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<p>The Pennsylvania Game Commission is moving toward listing three species of bats as endangered, and the agency wants to know what the public thinks about the move.</p><p>Last month, the Game Commission board gave preliminary approval to list as state endangered species three cave bats decimated by white nose syndrome. The cave bat species, which include the northern long-eared bat, tri-colored bat and little brown bat, have declined by 99 percent in the state, according to the agency.</p><p>The northern long-eared bat already had been listed federally as a threatened species for more than three years. In addition, tri-colored bats and little brown bats currently are being evaluated for U.S. Endangered Species Act protection.</p><p>Agency biologist Kevin Wenner said the northeast region is a stronghold for cave bats due to the abundance of mines remaining from the coal industry era. The bats use the mine openings to hibernate during the winter, and that&#8217;s when they are susceptible to WNS.</p><p>&#8220;By listing these bat species as endangered it will make things consistent at the federal and state levels,&#8221; Wenner said. &#8220;It also affords protection to unique habitats that already receive attention.&#8221;</p><p>These listings historically have ensured the Game Commission and other resource agencies work with industry if projects could be affected by the presence of endangered or threatened species. All projects are screened for potential conflicts through a state environmental review, which has been in place since the early 1980s and now is called the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI).</p><p>PNDI was established to provide current, reliable, objective information to help inform environmental decisions and guide conservation work and land-use planning. Resource agencies continually update PNDI&#8217;s species records to ensure the best guidance and conservation possible.</p><p>Northern long-eared bats currently are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. If they become state listed, the Game Commission will continue to defer comments on potential impacts to northern long-eared bats to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). No additional coordination with the Game Commission will occur.</p><p>Since tri-colored and little brown bats currently are not federally listed and the Game Commission, as part of its status-change package, proposes to protect mothers and their young in summer (maternity) habitat by requiring consultation with the PGC for projects located within 300 meters of known roost locations. Likewise, projects located with 300 meters of known hibernacula that do not contain federally listed bats will trigger Game Commission consultation.</p><p>&#8220;Sites that held these bats prior to the arrival of white-nose syndrome, but not since, won&#8217;t affect projects,&#8221; said Dan Brauning, Wildlife Diversity Division supervisor. &#8220;That distinction alone immediately reduces the potential for conflicts when you consider bats have lost upward of 97 percent of their historic populations in Pennsylvania.&#8221;</p><p>For perspective, there are about 30 hibernacula and 120 maternity sites known to support little brown and tri-colored bats that will be added to PNDI.</p><p>Prior to white nose syndrome appearing in 2008 in Pennsylvania, there were about 250 bat hibernacula and 300 maternity sites listed in PNDI, according to Greg Turner, Game Commission Endangered and Nongame Mammals Section supervisor.</p><p>While it&#8217;s still possible to spot a few bats flying in the summer sky at dusk, Wenner said they are most likely big brown bats, which haven&#8217;t been impacted by WNS as severely as other species. He said it could be decades or longer before bat populations can return to what they were before WNS surfaced.</p><p>&#8220;There is some indication that bats are developing some level of resistance to white nose. The body weights of some species have improved, and perhaps that&#8217;s an adaptation to fight off the fungus,&#8221; Wenner said. &#8220;There are things that look promising, but there&#8217;s still a long road ahead when it comes to recovery for bats.&#8221;</p><p>One factor slowing any comeback with cave bats is their annual reproduction provides limited replacement. Most female cave bats have one pup per year, a rate that would place their potential recovery more than a century away.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">After drastic population declines due to White Nose Syndrome, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is considering listing three species of bats as endangered. The agency is seeking public comment on the change. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_bat1.jpg</photo0><caption0>After drastic population declines due to White Nose Syndrome, the Pennsylvania Game Commission is considering listing three species of bats as endangered. The agency is seeking public comment on the change. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Game Commission moving to list several bat species as endangered</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Voice your opinion on the status of bats</strong></p><p>Written comment will be accepted on this status-change package until Dec. 31. The Board of Game Commissioners also will accept public comment &#8211; limited to five minutes &#8211; at its Jan. 27 and 28, 2019 meetings. Final adoption of the proposal will be considered at the Board&#8217;s Jan. 29, 2019 meeting.</p><p>Public comments on the bat listings should be emailed to batcomments@pa.gov; comments on bird listings should be sent to peregrinecomments@pa.gov. Both accounts accept email attachments.</p></factboxMeta></div>

Bats moving closer to endangered status