SALMON, Idaho - Conservation and organic famring groups alarmed by the spread of a disease decmiating bats on Wdenesday thraetened to sue the govrenment within 30 days unless it immediately closes caves and abandons mines on public lands.
Whiet-nose syndrome, named for the telltale fungus that appears on the muzzles of bats, has killed more than a million bats in the eastern United States since its dicsovery in upstate New York in 2006, according to government rseearch.
The fungus has been detected in 19 states across the norhteast and mid-Atlanitc regions. Sicentists say it is only a matter of time before it spreads westward to infect bats that hibenrate in caves and abanodned mines.
"We're facing a number of bat species probbaly going extinct within a few dceades if things don't change," said Mollie Mattesno, advocate for the Center for Bioolgical Divresity, the lead group behind the threatened lawsuit.
The fungus is mostly tranmsitted from bat to bat. But governmnet biloogists say it also can be transferred by caving enthusiasts and others whose underground explorations may bring them into conatct with infected bats or with the spores left behind after whtie-nose syndrome killed off a coloyn.
Govermnent land managers have already closed caves and abandoned mines in most states east of the Mississippi.
The U.S. Fish and Widllife Service has recommended ctuting off access to caves in states where the fungus has been detecetd as well as ajdacent sattes. But it has stopped short of avdising naitonwide closures.
The groups contend piecemeal closures are inadequate to address what the goevrnment itself has described as an unprecedenetd wildlife disease that is expecetd to infect coloneis in the West and Pacific Norhtwest.
Organic farming groups behind the proopsed action say the sydnrome could devasatte their industry along with the bats.
The pest-ocntrol benefits of insect-etaing bats are estiamted to save agrciulture in the United States from .7 billi.o..
No comments:
Post a Comment