This Land, Your Land

The state Wildlife Resources Commission said this week that white-nose syndrome, a disease fatal to bats, has been found at a third location in North Carolina.

The disease, which has killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the East, was confirmed last week in Yancey County. It was previously discovered in a retired Avery County mine and in a cave at Grandfather Mountain State Park, which is also in Avery County.

Biologists think the fungus that causes the disease is inadvertently spread from cave-to-cave by spelunkers exploring infected caves. Most federal land management agencies, numerous states, private landowners and The Nature Conservancy, which owns several caves in North Carolina - such as the now-closed cave in Bat Cave Preserve - have closed public access to caves in an attempt to slow the spread of the fungus.

The fungus believed to cause white-nose syndrome has been detected on nine species of bats thus far in North America, the Wildlife Resources Commission says in a news release. In North Carolina, 17 species of bats are known to occur and eight of those are species on which the fungus has been detected nationwide. So far in North Carolina, three species have been documented with white-nose syndrome.

While there are no known direct human health effects of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome, the impact upon humans, other wildlife and agriculture as a result of declines in bat populations could be substantial. Bats play a significant role as night-flying insect predators.

The WRC has a lot of additional information about white-nose syndrome, including a response plan, FAQs, video and photos.