From Our Partners

"The severe mortality and the sudden spread of white-nose syndrome demonstrate the need for a rapid response beyond closing caves where bats live. We must quickly ascertain the causes of and vectors for the spread of white-nose syndrome to avoid what could be an ecological and economic disaster, if it remains unchecked."

Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo
Congressional Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife

"From the television show C-S-I to dozens of national publications; White-nose syndrome and dying bats have captured the curiosity of the American public. However, the lack of information about this problem and its greater impacts on communities is what caught my attention."

Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva
Congressional Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands

"[When WNS hit Vermont] a successful bat conservation program in Vermont turned into an environmental crisis for the state. The next four months can only be described as a triage response."

Scott Darling, Wildlife Biologist
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department

"Many of these hibernating colonies at potential risk are located in southern and mid-western states, and include major populations of three federally listed endangered species, with adverse ecological and economic consequences extending well beyond the northeastern U.S."

Dr. Thomas Kunz
Boston University

"It has been stated by some that bats are not particularly popular and are in need of a good marketing agent. I beg to differ. In rural America, people do have a connection to the land and the parts that function as a whole. Vermonters know bats are important, they know they are in trouble, and they know something is terribly wrong. At the end of one of my recent speaking engagements in Manchester, Vermont, an elderly woman raised her hand and said, “Bats have been going to Aeolus Cave for ten thousand years, and now they are all dead. That’s not right."

Scott Darling, Wildlife Biologist
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department