Kentucky Department of Parks State Naturalist's Blog

Big Brown Bat
There is no doubt that bats are one of the most misunderstood animals in the world. There are also many superstitions about them as many people associate them as being evil. In fact, most people rank their fear of bats to that of snakes.

In contrast, because they consume large amounts of insects, they are one of the most beneficial mammals.

Here are some educational facts about bats. READ MORE

Dean Henson, naturalist
Extinction is Forever
Compliments of Dean Henson, Naturalist at Pine Mountain SRP

It’s a certainty that somewhere out there at this very moment, the last dozen or so members of an ill-fated species are living on borrowed time. Formerly plenteous in number, the sad remnants of a defenseless life form live out the twilight days of their time on earth before vanishing forever.

What brings living things to this lowly state? How does a species that may have thrived for thousands of years in their present form come to be threatened, endangered and eventually extinct? The short answer is easy; most likely, their habitat changed. Once animals have settled into a niche through a series of gradual adjustments and have become adapted to a habitat they are best suited for, it’s difficult to become rapidly acclimated to anything else. READ MORE

Below is the latest news release on White-Nose Syndrome.

NOTE: Article compliments of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

On the verge of another season of winter hibernating bat surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists and partners estimate that at least 5.7 million to 6.7 million bats have now died from white-nose syndrome. Biologists expect the disease to continue to spread.

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is decimating bat populations across eastern North America, with mortality rates reaching up to 100 percent at many sites. First documented in New York in 2006, the disease has spread quickly into 16 states and four Canadian provinces. Bats with WNS exhibit unusual behavior during cold winter months, including flying outside during the day and clustering near the entrances of caves and mines where they hibernate. Bats have been found sick and dying in unprecedented numbers near these hibernacula.

“This startling new information illustrates the severity of the threat that white-nose syndrome poses for bats, as well as the scope of the problem facing our nation. Bats provide tremendous value to the U.S. economy as natural pest control for American farms and forests every year, while playing an essential role in helping to control insects that can spread disease to people,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “We are working closely with our partners to understand the spread of this deadly disease and minimize its impacts to affected bat species.” READ MORE

COURTESY OF U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Website

In February 2006, some 40 miles west of Albany, N.Y., a caver photographed hibernating bats with an unusual white substance on their muzzles. He noticed several dead bats. The following winter, bats behaving erratically, bats with white noses, and a few hundred dead bats in several caves came to the attention of New York Department of Environmental Conservation biologists, who documented white-nose syndrome in January 2007. Read More