealistic in the current fiscal
environment, and frankly, renders the plan virtually meaningless.
Finally, as cave conservationists, the NSS is concerned that a plan
that is essentially a U.S. Fish and Wildlife document is narrowly
focused only on biology, due to the mission of USFWS. Yes, WNS is a
biological phenomenon, but it takes place within a context. Caves are
laboratories for studies in a variety of sciences--geology,
paleontology, archaeology, and hydrology -just to name a few. A
national plan that focuses management entirely on bats, without
acknowledging the legitimate variety of needs and uses of caves is
short-sighted in its vision, and in its probability of success.
How closing hundreds of caves and abandoned mines has helped to stop
the expansion of this devastating disease
Simply put, it hasn't. The NSS strongly opposes the blanket closure
orders that have been issued across the country. We don't believe there
is any evidence that they have done anything to slow WNS. In March of
2009, when USFWS issued its caving advisory (still unrevised today),
many in the organized caving community were willing to call time-out,
stop caving, or reduce caving to non-bat caves or dedicated project
caves.
The message was, we don't know what's going on, and we need to give
science time to catch up to the disease to get some answers. That was
two years ago. People have grown impatient as they have not seen
science catch up, despite all our efforts and in the face of
significantly short funding. Instead, we continue to see closure orders
across the country, all in the name of an abundance of caution, and in
the absence of good science.
As we stated earlier, after all these years there is no documented
evidence of human transmission, yet all the management is targeted
there. The agencies themselves state they can't stop the bats from
transmitting the disease yet, but they can control people. But not all
people. Show caves and government-owned commercial caves continue to
operate. And privately-owned caves--the vast majority in the Eastern
U.S.--remain open.
The NSS acknowledges the possibility that humans might be a
transmission vector, but after five years, if this were done easily the
disease would have spread far beyond its current boundaries. Indeed,
looking back to the bat hibernacula map that BCI's Merlin Tuttle
presented to the committee two years ago, the progress of the disease
has clearly mirrored the natural movements of bats.
We also unfortunately believe there is an element of ``defensive''
management taking place, as state and federal agencies are under legal
pressure from advocacy organizations to close all caves and mines and
radically alter the Endangered Species Act and Federal Cave Resources
Protection Act. That is not good management, good science, nor good
public policy. We suggest that Congress look at how the legal system is
operating and demanding of the time and resources of particularly the
USFWS to respond to and sometimes settle with taxpayer dollars that
would better be directed to WNS research.
Further, there is a strong feeling among our members that cave
resources on public lands are there for the enjoyment of the people who
own them and generations to come. The USFS talks about ``multiple
uses,'' and the National Park Service protects resources for the
``enjoyment'' of the public. As a sheer matter of fact, many caves are
not used by bats, which can be quite particular about their roosts.
Our members have attended many meetings around the country working
on state WNS response plans and with federal agencies. Often, the
agencies say they feel they must ``do something.'' But blanket closures
are the typical response. Thankfully, in some areas, collaborative
efforts have led to targeting of key bat roosts. Sheer numbers of caves
and mines make this a far more practical, supportable, and affordable
approach.
Blanket closures don't work. Knowledgeable caving organizations are
aware of them, but many orders aren't followed up with signage, and
little, if any expensive gating is done. Thus, we see unaffiliated
people--locals, scouts, church groups, college outing clubs, etc.
continuing to visit caves. While perhaps administratively attractive to
issue a paper order, unless followed up with resources for enforcement,
they are practically unworkable. We have seen vandalism and landowner
reactions that fly in the face of good cave conservation. While there
are quite a few great and long-standing partnerships between the NSS,
cave conservancies, local grottos (chapters) and other affiliated
caving organizations in some parts of the country, in others, agencies
issuing closure orders have alienated their most natural allies, our
members. Not only do the closures not work, they are counterproductive.
Similarly, closing caves and mines only addressed underground
roosts. Bats also roost in buildings, in culverts, under bridges, and
in trees. Attempting to contain a disease on only public lands, with
little practical enforcement, only underground, and with a myriad of
exceptions, and where the known predominant means of transmission is
bat to bat, we believe is folly.
Arguments have been made that blanket closures can buy time, but
continuing them where WNS has already marched through seems pointless.
Implementing them where WNS is nowhere near seems equally futile. In
those cases, if there is a human vector, the single best strategy is to
inform any cave visitor--caver, tourist, or scientist--to leave any
gear used in a WNS site at home.
The one area where an argument may still have some validity is on
the leading edge of the disease. Enforcing cleaning and disinfecting
protocols and temporarily barring visitation, may temporarily delay the
disease, but if the bats are going to get it, they will spread it,
closure order or not.
Rather than continuing in this manner, and absent a major
scientific breakthrough in treating the disease, we believe the most
productive course of action may be to focus on the science and
management of conservation and recovery. We may ultimately be able to
do little to stop the disease from running its course, but we can focus
on the survivors and doing all we can to help them recover and
populations grow again. Funding research that targets understanding how
and why those bats do survive should be a priority. Funding management
actions that target significant habitat, both above and below ground,
and mechanisms to enhance survivability would be critical. Let's not
waste our efforts doing ``something'' that is of questionable value
with negative collateral consequences.
Conclusion
These are tough times for some of our bats, and the NSS remains
deeply concerned and committed to doing what is possible to help
mitigate the impact of the disease. However, we do insist that the
decisions on funding for research and management be based on hard
evidence, and prioritized use of human and financial resources. The
impacts of WNS have begun to be felt in the economy, both from the
disease itself, and from our response to it. We may not be able to
control the former; we can control the latter. We clearly need a better
focus to our management decisions, and a way to objectively evaluate
and prioritize those decisions. We also need a significant increase in
funding for research. We ask that Congress insist on hard science,
evaluative measures, and transparency in accountability.
Finally, we ask that you listen to the people who know caves best
and have a 70-year history of working to study and protect our
country's cave resources, including its bats. Working with the
organized caving community has proven mutually beneficial, and
continues even in this era of WNS. Examples include the NSS' Mammoth
Cave Restoration Project--more than 20 years of critical work, the Fort
Stanton Cave Study Project with the Bureau of Land Management, the
Windeler Cave Project with the Western Cave Conservancy, which manages
that cave for the U.S. Forest Service, and the Mark Twain National
Forest work with the Cave Research Foundation, which has provided an
immense amount of baseline research on many of the 600 some caves in
that unit, including a recently-added WNS monitoring component.
Some of these efforts require cavers with certain levels of
expertise in areas such as cartography, sciences, technical caving
skills, and management, but others make use of interested people of all
skill levels. That is key, for future cave scientists, world-class
explorers, and even career wildlife managers come from the humble
beginnings of a first step into a dark void. Maintaining access to that
experience for future generations helps build an appreciation for the
resource, and fosters the development of the conservation ethic that is
needed to wisely protect both caves and bats.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify. We'll leave you
with our mottos, which reflect our long-standing conservation ethic and
respect for our caves and the things that dwell within.
Cave softly. Cave cleanly.
Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill
nothing but time.
______
[A letter submitted for the record by Mr. Youngbaer
follows:]
December 26, 2010
Dr. Jeremy Coleman
WNS National Coordinator
New York Field Office
3817 Luker Road
Cortland, New York 13045
Su bject: Comments on Draft WNS National Response Plan--``A National
Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and Tribes in Managing
White-Nose Syndrome in Bats''
Dear Dr. Coleman:
On behalf of the National Speleological Society, Inc. (NSS), we are
pleased to submit these comments on the Draft WNS National Response
Plan--``A National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and
Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats.''
Overview
The NSS, founded in 1941, is a non-profit membership organization
dedicated to the scientific study of caves and karts; protecting caves
and their natural contents through conservation, ownership,
stewardship, and public education; and promoting responsible cave
exploration and fellowship among those interested in caves. We are the
nation's oldest and largest organization devoted to cave science, cave
conservation, and cave exploration, with approximately 11,000 current
members.
The NSS has a long track record of collaboration with federal and
state agencies in the areas of cave protection and management and bat
conservation. We were instrumental in the enactment of the Federal Cave
Resources Protection Act of 1988. The NSS and its internal
organizations, including cave conservancies, own numerous cave nature
preserves, several with endangered bats and other endangered species,
and manage them appropriately. Some of our own caves in NY and West
Virginia include bats affected by White Nose Syndrome.
We have been intimately involved in the investigation of White Nose
Syndrome (WNS) since its discovery. Our members have funded WNS
research, through a special NSS grants program, and have actively
participated in field work, laboratory research, management planning,
and public education.
Consistent with our involvement to date, the NSS Cave Conservation
and Management Section is submitting under separate cover a list of NSS
members who are willing to serve on the various Working Groups
identified in the Draft WNS National Response Plan. These individuals
hail from across the country and provide expertise and experience in
the Working Group subjects. This is a direct result of your meeting
with us at our Convention in Vermont on August 3, 2010, and expressing
the need for experts to participate on the Working Groups. We hope you
will contact them as soon as possible to discuss the required work.
The NSS reviewed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) draft
document ``A National Plan for Assisting States, Federal Agencies, and
Tribes in Managing White-Nose Syndrome in Bats'' (WNS National Response
Plan), dated October 21, 2010. We understand the USFWS prepared the
draft WNS National Response Plan to provide guidance for investigation
and management of White Nose Syndrome (WNS). The draft plan broadly
identifies goals and action items, and outlines the roles of various
agencies, to curtail the spread of WNS and to conserve species of bats.
