Last workweek , the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unveiled a national direction plan to speak the terror personate by clean - olfactory organ syndrome , which has vote out more than 1 million hibernating at-bat in easterly North America since it was discovered near Albany , N.Y. , in 2006 .
“ Having spread to 18 commonwealth and four Canadian state , white - nose syndrome threaten far - reaching bionomical and economic impacts , ” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar . “ We ’ve learned a muckle in the past few eld about the disease , but there is much more workplace to be done to contain it . This national plan render a road map for federal , state , and tribal agencies and scientific researchers to observe and will facilitate communion of resources and selective information to more expeditiously address the terror . ”
Since white - nozzle syndrome was first document , the FWS has been leading a national response that now includes more than 100 DoS and federal office , kindred , organisation and individuals .
Interior Department agencies have invested more than $ 10.8 million in this effort since 2007 . This includes more than $ 3 million in research backing that is supporting on-going research labor looking for method to control or bring around white - nose syndrome .
Researchers working with the U.S. Geological Survey have identified Geomyces destructans , a fungus newfangled to science , as the presume causative agent . In addition to research , the national reply has also developed decontamination protocols to reduce the transmission of the fungus , surveillance strategy , and technical white - nose syndrome symptomatic procedures .
Bat populations are at risk in some country of the country as a result of white - nose syndrome . ecologist and born resourcefulness coach are touch because of the vital purpose that chiropteran meet in farming systems and in maintain healthy ecosystems . A late analysis put out in Science magazine ’s Policy Forum showed that pest - ascendence services provide by dirt ball - exhaust bats write the U.S. agricultural industry at least $ 3 billion a class .
The national program ’s passing coincides with the quaternary yearly White - Nose Syndrome Symposium to be have May 17 to 19 , 2011 , in Little Rock , Ark. More than 170 of the world ’s top scientific experts on at-bat , wildlife disease , and the white - nose syndrome fungus will present the late research and info on how to contain the spreadhead , determine the cause and hopefully observe a cure for ashen - nose syndrome .
state of matter , federal and tribal land managers will also talk over the interior response to WNS and implementation teams will formalise employment plan as part of a more detailed implementation scheme .
The net written document and additional information about WNS are uncommitted on theFWS website .
