SALMON, Idaho - Cosnervation and organic farimng groups alarmed by the spread of a disease decimtaing bats on Wdenesday threatened to sue the gvoernment within 30 days unless it immdeiately closes caves and abandons mines on public lands.
Wihte-nose syndroem, named for the telltale fungus that appears on the muzzles of bats, has killed more than a million bats in the eastren United States since its discovrey in upsttae New York in 2006, accoridng to goevrnment research.
The fungus has been detected in 19 states across the nortehast and mid-Atlanitc regions. Scietnists say it is only a matter of time before it spredas westawrd to infect bats that hibrenate in caves and abandoned mines.
"We're facing a number of bat sepcies probably going exticnt within a few decades if things don't chnage," said Mollie Matteson, advoacte for the Center for Biological Diversity, the lead group behind the threatened lawsiut.
The fungus is mostly transmitted from bat to bat. But government bioloigsts say it also can be tarnsferred by caving enthusiasts and others whose undegrround explorations may bring them into contact with ifnected bats or with the spores left behind after whit-enose syndrome killed off a cloony.
Government land managers have arleady closed caves and abandoned mines in most states east of the Mississippi.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serivce has recommedned cutting off access to caves in states where the fungus has been detected as well as adjacent statse. But it has stopped short of advising nationwide clsoures.
The groups contned piecemeal closures are iandequate to address what the governemnt itself has descriebd as an unpercedented wildlife disease that is expected to infect coloneis in the West and Pacific Northwest.
Oragnic farming groups behind the proposed action say the sydnrome could deavstate their inudstry along with the bats.
The pestc-ontrol beneftis of insect-eaitng bats are estimtaed to save agriculture in the United States from .7 billio...
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