The NSS reviewed the draft WNS National Response Plan for accuracy,
completeness, and conformance with the following statutes:
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 USC
Sec. 4321 et seq.)
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (7 USC Sec. 136, 16
USC Sec. 1531 et seq.)
Federal Cave Resources Protection Act of 1988 (16 USC
Sec. 4301 et seq.)
Although these statutes, referenced in the draft WNS National
Response Plan, provide protections for wildlife and natural resources,
the NSS finds no regulations, guidance documents, policy directives, or
conventional standards issued to address the preparation or
implementation of a national response plan covering bat mortality and
other effects across multiple genera within the order Chiroptera. The
scale of devastation from WNS appears unprecedented in the United
States; therefore, the draft WNS National Response Plan is setting a
ground-breaking standard for controlling and mitigating the destructive
consequences of WNS.
The NSS has also reviewed the mission statements of all federal
agencies which were represented in the plan preparation. These varied
and potential competing mission statements are critical to enunciate in
any final document in order for the American public to appreciate the
competing interests of wildlife protection, scientific investigation in
many fields, public understanding of natural resources, forest
vitality, commercial activities, and recreational and other public use
of our public natural resources.
While the draft WNS National Response Plan lists the various
federal and state agencies that assisted in the preparation of the
document, the document is of and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and is clearly a wildlife-centric document. USFWS's mission and
statutory authority is not sufficiently broad to appropriately reflect
all the legitimate interests that must be balanced in addressing White
Nose Syndrome. We recognize that is not the fault of USFWS, but a
limitation of its authority and mission. Were the draft plan jointly
issued by the various federal agencies, we suspect a somewhat different
draft plan would be before us.
Thus it falls to us, the NSS to raise these points. Bat
conservation must be considered in the broader context of cave
conservation, and even conservation in general. This includes
protecting cave as well as bat resources, including groundwater,
precious and beautiful formations, archeological and paleontological
relics, and the diversity of cave biology beyond bats. It includes
allowing other cave science and exploration to continue while WNS is
being addressed. It includes educating the public about bat and cave
conservation, and it includes inspiring the next generation of
Americans about the beauty, wonder, and value of caves and bats through
appropriate exposure to them in the natural environment.
Any WNS National Response Plan needs to reflect this balance and be
informed by it. Some real life examples underscore this necessity:
Should a seismologist conducting vital underground geological research
in a Missouri cave--a critical seismic area--be prevented from doing so
because the cave may contain bats? Should fantastic cave formations
that have stood for centuries of enjoyment be destroyed by vandals
because conservation-minded cavers who normally monitor the site were
kept away by management strategies? Should a commercial cave business
be threatened with financial ruin, affecting not only the owners, but
the community around them, as well as the lost opportunity to engage
and educate thousands of members of the public?
All of these issues deserve to be reflected and balanced in the WNS
National Plan. They must inform how action items are determined, and
how scarce financial resources are prioritized. Addressing WNS does not
and cannot take place in a vacuum. The draft WNS National Response Plan
sections need to enunciate how these competing concerns are considered,
weighed, and addressed.
The NSS offers the following general and specific comments to
clarify the proposed plan.
General Comments
1. The WNS National Response Plan provides a broad program-level
overview of the WNS problem, data needs, investigation methods, and
response actions. At the program level, the plan divides the WNS issue
into manageable components to be addressed through seven Working
Groups. The plan provides Goals and Action Items for each Working Group
without specifying the methods or implementation expectations to
achieve the individual goals within the Working Groups.
Evaluating the progress on each Goal and Action Item may provide an
assessment of the Working Groups and the status of each component in
its relationship to the overall WNS issue. However, at the program
level, the plan does not list any goals or objectives, and the only
action specified in the document is the creation of the Working Groups.
The overall goal (or mission statement) of the WNS National Response
Plan is unclear and not stated. Without a clear definition of goals and
expectations, how will performance of the national response be
monitored and evaluated? What are the performance measures, and how
will success of the national response be gauged? What is the exit
strategy? Is there a time-table, or is this an open-ended initiative?
The WNS National Response Plan should be modified to clearly state
the overall purpose and mission of the plan and to list goals and
objectives for the program implementation of the plan. Explain how the
goals and objectives will be implemented and how the overall purpose
and mission will be achieved. Document and describe what efforts are
needed at the national level, and outline the anticipated needs and
actions at the regional, state, and local levels. Explain how these
efforts will be coordinated; identify coordinating tasks; outline
expected results; and, explain how the results will be monitored and
measured. Define how the success of the National Response will be
measured and assessed.
The WNS National Response Plan should include provisions to re-
assess the planned responses on a periodic basis through evaluation and
assessment of initial goals and other identified measures of success.
How will we evaluate whether or not a specific research path is being
productive? How do we measure whether a management strategy is working,
or not, and whether to abandon, alter, or continue it?
2. The WNS National Response Plan focuses on relationships of
Federal agencies with each other and with State agencies. The plan does
not recognize the efforts or roles that private corporations,
organizations, educational institutions, and even individuals are
providing to the national response. For instance, individual NSS cavers
first noted and reported the WNS issue to wildlife biologists. These
same individuals and organizations already study, monitor, and provide
forums for public presentation and discussion. The WNS National
Response Plan should be modified to include a goal to establish
partnerships with individuals and organizations that support bat
conservation including, but not limited to, government agencies,
conservancies, caving organizations, groups and individuals who are
involved with bat conservation. Upon establishing these partnerships,
the plan should call for coordinated efforts, possibly through the
Steering Committee and the Working Groups, with the various groups and
individuals involved with the national response. The Communication
Working Group may be used to develop an organization chart and
formalize lines of communication between Working Groups and between
agencies and the various individuals and groups involved.
3. The plan states that a Steering Committee was formed to ensure
coordination between Federal and State agencies. It is unclear who
formed the Steering Committee, and the make-up of the committee is not
identified. Clarification regarding formation of the Steering Committee
is requested within the ``Specific Comments'' section of this letter.
However, if the Steering Committee serves to oversee and coordinate the
Working Groups as part of implementation of the national response, the
NSS believes that stakeholder involvement with agency representatives
at the Steering Committee level is desirable and necessary for success.
Stakeholder groups, such as the NSS, carry enormous resource potential
and knowledge base concerning all aspects of the WNS issue. We
recommend including credible stakeholder groups on the Steering
Committee to assist with coordination and implementation of the
national response. The NSS stands ready to serve in such capacity with
an established WNS liaison and working committee operating in all
regions of the U.S.
4. The document does not provide a Reference Section. The facts
presented within the document should be referenced to a source of the
information. Please provide references within the document and list
those references in a Reference Section.
Specific Comments
1. I. Introduction, Page 1, Paragraph 1. The introduction
identifies WNS as a disease responsible for unprecedented
mortality in hibernating bats. However, it is unclear who
prepared the plan, under what authority, and to what standard.
The introduction should be expanded to identify responsible
agencies and parties and to explain the basis and organization
of the document.
2. I. Introduction, Background, Page 1, Paragraphs 2ff. The
plan provides a basic descriptive orientation to the WNS issue.
However, the description is sparse with regard to information
and specific details of the fungus Geomyces destructans and the
disease White Nose Syndrome. The Background information section
should be expanded to identify effects of the fungus and of the
disease and to clarify the relationship of cause and effects.
Include the historical development and current status of the
disease.
3. I. Introduction, Background, Page 2, Paragraph 1. In
describing Geomyces destructans, the plan characterizes the
preferred environment for the fungus as ``conditions
characteristic of bat hibernacula.'' The conditions identified
are common for the northeastern U.S.; however, bat habitats and
hibernacula in southern and western areas of the U.S. may be
warmer and drier than the preferred environment described. This
fact may become a critical factor in controlling and mitigating
the WNS issue. The text should be modified to clarify that
conditions favorable for Geomyces destructans are most common
in northern humid regions (such as the northeast).
4. I. Introduction, Ecological Significance, Page 2,
Paragraph 3. This section summarizes the ecological
significance of bats and the impacts of WNS to public health
and the environment. However, the information does not explain
the role of bats in the ecosystem. The discussion does not
document the potential impacts of the disease to bats and only
briefly states some of the resulting impacts to public health
and the environment. Bats are an integral part of cave and
karst ecosystems. Although the bats are directly affected by
WNS, the resulting impacts put entire cave and karst ecosystems
at risk or even into crisis. The discussion should be expanded
to better identify the role of bats in the ecosystem and to
provide additional information regarding potential impacts
resulting from the demise of bats.
5. I. Introduction, The Planning Process, Page 2, Paragraph
4. This section justifies the need for a national response
plan. The text lists the following factors as critical factors
requiring a national response: (1) The mobility of bats, (2)
The rapid spread of WNS, (3) The potential for human-assisted
transmission, and (4) The severity of its (WNS) consequences.
It is unclear whether the human-assisted vector of the disease
is as much of a critical factor as bat-to-bat transmission or
other environmental factors and vectors. If justification for a
national response plan requires identification of disease
vectors, the most important vectors should be identified with a
clear plan to address those vectors. The text should be
modified to justify the need for a national plan based on the
severity and consequences of WNS. Any critical factors or
vectors that require management under a national plan should be
explicitly identified with an outline of required actions and
mitigation.
