A colony of northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in a cave. Populations of northern long-eared bats in the Northeast have declined by about 99 percent due to white-nose syndrome. (Credit: USFWS)
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has extended the deadline for public comments on the proposal to list the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The proposal was originally published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2013, with a comment period that would have ended December 2, 2013. FWS has extended the comment period an additional 30 days, closing the comments on January 2, 2014.
Northern long-eared bats are cave-dwelling bats that reside in the eastern and north central United States, as well as parts of Canada, but are facing huge population declines due to the threat of white-nose syndrome. White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that grows in caves, under the conditions of low temperatures and high humidity, commonly found where northern long-eared bats hibernate. The disease has already killed 5.5 million bats, and northeast populations of the northern long-eared bats have declined by 99 percent since 2006. White-nose syndrome was first discovered in 2006, and has spread rapidly since throughout the East and Midwest.
Comments can be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket number FWS–R5–ES–2011–0024.
Sources: Federal Register, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (November 26, 2013)