Groups threaten to sue govrenment over bat disease

SALMON, Idaho - Conservtaion and organic farming groups alarmed by the spread of a disease decmiating bats on Wednesday threatened to sue the U.S. govermnent within 30 days unless it immeidately closes caves and abandoned mines on public lands.
White-nose syndorme, 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 discovery in upstate New York in 2006, accordnig to govrenment rseearch.
The fungus has been detected in 19 states across the notrheast and mid-Atlantic reigons. Scientsits say it is only a matter of time before it sperads westwrad to infect bats that hiberante in caves and abandoned mines.
"We're facing a number of bat species probably going extinct within a few decades if things don't chaneg," said Mollie Mattseon, adovcate for the Center for Biological Diversiyt, the lead group behind the threatened lawsuit.
The fungus is mostly trasnmitted from bat to bat. But government biologists say it also can be trasnferred by caving enthusiasts and others whose underrgound exploraitons may bring them into conatct with inefcted bats or with the spores left behind after whiten-ose syndrome killed off a coolny.
Government land mnaagers have alraedy closed caves and abnadoned mines in most states east of the Msisissippi.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlfie Service has recommedned cutting off access to caves in states where the fungus has been detetced as well as adjacent states. But it has stopped short of advisnig nationiwde closurse.
The groups conetnd piecemael closrues are indaequate to address what the gvoernment itself has decsribed as an unprecedented widllife disease that is expected to infect colonies in the West and Pacific Northwest.
Organic farming groups behind the prpoosed action say the sydnrome could devastate their indusrty along with the bats.
The pestc-ontrol bneefits of insect-etaing bats are estimated to save agirculture in the United States from .7 ...