6. I. Introduction, The Planning Process, Page 3, Paragraph
1. The plan describes authorities under the statutes referenced
in this letter. It is unclear whether any guidance or
regulations exist addressing national response plans. If such
documents exist, the plan should provide references and
describe applicable sections and requirements.
7. I. Introduction, The Planning Process, Page 3, Paragraph
2. A. The plan outlines the historical development of
collaboration between agencies responding to WNS. The text
refers to early collaborations and formal requests. In order to
understand development of the response to the WNS issue, these
early work efforts and requests for assistance should be
documented in the text with reference citation.
B. The text indicates that the USFWS and U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS) response to the requests for
assistance includes advice to organizations and the
scientific community ``with appropriate expertise and
authorities.'' It is unclear exactly what activities
and expertise the USFW and USGS are providing under
this plan. The discussion should elaborate what
expertise, authorities, or other actions the agencies
are providing as part of the national response.
C. The text should be amended to read that it is
``incumbent upon wildlife management agencies to advise
and consult (emphasis added) non-government
organizations and those in the scientific community
with appropriate expertise and authorities to assist in
mitigating this threat.'' The plan should recognize
this is a two-way street, taking expertise where it is
found.
8. I. Introduction, Origin of the Plan, Page 3, Paragraph 3.
This section describes the formation of the Steering Committee.
However, the text does not provide details regarding the make-
up, functions, or activities of the committee. The section
should be expanded to identify the Steering Committee and
describe in more detail the committee's function and
activities, including its authorities.
9. I. Introduction, Implementing the Plan, Page 3, Paragraph
4. A. The plan calls for State agencies to implement
surveillance, monitoring, and management programs. It is not
clear how implementation of these programs will be funded. The
text states that federal agencies will provide tools and
financial assistance when available. For States to successfully
implement the plan, the expectations, methods, and funding must
be provided to the states. Please explain these items within
the plan and provide references for additional information.
B. The Plan focuses on the States to implement the
surveillance, monitoring, and management programs.
However, it is not clear whether all States are
technically and fiscally capable of establishing these
programs. Will this approach result in 50 different
programs? The Plan should consider development of the
State plans and how the WNS National Response functions
in relation to the States.
10. I. Introduction, Implementing the Plan, Page 3, Paragraph
5. This section of the Plan calls for general principals of
epidemiology, ecology, and conservation biology to inform
national response actions. The text mentions gains in knowledge
about WNS and its etiology with large gaps still apparent. The
plan should provide details regarding the understanding of WNS
and the associated knowledge base. Who conducted the principal
research, how did this occur, what do the results determine?
Identify what gaps exist in our knowledge base and explain how
these gaps are being addressed.
11. I. Introduction, Implementing the Plan, Page 4, Paragraph
1. A. The text refers to basic components of a standard outline
for response plan, including objectives, management tools,
management of contaminated environments, results monitoring,
restoration plans, and budget. However, it is unclear where
these components are in the WNS National Response Plan,
including results and performance measures. The Plan should be
modified to clearly address these components.
B. The text suggests that funding is tied to the State
Response Plans; however, it is not clear what funding
is available. The text should specify the expectations
for the State Response Plans and identify the funding
available.
12. II. WNS Response Strategy, Page 4, ff. A. The plan
outlines Human Health Implications, General Practices, and
Elements of the National Plan. The Plan does not identify
directives or mandates that the Plan is required to address.
Furthermore, the goals and performance measures of the National
Response Plan are unclear. The Response Strategy should explain
how the directions from the Steering Committee are implemented.
The WNS Response Strategy should be an extension of the overall
goals and objectives derived from the steering committee. This
section should describe in detail the gaps in information, the
necessity of collecting this data, what is hoped to be
achieved, and how progress will be measured.
13. II. WNS Response Strategy, Human Health Implications, Page
4, Paragraph 3. A. This section discusses WNS human health
risks. The text calls for ``safe work practices and personal
protective equipment'' for bat researchers. The Plan does not
outline or provide reference to applicable guidance on these
matters. The discussion should identify safe work practices and
reference appropriate personal protective equipment. Further,
this section is silent on the dangers to humans from exposure
to chemicals cleaning and disinfecting clothing, gear, and
equipment. Perhaps the protocols themselves should be revised
to include such information
B. The Plan states that additional research is
necessary to investigate potential WNS human health
risks. The Plan should identify what areas of research
are needed and how that aspect is addressed in the
National Response Plan.
14. II. WNS Response Strategy, General Practices, Page 5,
Paragraph 1. A. The Plan focuses on the human vector for
disease transmission. However, it is unclear whether the human
vector is as critical of a vector as bat-to-bat or other
environmental vectors. The Plan should address other, and
possibly more critical, vectors in an effort to curtail the
spread of the disease.
B. The Plan provides recommendations for field
activities to prevent the spread of WNS. It is unclear
whether either the USFW or the USGS is able to offer
assistance for meeting and maintaining the recommended
actions. The Plan should identify any assistance that
the federal agencies can offer to States and
Stakeholders affected by the WNS issue.
15. II. WNS Response Strategy, Elements of the National Plan,
F. Disease Surveillance Working Group, Page 7, Paragraph 1. The
stated purpose of this group is to develop standards for WNS
surveillance. It is not clear who is responsible for
coordinating data collection across the nation. The Plan should
be modified to identify who will coordinate national data
collection and by what means this data will be obtained,
reviewed, and disseminated.
16. III. Action Plans, Page 7, Paragraph 3. The plan
establishes Working Groups to address elements of the national
response. However, certain specifics regarding the groups are
missing from the description. What is the make-up of the
Working Groups; how are they established; how will the efforts
be coordinated; what are the expected activities and
anticipated results? The National Plan should provide more
detail concerning the Working Groups and whether Regional
Subcommittees may be formed to address region-specific needs,
goals, and issues.
17. III. Action Plans, A. Communication and Outreach, A.1.
Overview, Page 7, Bullet 1. The National Response Plan
acknowledges the investigative focus of Federal and State
agencies researching the WNS issue. However, it appears that
many private individuals, corporations, and organizations are
also investigating the WNS issue. The WNS National Response
Plan should recognize that non-government organizations are
part of the investigative community. In order to make a broader
appeal and a larger chance of success, the national plan should
be modified to recognize the role of non-government
organizations as part of a coordinated effort and capable of
making substantial contributions.
18. III. Action Plans, A. Communications and Outreach, A.2.
Goals, Page 8. A. The plan lists 4 goals for the Communications
and Outreach Working Group. It appears that this group could
provide a conduit of information between the Working Groups and
outside audiences. The group may disseminate information
gathered through the Working Group efforts into the WNS
research database. In order to assist in this effort, it is
suggested that the group create a single website where partner
agencies and organization can post and access peer-reviewed
publications and data. Information from all the Working Groups
should be provided on this website.
B. In addition to dissemination of information, an
important part of communication is feedback into the
national response. Currently, the WNS National Response
Plan does not provide for external comments or
observations back to the national response. It is
suggested that the Communications and Outreach Working
Group may provide for this 2-way communication through
a website-based email contact and through other
formalized lines of communication.
19. III. Action Plans, B. Data and Technical Information
Management, Goal 2, Page 10. This goal appears to call on the
Data and Technical Information Management Working Group to
establish and maintain an information website. While data
collection and management is clearly the focus of this group,
the NSS suggests that information dissemination, including
website construction and maintenance may be better coordinated
through the Communications and Outreach Working Group. Any
databases maintained by the Data and Technical Information
Management Working Group should be linked into the website.
20. III. Action Plans, C. Diagnostics, C.1. Overview, Page 10.
The WNS National Response Plan focuses virtually exclusively on
the relationship of Geomyces destructans (G. destructans) as
the causative agent and White Nose Syndrome as the effect, as
evidenced in the first statement of this section. There is
strong circumstantial evidence for this cause and effect
relationship. For instance, studies show that fungal growth on
body parts is G. destructans; G. destructans is found in
affected cave sediments but not in unaffected cave sediments.
Also, bats placed in an affected mine acquired WNS. However,
standard disease research practices require the Koch's
Postulates be satisfied before establishing the cause-effect
relationship. There remains a possibility that a bacterial or
viral or some other agent may be the primary pathogen and that
the G. destructans infection is secondary. The NSS is unaware
of any research which infected bats from a pure culture of G.
destructans. In fact, recent analyses show bats infected with
G. destructans fungus but not the disease White Nose Syndrome.
Unless Koch's Postulates are satisfied, research should
continue into other potential primary pathogens and not a total
focus of the national response to G. destructans, lest our
total efforts are thrown toward the wrong causative agent.
Until G. destructans can be shown to be etiologic in WNS,
searches should continue for other agents. The goals under the
Diagnostics Working Group should be revised to conduct or
support research to satisfy Koch's Postulates to show the cause
and effect relationship between G. destructans and WNS.
21. III. Action Plans, C. Diagnostics, C.2. Goals and Action
Items, Goal 4, Page 11. The Action Item for this goal as stated
is to work with the ``Scientific and Technical Information
Group.'' However, the Plan does not list a Scientific and
Technical Information Group. If the intended reference is the
Data and Technical Information Management Working Group, the
text should be so modified.
