Ruffner Mountain mines host bat conservation research

Bats across North America are falling victim to White Nose syndrome, and many conservationists are concerned that some endangered bat species could be driven close to extinction.

Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve is one of several sites chosen for research into a number of possible approaches to prevent White Nose Syndrome and protect bat populations and their role as pollinators and insect control.

“Bats are a farmer’s best friend,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Chief Robert Tawes said at an Oct. 30 press conference to announce the research.

White Nose syndrome, which was first noticed in the U.S. about a decade ago, is caused by a fungus in caves where bats often hibernate. The fungus can cause skin lesions that wake bats up repeatedly during hibernation, causing them to burn energy stores and starve to death over the winter, Winifred Frick of Bat Conservation International said.

It can wipe out an entire cave’s population of bats in a matter of months.

In late October, a group of researchers from as far away as California and Canada came to Ruffner to set up tests for ways to prevent or slow the growth of the fungus that causes the syndrome.

The work is a collaborative effort between several organizations, including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the USDA Forest Service, Bat Conservation International and Southern Company. The former iron mines at Ruffner, which were gated as part of a mine reclamation project nearly three years ago, are one of three sites chosen for this testing.

The grant for this project, given by the Bats for the Future Fund, totals $111,760, plus local matching funds of $70,428. It was one of four grants given for various White Nose syndrome treatment studies. The total grant and matching funds for all four projects exceed $2 million.

Frick said the research will test how UV light and a substance called polyethylene glycol impact the growth of the fungus, as well as whether the treatments effect other life in the cave. There will be measurements of the impact over the next year, she said, to see if the treatment is effective enough to be developed for wide-scale use.

“This is a terrible disease, so you’ve got to think of ambitious solutions,” Frick said.

While bats are often seen as frightening or blood-sucking, Frick and others at the press conference said much of the ecosystem would be seriously harmed by their loss.

“We’ve got no time to lose,” Tawes said.