Until a few years ago, Acadia National Park and mid-coast Maine were home to several species of bats that were present each year from late spring through fall. Five years ago the once common hibernating bat species became inflicted with the cold-loving fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) or White Nose Syndrome (WNS) marking the start of a precipitous decline in these populations. Prior studies and monitoring provided Acadia with a good historic baseline allowing Maine biologists to assess the nature and severity of the epizootic and begin efforts to identify the activities and important habitats of remnant bat populations. Results of our recent studies are presenting new facts on how bats are using habitats, the distances and movements between habitats, the conservation measures to be adopted into Best Management Practices, and the discovery that bats hibernate along Maine’s coast.
Attend October’s Brown Bag Lunch Series, October 20, 2016 and learn about the bats of Mount Desert Island and surrounding areas. Bruce Connery, Acadia National Park biologist shares how the new information is guiding current investigations and management activities, and how Maine’s conservation efforts are likely to be different than those prescribed for areas south of Maine.
Bring your lunch. No registration is required. Group meets at 12 Noon – 1 p.m. Follow signs on campus.