22. III. Action Plans, D. Disease Management, D.1. Overview,
Page 11. Some of the possible response actions include chemical
or biological treatments. However, it is not clear whether
there is a clear mechanism to evaluate these methods. Even
after appropriate laboratory and field-scale pilot tests, the
approach may not work or show unintended consequences. Is there
a mechanism within the plan to determine this approach or
treatment methods should be abandoned? The Plan should include
an evaluation process for any selected treatment remedy.
23. III. Action Plans, D. Disease Management, D.2. Goals and
Action Items, Goal 2, Page 12. A. This goal is to reduce the
risk of WNS transmission to bats by humans. Implicitly, this
goal supports research into WNS transmission by human-to-
environment-to-bats. However, this aspect of data acquisition
is not explicitly stated in the plan. As indicated by other
goals for this working group, other vectors for disease
transmission will likely be found to be more critical for
control than the human vector. The plan should establish a
mechanism or system to evaluate the various vectors with regard
to their importance, feasibility for control, and cost or
implications of control.
B. The Action Items under this Goal focus on human
interaction with the bat and cave environment. However,
commercial trafficking in bat guano for fertilizer
could spread the disease if guano con be a source of
WNS etiologic agents (such as G. destructans). If bat
guano proves to be a vector for disease transmission,
then regulation is called for imports, exports, and
interstate trafficking of bat guano. The Action Items
under this goal should be modified to study or support
research of the potential for bat guano to contain WNS
infective agents and its role as a disease vector.
24. III. Action Plans, E. Etiology and Epidemiological
Research, E.2. Goals and Action Items, Goal 1, Page 13. The
stated goal is to review current knowledge to identify data
gaps, and the listed Action Items cover expert review and
research questions. A very critical aspect that should be a
priority for the national response is to determine whether
otherwise healthy individuals show evidence of exposure to G.
destructans, and if so, do these individuals produce antibodies
and are these antibodies protective? This determination will
require development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(ELISA) technique to detect the presence of the antibody in a
blood sample. Recent studies show that apparently there are
bats exposed to and carrying G. destructans that do not develop
WNS. Developing an ELISA test for antibodies in bat serum
against G. destructans will help answer several important
questions, including whether bats can mount an immune response
to antigens from G. destructans. Also, this test is important
to determine if there are asymptomatic carriers who could be a
reservoir for infection. All this information is critical in
any attempt to manage the WNS disease. The goals under the
Etiology and Epidemiological Research Working Group should be
revised to conduct or support research to develop an ELISA test
for G. destructans antibodies.
25. III. Action Plans, F. Disease Surveillance, F.2.Goals and
Action Items, Page 15, Goal. A. The goal is to create a nation-
wide disease surveillance program. As previously mentioned
herein, the National Response Plan should identify funding this
effort and explain how that funding is provided to the States.
If there are elements or action items that necessary for
implementation and funding of the surveillance program, these
components should be list in this section.
B. Action Item 3 is confusing as written. Perhaps this
Action Item should be reworded ``Integrate surveillance
efforts and research with other subcommittees.''
26. III, Action Plans, G. Conservation and Recovery, G.2.
Goals and Action Items, Page 16, Goal 4, Action Item 1. The
Action Item call for the group to work closely with the
``Research Working Group.'' However, the Plan does not list a
Research Working Group. The text should be modified to
reference the intended Working Group.
The NSS appreciates this opportunity to comment on the draft WNS
National Response Plan. The NSS welcomes any further discussion for
planning or implementation of the national response. Please contact me
for further discussion or to clarify any of these comments. My
telephone number is (802) 272-3802, and my email address is
[email protected].
Sincerely,
Peter Youngbaer
NSS WNS Liaison
Copied to:
Gordon L. Birkheimer, NSS President
NSS Board of Governors
______
Dr. Fleming. OK. Thank you for those words of wisdom, Mr.
Youngbaer. Finally, Dr. Boyles, you have five minutes, sir.
STATEMENT OF DR. JUSTIN G. BOYLES, DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY AND
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
Dr. Boyles. Thank you. Chairman Fleming, Ranking Member
Bordallo, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for
allowing me to testify today. I have conducted research on bats
for nearly 10 years, and I have been involved with research on
White-Nose Syndrome since shortly after it was discovered.
There are 45 species of bats in the United States, 42 of
which are insectivorous. The bat species affected by the White-
Nose Syndrome are the primary predators of night-flying
insects, and the top predators and their respective food webs.
Insectivorous bats in the United States are well known
predators of pest insects, including cotton bollworms, corn
rootworms, spotted cucumber beetles, spruce budworns, cutworms,
leafhoppers, and many others.
These pests attack a multitude of agricultural,
horticultural, and forestry products, including from a long
list: cotton, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash,
melons, pumpkins, apples, strawberries, beets, roses, spruce,
and fir trees.
Two studies illustrate must how many insects are consumed
by bats. A study from Indiana, which was mentioned, reports
that an average-sized colony of 140 big brown bats may consume
on the order of 1.3 million pest insects each summer.
To put this in some perspective, there are roughly 20,000
big brown bats that roost in the buildings in Fort Collins,
Colorado alone. A second study, this from the Northeastern
United States, suggests that a single little brown bat may
consume four to eight grams of insects each night during the
summer.
Extrapolating these values to the one million bats that
have died to date from White-Nose Syndrome means that between
1.5 and 3 million pounds of insects are going uneaten each
summer in the area affected by White-Nose Syndrome.
Economic estimates of the value of bats are rare, but two
studies from cotton dominated landscapes in Central Texas
suggest that bats are worth between $12 and $174 per acre per
year, and depending on a number of factors, including the
density of crop pests in a given year.
While these values will obviously vary across the United
States because of differences in the monetary value of crops,
the amount of pesticides used, and the bat and insect
communities in each area, a simple extrapolation of these
values to the whole of agriculture in the United States
suggests that bats may be worth between $3- and $53 billion per
year to the national economy.
Importantly, bats have also been shown to limit herbivore
in insects or by insects in both tropical and temperate
forests. However, the estimates that I have just given you do
not consider the value of bats to the forestry industry, nor do
they consider the costs associated with the secondary effects
of pesticide use on ecosystems and public health.
Thus, all available evidence suggests that bats are
extremely valuable to the economy, and I would venture that
bats are the most economically important non-domesticated
mammals in the United States.
Regarding the closing of caves and mines, which has been an
obvious controversial step in the management of White-Nose
Syndrome, several people have argued that there is little or no
evidence that exists that cave closures have slowed or will
slow the spread of White-Nose Syndrome.
While this statement is factually correct, or may be
factually correct, it is misleading because in my opinion, it
is a proposition that is exceedingly difficult to test
scientifically, and therefore it will be difficult to either
refute or to support.
The evidence cited by other witnesses on the panel, among
other quickly mounting evidence, suggests that human
facilitated movements of Geomyces destructans, the fungus that
we are talking about, are possible.
Human facilitated dispersal events may be
disproportionately more devastating than bat facilitated
dispersal events because of the distances that humans can move
the fungus.
For example, even a single introduction of Geomyces
destructans by humans into the Western United States could lead
to the collapse of an entirely new bat community, a fate which
is unlikely in the next 5 to 10 years given the current rate of
expansion of White-Nose Syndrome.
Thus, in my professional opinion the risk of cave
visitations to both ecosystems and the economy far outweigh the
possible benefits, and I believe the cave closure policies
currently implemented by Federal and state agencies are both
warranted and prudent.
Finally, in the roughly five years since White-Nose
Syndrome has emerged, researchers have amassed an impressive
body of knowledge about the disease. Given the scale of the
problem very little funding has been available, and we have
done a lot with very little.
Still, large gaps remain in our understanding of White-Nose
Syndrome, and many of these gaps are vital to the control of
Geomyces destructans, and in conserving and restoring the
populations of insectivorous bats. The only way to fill these
gaps is through well targeted and well coordinated scientific
research, a process that is unfortunately neither cheap nor
quick.
To be frank, limited funding and a lack of coordination
hindered our progress to date. The recently released national
plan by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service addresses
some of these shortcomings, especially those related to the
communication between the various parties.
However, as is often the case, funding has been and will
remain the most limiting factor in our research on White-Nose
Syndrome. I believe the ecological and economic ramifications
of a collapsing bat community are so severe as to warrant a
larger investment of personnel and funding to develop a better
understanding of this devastating wildlife disease.
Only with an increased understanding will we be able to
develop solutions to the problem in time to make a difference.
Thank you, and I welcome the opportunity to answer any
questions.
[The prepared statement of Dr. Boyles follows:]
Statement of Justin G. Boyles, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Research Fellow,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Thank you for allowing me to testify today. I have conducted
research on bats for nearly 10 years and have been involved with
research on white-nose syndrome (WNS) since shortly after it was
discovered.
