First bees, now bats

[Guest guest]

We are destroying our entire ecosystem here in the US.

 

Cyndi

 

 

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/21/bat_sickness_reaches_mines_in_western_massachusetts/Bat sickness reaches mines in Western MassachusettsIllness appears not to pose human riskBy Beth Daley, Globe Staff | February 21, 2008A mysterious and deadly sickness that has killed off thousands of bats inNew York has now been discovered in two Western Massachusetts mines.Researchers say they expect to find more affected wintering bat populationsas they lead expeditions into dark caves and mines in the Northeast overcoming weeks. They predict that hundreds of thousands of the furry creatureswill be wiped out before the end of winter.The illness - known as white nose syndrome, because some afflicted bats havea white fungus on their noses - does not appear to pose any risk to people,but the US Fish and Wildlife Service is asking the public to stay out ofcaves and mines in the Northeast because humans may be inadvertentlytransmitting the sickness to bats."No one has a clue what is going on," said Tom French, assistant director ofthe natural heritage and endangered species program of the MassachusettsDivision of Fish and Wildlife, who helped find sick bats in Massachusetts.As French and other researchers parked their cars near the Chester mineslast Friday, they saw several bats, which normally hibernate all winter,flying outside in daylight. Others were found dead nearby, frozen ontohouses, in tree branches, and in the snow. Far larger numbers were behavingstrangely inside the mines, clustering near the entrance, instead ofhibernating deeper in it.Bats fill an extraordinarily important ecological niche. In New England,they eat insects that can infest crops and pester people. There are nine batspecies in New England, and researchers say populations probably number inthe hundreds of thousands.Bats can live 25 years or more and generally give birth to one offspring ayear, raising scientists' concerns that the illness could devastate theregion's bat populations. Mortality has reached as high as 97 percent insome caves. In one New York cave last year, bat populations crashed from1,300 animals to 38.Scientists say they believe that most bat species are vulnerable, but onlyfour species have been found with the syndrome: little brown bats, Northernlong-eared, Eastern pipistrelle, and the federally endangered Indiana bat.The disease was first discovered in a cave near Albany in January 2007 andwas soon found in three more caves within seven miles. By last March, NewYork officials determined that as many as 11,000 bats had died.This year, scientists found the disease in the original four caves, as wellas in many more caves and mines within about a 150-mile radius, housingroughly 500,000 bats. Bats in Aeolus Cave in Dorset, Vt., were discoveredwith white nose syndrome last week. Two days ago, officials from The NatureConservancy found bats with the syndrome in a Hague, N.Y., mine where about185,000 bats are believed to hibernate.Researchers have not found enormous numbers of dead bats yet, but say that,based on a smaller outbreak of the disease in New York last year, theanimals will probably start dying by the thousands next month. "We justdon't know how this is going to play out elsewhere" in the country, saidAlan Hicks, a bat specialist with the New York Department of EnvironmentalConservation.Researchers from Virginia to New Hampshire are examining mines and caves forevidence of the syndrome. Meanwhile, about 15 university, government, andprivate labs are attempting to diagnose the sickness.Researchers know that the animals get the white fungus, but are unsure if itis a cause or a result of the disease. They also know that the animals arestarving; the dead ones have no fat on them. Pathology labs have said thatsome of the animals also seem to have pneumonia-like symptoms."Were they fighting off a flu or a cold or some unknown illness thatweakened them before they went into hibernation?," said Susi von Oettingen,an endangered species biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. "Isit a disease? Something else? We don't know how it's transmitted."Scientists say they are particularly concerned that bats may be transmittingthe sickness to each other, because bats of many species hibernate in thesame place before dispersing to their maternity roosts in the spring. Fromthere, they could travel 200 or more miles for the summer, potentiallyspreading the disease further.Massachusetts doesn't have large numbers of wintering bats, but the majorityof them live in the Chester mines. One mine has more than 7,000 bats, andthe other about 900.Last week, homeowners near the mines contacted the US Fish and WildlifeService to tell them of strange bat behavior. The service and French'soffice dispatched the team and found afflicted bats in two mines. Bats in athird mine nearby will probably be hit with the syndrome soon, Oettingensaid, because bats travel between the mines.MassWildlife officials visited two other mines in Rowe this week that do notappear to be affected.Caving groups have pitched in to help scientists, agreeing to avoid cavinguntil scientists figure out what is going on. Some are also entering caveswith scientists to identify afflicted bats. When they enter the mines,scientists use respirators and dress in plastic suits that aredecontaminated afterward to ensure they are not carrying white nose syndromewith them.Scientists are asking the public to contact state environmental officials ifthey see bats behaving strangely, such as flying in the daytime."We are not getting close to an answer," said von Oettingen. "We just havemore questions."Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

[Guest guest]

I'm watching it! Thanks!

 

Cyndi

 

In a message dated 2/21/2008 7:58:08 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, barbara3 writes:

 

Right now, at 11PM eastern is going to be very important investigation on the state of out environment with Miles O'Brian, on CNN.

Please watch it if any of you are interested.

 

Barbara

 

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

[Guest guest]

Right now, at 11PM eastern is going to be very important investigation on the state of out environment with Miles O'Brian, on CNN.

Please watch it if any of you are interested.

 

Barbara

 

 

 

We are destroying our entire ecosystem here in the US.

 

Cyndi

 

 

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/21/bat_sickness_reaches_mines_in_western_massachusetts/

[Guest guest]

It was a good program, it will be repeated.

Title "Broken Government, Scorched Earth".

 

Barbara

 

 

 

 

I'm watching it! Thanks!

 

Cyndi

 

[Guest guest]

It WAS a good program.....yet more ways the Bush administration has let us down.

 

cyndi

 

In a message dated 2/21/2008 10:41:38 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, barbara3 writes:

 

It was a good program, it will be repeated.

Title "Broken Government, Scorched Earth".

 

Barbara

 

 

 

 

I'm watching it! Thanks!

 

Cyndi

 

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

[Guest guest]

No, not since Ron Paul won't be elected.

 

Cyndi

 

In a message dated 2/22/2008 10:29:05 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, barbara3 writes:

 

I can not imagine that there can be a person as wicked as Bush is and he has to be our president....Not that the next one is going to be any better though... Different but not any better (((((

 

Barbara

 

 

 

 

It WAS a good program.....yet more ways the Bush administration has let us down.

 

cyndi

 

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

[Guest guest]

I checked the CNN guide last night, and I know it will be repeated several times in the next week or so. Check your listings, you'll be able to find it. I don't know about online...

 

Cyndi

 

In a message dated 2/22/2008 8:28:24 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, indigorose82 writes:

do u know when it will b repeated? or if i can find it online instead??

 

Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

[Guest guest]

do u know when it will b repeated? or if i can find it online instead??

[Guest guest]

I can not imagine that there can be a person as wicked as Bush is and he has to be our president....Not that the next one is going to be any better though... Different but not any better (((((

 

Barbara

 

 

 

 

It WAS a good program.....yet more ways the Bush administration has let us down.

 

cyndi

 

[Guest guest]

Someone asked Ron Paul if he would consider running as independent but he said that he is a republican and will not consider running as independent.

But that was some time ago and who knows what he thinks now..

anyway, I don't think this would help because majority of people like sheeple only know how to follow

 

Barbara

 

 

 

 

No, not since Ron Paul won't be elected.

 

Cyndi