White Nose Syndrome Page

The NSS is looking for cavers to join the Biological Response Committee. This committee coordi-nates the NSS's response to biological threats to caves and karst. If you can help communicate, want to support research, share your love for bats, collaborate with agencies, and want to protect caves and caving, contact BiologicalResponse@caves.org.

The revised cave advisory was published on March 28, 2016. It no longer recommends blanket closures, but rather concentrates on the following four objectives:
1. Minimize the risk of human-assisted spread of Pd to decrease the probability of long-distance transfer of the fungus to uncontaminated areas.
2. Avoid disturbing bats in their roosts to the greatest extent possible.
3. Carry out science-based best management practices for achieving conservation and recovery goals for bats.
4. Foster cooperation and collaboration among government agencies, non-government organizations, and landowners.

We are expecting updated decontamination protocols in the future, the latest can be found at the USFWS White-Nose Syndrome webpage.

Observations of suspicious live or dead bats (multiple individuals at a single location) should be reported to local USFWS Field Office or State agency wildlife office. Do not handle bats unless you know what you are doing. The bat submission protocol is available online.

WNS is currently in 31 states and the fungus has been found in two more. The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has also been found in Europe and China. Several species of bat seem resistant to the disease, but some species are seeing mortality of up to 98%. Due to impacts from this disease, the Northern long-eared bat is now protected as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Under the final rule documented hiber-nacula for the species are protected year-round, with "incidental take", including unintentional harm or harass-ment of bats, prohibited within a quarter mile radius of documented hibernacula (sometimes available at the state's Natural Heritage Inventory database.