There are 45 species of bats in the United States, 42 of which are
insectivorous. The bat species affected by WNS are the primary
predators of night-flying insects and are the top predators in their
respective food webs. Insectivorous bats in the United States are well-
known predators of pest insects including cotton bollworms, corn
rootworms, spotted cucumber beetles, leafhoppers, cutworms, and spruce
budworms, among many others. These pests attack a multitude of
agricultural, horticultural, and forest products, including cotton,
corn, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, pumpkins, apples,
strawberries, beans, celery, eggplant, beets, roses, and spruce and fir
trees. Two studies illustrate how many insects are consumed by bats. A
study in Indiana reports that an average-sized colony of 150 big brown
bats (Eptesicus fuscus) may consume 1.3 million pest insects over a
summer. Big brown bats are ubiquitous in the natural and man-made
landscape--for instance, researchers estimated that approximately
20,000 big brown bats summer in Fort Collins, Colorado--meaning the
species confers these benefits throughout our environment. A study from
the northeastern United States suggests that a single little brown bat
(Myotis lucifugus), the species most commonly affected by WNS, can
consume 4-8 grams of insects each night during summer. Extrapolating
these values to the 1 million bats that have died from WNS to date
means that between 1.5 and 3 million pounds of insects are uneaten each
summer in the area affected by WNS. Economic estimates of the value of
bats are rare, but two studies from cotton-dominated landscapes in
central Texas suggest bats are worth between $12 and $174 per acre,
depending on a number of factors including the density of crop pests in
a given year. While these values will obviously vary across the United
States because of differences in the monetary value of crops, the
amount of pesticides used, the bat and insect communities in the area,
and several other factors, a simple extrapolation of these values to
the whole of agriculture in the United States suggests bats may be
worth between $3 and $53 billion/year to the national economy. Bats
have been shown to exert strong top-down control on insect populations
in both tropical and temperate forests and importantly, these estimates
do not consider the value of bats to forestry or secondary effects of
pesticide use on the ecosystem and public health. Thus, all available
evidence suggests that bats are extremely valuable to the economy and I
would venture that bats are the most economically important non-
domesticated mammals in the United States. While there are significant
ecological and economic reasons to be deeply concerned about the impact
of WNS on bat populations, in my opinion, we also should be concerned
with bat conservation based on moral and ethical responsibilities to
conserve our natural resources.
The closing of caves and mines has been a controversial step in
management of WNS. While I agree that bats are likely the most common
distributor of the fungus, I believe cave closures are both necessary
and justified because evidence implicates human-facilitated movements.
During my research, I have spent considerable time in caves and mines
in the eastern United States. Therefore, I understand the draw of
caving and sympathize with the standpoint of the National Speleological
Society. However, as a scientist, I must respectfully disagree with
their views on cave closures. They have argued that little evidence
exists that cave closures have slowed or will slow the spread of WNS.
While this statement may be factually correct, it is misleading
because, in my opinion, it is a proposition that is impossible to test
and thereby either support or refute. If Geomyces destructans, the
fungus associated with WNS, is verified to have originated in Europe as
the circumstantial evidence and emerging data on the genetics of the
fungus suggest, human-facilitated movements are very likely the
explanation for the appearance of G. destructans in the United States
in the first place. Thus, long-distance movements of G. destructans by
humans are likely possible. Further, research has shown that G.
destructans can survive in and on clothing and caving gear, providing a
possible path for long-distance, human-facilitated expansion of the
disease. Human-facilitated dispersal events may be disproportionately
more devastating than bat-facilitated dispersal events because of the
distances humans can move the fungus. Even a single introduction of G.
destructans by humans in the western United States could lead to the
devastation of an entirely new bat community. Such a collapse is
unlikely in the next 5 years given the current rate of bat-driven
expansion of WNS. More than a dozen species of hibernating bats occur
in the western United States and are currently unaffected by WNS. There
may be natural geographic barriers to the movement of hibernating bats,
such as the Great Plains, that limit bat-facilitated, but not human-
facilitated dispersal of G. destructans. Further, cave disturbances are
implicated as one of the driving factors behind historical declines in
bat populations because they upset the delicate energy balance that
bats must maintain to survive winter. Given that WNS also appears to
upset this delicate balance, the added stress caused by cave visitation
could compound the effects of the disease. Thus, in my professional
opinion, the risks of cave visitations to both ecosystems and the
economy far outweigh the possible benefits gained by relatively few
people and I believe the cave closure policies currently implemented by
Federal and State agencies are both warranted and prudent.
In the roughly five years since WNS emerged, a tiny number of
researchers has amassed an impressive body of knowledge about the
disease. Given the scale of the problem, very little research funding
has been available to researchers and we have done a lot with very
little. Still, large gaps remain in our understanding of the putative
pathogen, the physiology of bat hibernation, and how the two interact
to result in the patterns of mortality seen in WNS-affected
populations. Many of these information gaps are vital to attempts to
control G. destructans and conserve and restore populations of
insectivorous bats. The only way to fill these knowledge gaps is
through well-targeted and well-coordinated scientific research, a
process that is unfortunately neither quick nor cheap. To be frank,
limited funding and a lack of coordination have hindered our progress
to date. The recently released National Plan by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service addresses many of these shortcomings, especially those
related to communication between the various parties involved. However,
as is often the case, funding has been and will remain the most
limiting factor in our research on WNS. I believe the economic and
ecological ramifications of collapsing bat communities are so severe as
to warrant a larger investment of personnel and funding to develop a
better understanding of this devastating wildlife disease. Only with an
increased understanding will we be able to develop solutions to the
problem in time to make a difference.
______
Dr. Fleming. Thank you, Dr. Boyles, and again, excellent
information. Again, I want to thank all of our witnesses for
their valuable contributions to this hearing during National
Pollinators Week.
This is an extremely deadly fungus, and I hope Federal,
state, and local, and non-governmental organizations will
continue to work together to find a way to stop the spread of
this disease.
At this point, we will begin Member questions of the
witnesses, and to allow all Members to participate and ensure
that we hear from all of our witnesses today, Members are
limited to five minutes for their questions.
However, if Members have additional questions, we can have
more than one round of questioning, and often do. I now
recognize myself for five minutes. Just some quick questions
just so I can get a better understanding.
The organisms name is Geomyces destructans; is that
correct, panel? And I am not sure who is best trained to answer
this question, but I will take it from anyone, and Dr. Boyles
certain seems to know a lot about the pathology of this, how
does it actually kill the bat?
Dr. Boyles. This is something that we don't know, and
actually if I could defer. Dr. Blehert is probably the correct
person to answer this question.
Dr. Fleming. OK.
Dr. Blehert. Thank you. So that does represent an active
area of research. When we initially discovered it, we described
the fungus as a dermatophyte, which is as you probably know
defines a fungus that infects the dead skin layer, the dead
skin layer at the surface of the skin.
This fungus turns out to be quite different. It is actively
invasive, and it invades and destroys living skin tissues. A
recent publication put out by our group of researchers surmises
that this fungus causes--well, we know that the focus causes
devastating damage to bat wings.
Bat wings skin represents over 85 percent of the surface
area of a bat. So the skin of their wings performs much more
than just a simple barrier function. It is also critical for
many physiological functions, ranging from water balance,
passive exchange of air, and other gases, temperature
regulation, blood pressure regulation.
And so we believe that it is at the heart of this
disruption of these numerous physiological processes that are
dependent on bat wings that are the mechanism of mortality.
Dr. Fleming. OK. And I understand that this organism, the
fungus, has been endemic to Europe, and that many, if not all,
species have been resistant to it in the past, but yet we have,
I understand, around 8 or 9 species here that are not resistant
to it, and that die at a rate of almost 100 percent.
Do we have an understanding of why certain species and
certain locations, geographical locations, that species and
organisms are resistant to the organism?
Dr. Blehert. I think that it may come down to much more
than just differences within the species themselves, but since
all diseases involve an interaction between a pathogen, and in
this case, Geomyces destructans, a bat host, and the
environment that bats inhabit, I think what research will
ultimately support is that bats inhabit different ecological
niches within caves.
So, for example, a bat that inhabits a colder and dryer
area may be less susceptible, compared to a bat like a little
brown bat that inhabits a slightly warmer and very humid
portion of the cave.
Additionally, as the number of bats decline, disease
transmission dynamics change dramatically. There are fewer
hosts available for the fungus. Hosts allow that pathogen to
amplify, and so as the number of hosts is reduced, we are
finding that our American bat populations, which were once
quite numerous, are actually becoming more like the European
bat populations, in which bats are less numerous, and further
and fewer in between.
So it may be that not all of our populations will go to
zero, and that we will see a much different topography with
regard to hot bats persist with this fungus, much as they are
seeing today in Europe.
Dr. Fleming. Is that to say that the main host are the
affected species?
Dr. Blehert. Yes. So, for example, we look at the little
brown bat, which was once very numerous in these caves, is
perhaps an amplifying species. The fungus grows to a certain
degree in soil, but it grows dramatically on bats.
So in the presence of a lot of bats, you can go from very
few fungal infectious agents to literally trillions, and then
that agent remains infectious in the cave, and associated with
soil, carcasses, et cetera.
And as carcasses are removed, or as they further
deteriorate, those spores will ultimately--spore burdens should
decrease over time.
Dr. Fleming. I see. Have there been any attempts, from a
research standpoint, to actually spray or treat with antifungal
treatments in caves just to see if reducing the spores can
actually make a difference in survival?
Dr. Blehert. There has been some work along those lines in
the laboratory, but it is very difficult to transition some of
these treatments from the laboratory to the caves. One of the
very real concerns is that fungal diseases are on the rise
among humans, and there are very few pharmacological compounds
suitable for treating fungal diseases in humans.
