Urge Congress to fund WNS research
BREAKING NEWS: The fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome has been confirmed on a big brown bat in eastern Iowa.
Dear BCI Members and Friends,
With your invaluable help, we’ve made lots of progress in convincing Congress to support the fight against White-nose Syndrome. For fiscal year 2012, lawmakers committed $4 million of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding for WNS research and mitigation, the largest WNS allocation to date. Congress also directed the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to prioritize WNS activities, the first time a federal budget has addressed a WNS response for any agency other than the Fish and Wildlife Service.
This federal support leads directly into the new knowledge that is essential for the fight against WNS. Scientific findings from the past year established the fungusGeomyces destructans as the cause of WNS, among other accomplishments. Now scientists plan to develop a possible WNS vaccine, study the effects of environmental factors on the disease, and explore how to improve the health of bats after the disease strikes – all priority actions needed to save our bats.
Thank you for your continued support in this long struggle to ensure the survival of North America’s bats.
although the disease itself was not found, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported today. WNS is killing bats in 19 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces. The fungus has invaded Oklahoma and now Iowa.
With your invaluable help, we’ve made lots of progress in convincing Congress to support the fight against White-nose Syndrome. For fiscal year 2012, lawmakers committed $4 million of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding for WNS research and mitigation, the largest WNS allocation to date. Congress also directed the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service to prioritize WNS activities, the first time a federal budget has addressed a WNS response for any agency other than the Fish and Wildlife Service.
This federal support leads directly into the new knowledge that is essential for the fight against WNS. Scientific findings from the past year established the fungusGeomyces destructans as the cause of WNS, among other accomplishments. Now scientists plan to develop a possible WNS vaccine, study the effects of environmental factors on the disease, and explore how to improve the health of bats after the disease strikes – all priority actions needed to save our bats.
We are in danger of losing our momentum without adequate funding. Money is very tight on Capitol Hill, but we must maintain our progress. Please write your Congressional representatives and urge them to support funding for WNS in fiscal year 2013.
Thank you for your continued support in this long struggle to ensure the survival of North America’s bats.
Sincerely,
Dave Waldien
Interim Executive Director
Dave Waldien
Interim Executive Director
