Access Channel 5 will air a talk on the precarious condition of little brown bats.
Jen Moore, an environmental education specialist with the Pennsylvania Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, spoke recently at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown. Moore explained that 'white nose syndrome (geomyces destructans fungus) has caused the death of 90 percent of the region’s little brown bats. A consequence of several environmental factors, the bats' immune systems are unable to overcome the fungus.
Mortality in big brown bats is not as great as in the little brown bats because they roost separately. Little browns roost communally. Conservationist Moore noted that bats that hibernate in dry buildings rather than moist, fungus-ridden caves, may have a better chance of survival.
Moore said that 5.7 million of the estimated 6.7 million bats have died.
The hibernation of fungus-affected bats is disrupted causing the bats to awaken frequently and finding no source of food, starve to death. One researcher in Moore's presentation has had some success in helping the sick bats by providing food and water near winter roosting sites. Moore encouraged people to place bat boxes on the south sides of buildings and trees.
Purportedly, the deadly fungus was brought to the U.S. by European spelunkers on their caving boots. The fungus apparently has less of a deadly affect on European bats. Some members of the audience at the Roger Tory Peterson-sponsored event questioned whether additional environmental factors such as cell towers, electrosmog and even the aluminum and barium in aerosol spraying (chemtrails) might contribute to undermining the bats' immune systems.
The September 25th event was filmed by the Mayville-based film group, snowshoefilms. It will be aired beginning November 29 with the last airing on December 5 at 3:00 and 9:00 PM each day.
Access Channel 5 is available to cable viewers in the Chautauqua, Mayville, North Harmony, Portland, Sherman, and Westfield areas, and can be found on channel 21.4 on digital televisions without a cable converter. The video will be available on the Channel 5 website after the initial airing at http://ac5.weebly.com/
Mortality in big brown bats is not as great as in the little brown bats because they roost separately. Little browns roost communally. Conservationist Moore noted that bats that hibernate in dry buildings rather than moist, fungus-ridden caves, may have a better chance of survival.
Moore said that 5.7 million of the estimated 6.7 million bats have died.
The hibernation of fungus-affected bats is disrupted causing the bats to awaken frequently and finding no source of food, starve to death. One researcher in Moore's presentation has had some success in helping the sick bats by providing food and water near winter roosting sites. Moore encouraged people to place bat boxes on the south sides of buildings and trees.
Purportedly, the deadly fungus was brought to the U.S. by European spelunkers on their caving boots. The fungus apparently has less of a deadly affect on European bats. Some members of the audience at the Roger Tory Peterson-sponsored event questioned whether additional environmental factors such as cell towers, electrosmog and even the aluminum and barium in aerosol spraying (chemtrails) might contribute to undermining the bats' immune systems.
The September 25th event was filmed by the Mayville-based film group, snowshoefilms. It will be aired beginning November 29 with the last airing on December 5 at 3:00 and 9:00 PM each day.
Access Channel 5 is available to cable viewers in the Chautauqua, Mayville, North Harmony, Portland, Sherman, and Westfield areas, and can be found on channel 21.4 on digital televisions without a cable converter. The video will be available on the Channel 5 website after the initial airing at http://ac5.weebly.com/