So it perhaps could be very dangerous to widely broadcast
these compounds in the environment, and then risk breeding
resistance to these compounds among wild animals, or among
fungi in the environment, and perhaps creating more super bugs
that would pose a risk to humans. So there are a lot of
unintended consequences that we have to consider.
Dr. Fleming. And finally is there any natural predator for
the fungus itself?
Dr. Blehert. I would imagine that there likely is if you
make an analogy to chestnut flight. There are some what are
call microviruses, and so viruses that can weaken the fungus,
and it is sort of a constant battle between the fungus, which
can sexually recombine, and change, and the viruses have to
keep up. But as was mentioned by Mr. Pena, biocontrol is
another active area of research.
Dr. Fleming. OK. Most interesting. Let's see. Next, I will
recognize the Ranking Member for five minutes. And the
gentlelady asked if we will have one round or more than one
round, and we have three Members here. Mr. Wittman, what is
your interest? Would you like to have a second round?
Mr. Wittman. I am open for multiple rounds.
Dr. Fleming. As am I, and so if we don't get them covered
the first time, we will come back around.
Ms. Bordallo. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My first
question is for Dr. Chavarria. What is the scientific basis for
using bat cave closures to manage the White-Nose Syndrome? And
is it possible that current closures have limited the spread of
the White-Nose Syndrome?
And I know that a lot of these caves are on private
properties. How successful have you been in closing those
caves, and what percentage of those caves are still open? If
you could answer that.
Dr. Chavarria. Yes, Ms. Bordallo, and I am going to ask Dr.
Blehert to elaborate on the cave closure. But you heard the
Chair, and that the White-Nose Syndrome in Kentucky, and they
have strong support from Kentucky private landowners to close
caves.
The Park Service has allowed their managers at the regional
level to close or not close their caves as necessary. The
Service did close all of our caves.
Ms. Bordallo. All of the public caves?
Dr. Chavarria. Well, most of our caves are not open to the
public. They are just open for research, and they are dedicated
for protecting endangered bats.
Ms. Bordallo. Doctor, if you can expand on that?
Dr. Blehert. With regard to the scientific basis, all
infectious diseases--whether it is common cold viruses among
children in day care centers, or Geomyces destructans among
bats in a cave--involve a triad of interactions between an
environment, and a susceptible host, and a disease agent.
And in the case of White-Nose Syndrome, the infectious
agent is Geomyces destructans, and the environment is caves. We
have shown in my laboratory that the fungus does remain viable
in soil in the bottoms of caves, and so based on basic
epidemiological principles, restricting people to move in and
out of those caves provides a means to prevent the persistent
and environmentally resistant spores that the fungus produces
for the purpose of reproducing itself, both out of infected
caves and into new sites, or into caves.
So it is a two-way street. It is not only preventing humans
from accidentally introducing it to a site, but mounting
molecular forensic evidence being developed by my laboratory
collaboratively with other groups, indicates that the likely
source of this fungus in North America is Europe.
And the most likely means by which that happened was
through a human transmission event.
Ms. Bordallo. So have you seen a decline?
Dr. Blehert. I think it would be----
Ms. Bordallo. Since the closures?
Dr. Blehert. Right. I might defer to the Fish and Wildlife
Service to answer that.
Ms. Bordallo. Is there anyone who can answer that? Has
there been a decline?
Mr. Coleman. That is a difficult thing to answer. What we
have not seen since the management of cave closures was
instituted was a major jump, and that is really what we are
trying to target with this actions, is the creation of a new
epicenter, far removed from the current locations of the
disease.
So, for example, Oregon. If White-Nose Syndrome should
suddenly show up there as a result of a human transmission, and
so that is how we are measuring success. We have not seen that,
and we know that the bats themselves are going to be capable of
transmitting the disease and moving it increasingly westward
than south, but we have not yet seen a major jump, which has
been potentially signs of the effectiveness of the policy.
Ms. Bordallo. All right. So your answer then is you really
don't know if there has been a decline. Is that what I am
getting at here?
Mr. Coleman. A decline in the transmission of the disease?
Ms. Bordallo. Yes, recognizing that there are more bats
infected with the disease since the closure.
Mr. Coleman. Well, we do know that it has been spreading,
and that there has been an increase in the numbers of bats that
are infected.
Ms. Bordallo. So even with the closure of the caves then,
it has been increasing?
Mr. Coleman. Yes, the bats themselves are able to move the
disease.
Ms. Bordallo. All right. Then how successful have you been
with closing the private land, the caves that are on the
private lands? Do you meet a lot of resistance from the private
landowners in closing the caves?
There is a group of people that are out there for
recreational activity looking at caves, and so I just wonder
could you give me some idea? Are you coming up with resistance
to closing the caves on private lands?
Mr. Coleman. Yes, I would say there is some resistance to
that. There are people who are concerned about the loss of
revenue as we have heard, and about the loss of recreational
opportunities due to the closures of caves.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's position has been that this
is the scientifically justifiable route to take, and the best
thing to do to protect our bat species, and that is why we have
recommended it.
Ms. Bordallo. All right.
Mr. Coleman. I would refer to Dr. Gassett to specifically
talk about the State of Kentucky.
Dr. Gassett. Yes, Madam. In Kentucky on private lands, we
have identified 80 private landowners that have what we
consider significant bat habitat, and we sent letters to all of
them to ask them to voluntarily close their caves, and only
three refused, and so 77 of those 80 complied with the
voluntary closure request.
Ms. Bordallo. All right. So that is in Kentucky, right?
Dr. Gassett. In Kentucky, correct.
Ms. Bordallo. What about the other states?
Dr. Gassett. I don't have any data on the other states.
Ms. Bordallo. All right. I just want to get an idea of
closing the caves and what resistance we are getting.
Mr. Coleman. Well, each state has come up with their own
response plan, and many states I should say, and not everyone
has one. In those response plans, they treat this issue
differently based on whatever their priorities are in that
state.
So some states, like Kentucky, have seen a lot of success
in outreach with the public, and private landowners, and some
states have not seen fit to close caves as a response to White-
Nose Syndrome, and others have chosen a medium ground where
they posed partial closures, but not close to all the sites,
and it really depends on the state, because that is how they
directed it to private landowners.
Ms. Bordallo. Are all the states cooperating with advising
these recreational activists that visit the caves about the
situation, and the risks that they are taking?
Mr. Coleman. Well, again, each state has chosen a different
approach to this, and so some states have been in favor of cave
closures to control human transmission.
Ms. Bordallo. But even if they are not closed, are there
signs that you are entering this at your own risk?
Mr. Coleman. Well, again, the states have--it is up to
their jurisdiction to put up signage and that sort of thing. So
everybody handles it a little bit differently, and again there
are several states who have interacted and several who have
not.
Ms. Bordallo. All right.
Mr. Youngbaer. If I might pick up on that question. This
varies very widely. State agencies and Federal agencies have
varying authorities over lands that they own or control, but
very little over private land ownership.
You take a state like Tennessee, which has over 14,000
known caves, or Missouri, which has over 6,000 known caves, the
vast majority are on private lands. Therefore, unless there is
an Endangered Species present, and not subject to any
government authority, all that can be done is to suggest.
There are many people who visit these caves, and
landowners, private landowners, have private property rights,
and tend to be a little weary of governments, and there are
iterations of that all across the country.
People who visit caves are not just members of the National
Speleological Society, but you have rock hounds, geocachers,
scout groups, church groups, college outing clubs, and just
locals, who know that the hole in the ground has been there for
a couple of hundred years, and every Tom, Dick, and Harry in
town has their signature up in the signature room in the back,
and that is where you go to cool off in the summer heat.
These are not closed in a physical sense. These are closed
by administrative orders in most cases on even the government
lands. So, therefore, the bats are free to come and go, and
transmit this disease.
And I think that is why Tom Aley, who I quoted in my
testimony, basically says that this is like putting a fire line
up for only five percent. It simply does not work in containing
this disease.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much. You made it very clear.
Dr. Fleming. Thank you. Mr. Wittman, from Virginia.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I wanted to thank
the panel members for joining us today. It is a very
interesting discussion, and a very timely topic. We have heard
in the past that the population of bats--and I am assuming
overall--has been affected by a reduction in population of an
estimate of about a million.
I was wondering if you could give us what today's estimate
is with the reduction in bat populations by this fungus? If you
could give us some indication about which species might be most
affected by this, and you had alluded to some of the species
that are not affected by it.
But I would like to learn a little bit more about which
species are, and is there a likelihood that any species would
become extinct by this? We have talked about population
dynamics, and some homeostasis being reached by bat populations
in relation to response to this particular fungus, but is there
one particular species, like the little brown bat, that could
go extinct?
And I will leave it up to which panel members are most
qualified to answer that question.
Mr. Coleman. Which species is most affected?
Mr. Wittman. Yes. Well, let's start with the question about
what are the current numbers, as far as the total bat
populations that are deceased based on an exposure to this
disease, and current numbers, and your best estimate?
Mr. Coleman. The estimate that we generated before of over
a million bats was based on approximation of an unknown number
of bats, and the data that we had to show known declines in
select known sites where data existed before and after White-
Nose Syndrome arrived.
So it is actually very difficult to come up with a total
number of bats when we didn't know what the total population
looked like prior to White-Nose Syndrome. We are currently
working on a way to come up with a new estimate for that, but
what we can report on are known declines.
Again, in sites where we have pre-and-post White-Nose
Syndrome data, and as many have quoted here, we are looking at
numbers that range from about 60 percent to about 100 percent
decline in bat populations at specific sites, and on a
statewide basis, the numbers are consistent in affected states
that have been infected for multiple years exceeding 80 percent
in total populations by species.
So the number as I believe Nina mentioned earlier is likely
much higher than one million bats, but we don't know the answer
to that right now. We are working on it. The extinction, we
have a modeling project that the Service funded a few years
ago.
It was published in the Journal of Science that showed the
likelihood of the extirpation of little brown bats in the
Northeast within the next 16 years based on the declines that
we were seeing, and actually the declines have been exceeding
the values that they used for that 16 year estimate.
So we could be looking at something much sooner than that
for little brown bats, for example, which were up until now the
most common bat in the Northeast. So there is a real potential,
at least within the current range of White-Nose Syndrome, that
that bat could disappear.
There are other species that are likewise affected. The
Tri-Colored Bat, and the Northern Long Ear Bat, have also shown
very grave declines as a result of White-Nose Syndrome.
Mr. Wittman. All right. Let me ask this. I know that The
Smithsonian Conservation and Research Center has allocated some
dollars to essentially establish a captive population of
Virginia Long Ear Bats.
Can you tell us what the--or does anybody know what the
current state of that particular effort is, and what may be the
long term impact of that in relation to addressing this
particular disease across all bat populations?
Mr. Coleman. We did initiate a program with The Smithsonian
Institute a few years ago to look at captive propagation needs
for the Virginia big-eared bat. They brought in 40 animals in
2010 to explore what it would take to house them.
And this gets to some of the things that came up earlier
about ways that we can look at this from a conservation
standpoint, and how to care for bats after White-Nose Syndrome
goes through.
So insectivorous bats are notoriously difficult to maintain
in captivity. There are only a few instances of certain species
that have been successfully kept in captivity with the idea of
propagation completely aside, and with very little success in
propagating, or even keeping them in captivity.
So we initiated that program to look at what it might take
to house Virginia big-eared bats in captivity, and at the time
White-Nose Syndrome was basically on the doorstep of West
Virginia.
We didn't know how that species was going to respond to the
presence of the fungus. We anticipated the worst and thought
that since there are very few sites that house major portions
of that population, if White-Nose Syndrome arrived, we
anticipated that it potentially could have wiped them out.
There are only some 20,000 individuals alive as far as we
know at this point. In that program, most of those bats did die
over time, but it was a successful program, and we did learn a
considerable amount through that exercise.
There are still two bats remaining in captivity. They were
successfully kept over the winter of this past year, and they
came out of hibernation, and they are eating very well I am
told, and are actually doing quite well in captivity. The
question we are having now is what do we do with those last
two, and we are working on that issue.
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Dr. Fleming. I thank the gentleman. I have a couple of more
questions. Are there other questions? OK. Well, I will go ahead
and ask a couple of questions, and then open it up for the
Ranking Member.
You know, whenever you have an epidemic such as this among
human or animal populations, you tend to find that there is a
subpopulation, and that for whatever reason is resistant to
that disease, or they at least survive.
And so my question is are you seeing that among some, if
not all, of the species of bats? Certainly that would give us
some encouragement in terms of the possibility of extinction,
and certainly over time they could reproduce as a resistant
population.
And ultimately evolve themselves into healthy, and hearty,
and resistant to White-Nose, which is kind of what I was
touching on when I mentioned about Europe and some of the other
species. So I would love to hear what you have to say about
that.
Dr. Blehert. So, yes, and I don't have access to all of the
detailed site specific data with regard to population
persistence, and while there are reports of some populations
disappearing, there are reports of others that decline, and
then maintain a smaller number of animals.
And so I believe that there are a number of means by which
that could happen, either by the development of an
immunological resistance, or also by selection for behavioral
traits that provide certain bats with the ability to weather
this disease, even in the absence of their immune system, which
is known to become naturally suppressed during hibernation, and
may be part of the problem that led to the emergence of this
disease, and is one of the major problems in managing it.
So as I said previously, we may see rather than populations
disappearing, that our bat population demographics become more
akin to those that we see today in Europe; small populations
persisting more in isolation, as opposed to massive caves full
of millions of bats.
Dr. Fleming. Well, is that to say that maybe this fungus,
or some other, may be the reason why we see a little different
behavior between the populations in Europe, versus here, that
may be--that what is happening there is really the fact that
whatever is going on happened there first, and really instead
of seeing extinction, we will just see smaller and more
isolated groups? I think that is kind of what you are
suggesting?
Mr. Coleman. Yes, it is very possible, and one of our
projects is doing a molecular forensic analysis of rates of
genetic change in fungal isolates from bats from North America
and Europe.
This work is being done by the laboratory with Paul Keim,
who works for the FBI, for example, to do molecular forensic
work back at the beginning of 2000 with regard to anthrax
letters, for example.
But given enough isolates, we may actually be able to
construct a history with regard to how long the fungus has been
in Europe, and how it has dispersed over Europe, even to the
point of pinpointing a source for how it came to the United
States. So that will provide us some more information about
that natural history.
Dr. Fleming. All right. Now, when you talk about humans
being the potential vector of this, I don't think you are
really meaning that somehow that they have become temporary
hosts, but perhaps on their shoes, or on some of their gear,
and that sort of thing?
Mr. Coleman. Yes, it would be inadvertent mechanical
transmission.
Dr. Fleming. And so is there a treatment perhaps for that
equipment that we could educate our backpackers, and our cave
explorers, that when you finish your work in one cave that you
put your gear through a certain treatment process that may be
very helpful in this?
Mr. Coleman. Yes, I absolutely think that is the case.
There are certainly elements to the White-Nose Syndrome
response that is beyond our control, and others that are within
our means, and those within our means include regulatory
measures, like site closures, decontamination procedures, which
the Fish and Wildlife Service has instituted and recommended,
as well as dedicated gear recommendations.
And these are the same procedures that are used to control
the spread of agricultural or human diseases, and serve as the
very basis for why when you come back from another country the
customs agent asks you if you visited a farm.
Dr. Fleming. Mr. Youngbaer, is this a methodology that we
could pursue that would allow us to begin opening up our caves
perhaps?
Mr. Youngbaer. Well, very much so, and in fact, we have
been very much involved working with Fish and Wildlife in the
development of those protocols, and one of our scientists, a
leading microbiologist at Northern Kentucky University, has
been very much involved with testing materials, and treatments,
and refining those protocols, which have existed for two-and-a-
half or three years.
We promote those through training videos. There is an
element of safety for people because you are involving
chemicals in the treatment of your gear and equipment, and this
goes for biologists who were working directly in the handling
of bats, and some of the surveillance and monitoring, as well
as people who visit caves.
But I can tell you that that is probably limited to the
organized caving community who is within this loop of knowledge
and network. It is very difficult to get it out to a lot of the
other publics.
I serve as the vice president of the Northeastern Cave
Conservancy, and we have a cave with a kiosk which has White-
Nose Syndrome protocols that we educate literally thousands of
youth group visitors, camps, that come and visit these caves.
They learn safe caving techniques, and they learn about
White-Nose Syndrome, and they learn about the potential of
human transport. I think that we all admit that there is a
potential for human transport, but there is little evidence
that that has actually occurred.
Dr. Fleming. What is the nature of the treatment?
Mr. Youngbaer. Well, for example, you need to remove and
wash, typically with Woolite, which is a very excellent
surfactant to remove all organic material, because the bleach
or Lysol IC compound that you then use interacts with the
organics, and so you need to make sure that they are clean
before they are then treated.
There are a range of different treatments. Some are
available in the laboratories, and some you can do in the
field, and some of them are boiling water for 15 minutes will
kill the fungus, and then you rinse.
Depending on whether it is soft material or hard material,
there are different ways that you can treat that. We have major
regional caving events. We set up large decon stations, and we
do that at our national conventions. We do that at regional
events.
That is something that we have been doing for years, and
have developed in concert with U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
Dr. Fleming. Would this open the way perhaps to a
permitting process, and therefore allowing only those people
who have a permit that perhaps paid for such permit, and have
demonstrated knowledge, and perhaps have been through a course,
so that we would only have people who are properly trained in
these decontamination processes that would have access to
caves?
Mr. Youngbaer. In fact, in a number of the government-owned
and -managed sites, that is the current practice. If you are
doing a permit on a BLM cave, or National Park cave, or Forest
Service cave, that is required, as it is today.
Dr. Fleming. OK. Very good.
Dr. Chavarria. Mr. Chairman, may I add something?
Dr. Fleming. Sure.
Dr. Chavarria. Within the Department of the Interior and
the National Park Service, they have a lot of recreational
caves that are visited by millions of people every year. So,
through education, which is a big component of the national
plan, we are already educating a lot of the people that are
visiting these caves.
And we have control of who comes in and out of the caves,
because they pay for a ticket, and so education, not only with
the cave experts, but also with the general public, has become
a critical piece of the plan.
Dr. Fleming. Right. Thank you, and I yield to the Ranking
Member.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I just have a couple
of questions. First, for Dr. Boyles. If some bat species are
not affected by the White-Nose Syndrome, or even are thriving
in its presence, then why should we worry about other bat
species dying?
Dr. Boyles. I guess the simplest answer to that is that not
all species are equivalent. If we just talk about the
agricultural impacts, each species has a different diet. Some
of them are moth specialists, and some are beetle specialists.
So conserving the moth specialist does little to affect the
beetle populations, for instance, and each species is
different. And specifically regarding White-Nose, I think the
important part is the species that is being affected, and that
is the little brown bat as we have heard.
So we are seeing huge collapses in a very common species.
The species that were mentioned a bit are doing well, and are
all endangered or have small populations anyway. So we are not
even seeing a one-to-one replacement of individuals from the
common species, a common species crashing, and the not so
common species doing well as of right now.
Ms. Bordallo. A followup. Can you comment on the role that
insect eating bats play in the ecosystem, and if other animals
would be able to fill this role?
Dr. Boyles. Sure. So, bats are the primary and in many
cases the only predator of nighttime flying insects, many of
which are pests. Even the ones that aren't pests to humans, are
still important in ecosystems.
Unfortunately, there really isn't any other natural
alternative to bats. The are a few birds that are nocturnal
insectivorous, Whippoorwills and things of that sort. But they
tend to be rather uncommon.
They are much more limited in their foraging and will not--
most likely will not be able to replace the bats, no.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you. And, Ms. Fascione, are there
examples of caves where bats are the main attraction, and what
might be the economic impact if these bats died from the
syndrome?
Ms. Fascione. Yes, there are many examples of caves where
bats are the main attraction. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is
perhaps the best known example, where millions of people have
been educated and have come to appreciate bats over the years.
But in these White-Nose Syndrome-infected areas, there are
many cases where--and as in my home state of Pennsylvania, they
have many, many caves that even advertise their visits. The
commercial caves, state-owned caves, and the Federal caves will
advertise for bats.
And so really they are small business owners, and families,
that run some of these commercial caves that rely on the bats
to bring in tourists.
Ms. Bordallo. What is the percentage of caves that are
problematic generally, the syndrome is there, and versus those
that are free of any of this fungus or disease?
Ms. Fascione. Well, researchers are monitoring this, and--
--
Ms. Bordallo. I mean throughout the United States.
Ms. Fascione. Right. It is being monitored county by
county, and it is spreading. So even though, for example,
Pennsylvania went through the White-Nose Syndrome a few years
ago, each year, and in fact in Maryland, this year there were
additional counties that were impacted.
So I don't know, and I don't know if anybody has a
percentage of the caves.
Ms. Bordallo. A percentage of all the caves throughout the
United States and Canada that are affected.
Mr. Coleman. I can't answer that question, but what I can
tell you is that we have 190 sites that are known to be
affected at this time, and there are thousands and thousands of
sites.
Ms. Bordallo. So it is a small percentage, but still
spreading?
Mr. Coleman. Yes, that's true, but one of the other things
that is important to know is that many of these sites have
never been visited. We don't know where all the hibernacula
are, and we don't know if--well, we see and diagnose White-Nose
Syndrome in a cave based on the bat populations that are there,
but as Dr. Blehert said earlier, the fungus could be in these
sites. And it could serve as an environmental reservoir for the
infection, and even though bats aren't there in the wintertime,
and if they only use it transiently, or if people come in and
pick it up from those sites and transport it.
Ms. Bordallo. Well, Mr. Chairman, I don't have any further
questions, but I do think that we have to proceed with finding
a solution to this problem.
Dr. Fleming. I quite agree, and that concludes our
questions today. We have had a great panel, and very
informative, and we certainly thank you for that. Members of
the Subcommittee may have additional questions for the
witnesses that they may want to submit in writing.
The hearing record will be open for 10 days to receive
these responses. Finally, I want to thank the Members and Staff
for their contributions to this hearing. If there is no further
business, and without objection, this Subcommittee stands
adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 11:38 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
[Additional material submitted for the record follows:]
Peer-Reviewed Published Papers on or
Directly Related to White Nose Syndrome
Compiled by
Thomas H. Kunz, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology
Department of Biology
Boston University
Boston, MA 02215
Date: 12 June 2011
Published (and In Press) Research on or Related to White-Nose Syndrome
Supported by the Department of Interior (National Park Service,
Office of Surface Mining, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey)
1. Blehert, D. S., A. C. Hicks, M. Behr, C. U. Meteyer, B. M.
Berlowski-Zier, E. L. Buckles, J. T. H. Coleman, S. R. Darling,
A. Gargas, R. Niver, J. C. Okoniewski, R. J. Rudd, and W. B.
Stone. 2009. Bat white-nose syndrome: an emerging fungal
pathogen? Science, 323:227.
2. Blehert, D.S. J.M. Lorch, A.E. Ballmann, P.M. Cryan, and C.U.
Meteyer. 2011. Bat White-Nose Syndrome in North America.
Microbe, 6: 267-273.
3. Cryan, P.M., C. U. Meteyer, J.G. Boyles, and D.S. Blehert. 2010.
Wing pathology of white-nose syndrome in bats suggests life-
threatening disruption of physiology. BMC Biology, 8:135-143.
4. Foley, J., D. Clifford, K. Castle, P.M. Cryan, and R.S. Ostfeld.
2011. Investigating and Managing the Rapid Emergence of White
Nose Syndrome, a Novel, Fatal, Infectious Disease of
Hibernating Bats. Conservation Biology, 25:223-231.
5. Gargas, A., M.T. Trest, M. Christensen, T.J. Volk, and D.S. Blehert.
2009. Geomyces desctructans sp. nov. associated with bat white-
nose syndrome. Mycotaxon, 108:147-154.
6. Lorch, J.M., A. Gargas, C.U. Meteyer, B.M. Berlowski-Zier, D.E.
Green, V. Shearn-Bochsler, N.J. Thomas, and D.S. Blehert. 2010.
Rapid polymerase chain reaction diagnosis of white-nose
syndrome in bats. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic
Invesgigation, 22:224-230.
7. Meteyer, C., E. Buckles, D. Blehert, A. Hicks, D. Green, V. Shearn-
Bochsler, N. Thomas, A. Gargas, and M. Behr. 2009.
Histopathologic criteria to confirm white-nose syndrome in
bats. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 21:411-
414.
Published (and In Press) Research on White-Nose Syndrome Supported by
U.S. Academic Institutions, Non-Government Organizations (BCI,
NSS, Eppley Foundation) and Department of Interior (OSM, USFWS,
USGS)
1. Kunz, T.H., J.T. Foster, W.F. Frick, A.M. Kilpatrick, G.F.
McCracken, M.S. Moore, J.D. Reichard, D.M. Reeder, and A.H.
Robbins. 2011. White-nose syndrome: an overview of ongoing and
future research needs. Pp. 195-209. In: Proceedings of
Protection of Threatened Bats at Coal Mines: A Technical
Interactive Forum (K.C. Vories and A.H. Caswell, eds.). USDOI
Office of Surface Mining and Coal Research Center, Southern
Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois.
2. Lindner, D.L., A. Gargas, J.M. Lorch, M.T. Banik, J. Glaeser, T.H.
Kunz, and D.S. Blehert. 2011. DNA-based detection of the fungal
pathogen Geomyces destructans in soils from bat hibernacula.
Mycologia, 103: 241-246.
3. Waldien, D.L., T.H. Kunz, and C. Johnson-Hughes. 2011. Successful
partnerships for the effective management, research and
conservation of bats. In: Vories, K.C. and A.H. Caswell. (eds.)
Proceedings of Protection of Threatened Bats at Coal Mines: A
Technical Interactive Forum. USDOI Office of Surface Mining and
Coal Research Center, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale,
Illinois.
Published (and In Press) Research on White-Nose Syndrome Funded by
United States, European, and Canadian Academic Institutions,
Non-Government Organizations (Bat Conservation International,
The Eppley Foundation, National Speleological Society, Morris
Animal Foundation, and The Woodtiger Fund).
1. Barlow, A, S. Ford, R. Green, C. Morris, and. S. Reaney. 2009.
Investigations into suspected white-nose syndrome in two bat
species in Somerset. Veterinary Record, 165:481-882.
2. Boyles, J. and C. Willis. 2010. Could localized warm areas inside
cold caves reduce mortality of hibernating bats affected by
white-nose syndrome? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment,
8: 92-98.
3. Boyles, J.G., P.M. Cryan, G.F. McCracken, and T.H. Kunz. 2011.
Economic importance of bats in agriculture. Science, 332: 41-
42.
4. Boyles, J.B., P.M. Cryan, G.F. McCracken, and T.H. Kunz. 2011.
Toward a more robust understanding of the economic importance
of bats. Science (in press).
5. Bratsch S, N. Wertx, K. Chaloner, T.H. Kunz, and J.E. Butler. 2011.
The little brown bat, M. lucifugus, displays a highly diverse
V(H), D(H) and J(H) repertoire but little evidence of somatic
hypermutation. Developmental and Comparative Immunology, 35:
421-430.
6. Chaturvedi, V., and S. Chaturvedi. 2011. What is in a name? A
proposal to use geomycosis instead of White Nose Syndrome (WNS)
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