Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Culture
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published February 22, 2010 at 11:02 a.m.
It appears that white-nose syndrome (WNS), which has already decimated Vermont's bat population and has killed off tens of thousands of bats in New England, is only getting worse — as if bats didn't have it bad enough already, what with centuries of being demonized for their purported link to vampires and other blood-sucking spooks.
Scientific American reported this week that Vermont has lost at least 95 percent of its bat population since WNS was first identified three years ago, and the deadly fungus continues to spread to other bat population. Last week, Tennessee became the 10th state to show signs of the infection. And that's bad news not only to the nocturnal flyers, but to anyone who relies on a balanced ecosystem, such as farmers and those of us who go outside on summer evenings and don't want to be eaten alive by mosquitoes.
Now, here's a thought: What if the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department grabbed ahold of the cape tails of America's current lust for all things vampiric — HBO's True Blood, Twilight, Ann Rice novels, etc. — to spread the word about this deadly disease? While there's still no effective tool for fighting WNS, there are some things the public can do to help out, especially since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now believes that WNS is spread by humans, including limiting access to their roosting sites. Check their website for more info.
More By This Author
About The Author
Ken Picard
Bio:
Ken Picard has been a Seven Days staff writer since 2002. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the Vermont Press Association's 2005 Mavis Doyle award, a general excellence prize for reporters.
Ken Picard has been a Seven Days staff writer since 2002. He has won numerous awards for his work, including the Vermont Press Association's 2005 Mavis Doyle award, a general excellence prize for reporters.
Speaking of Blurt
-
Blurt Is No More. Here's Where to Find New Seven Days Content
Sep 17, 2012 -
Alice Eats: The Mill Market & Deli
Sep 11, 2012 -
Grazing at King Arthur Flour's Airy New Digs
Sep 10, 2012 -
Movies You Missed 55: Making Plans for Léna
Sep 7, 2012 -
Quiz: Ben & Jerry's Flavor or Porn Flick?
Sep 6, 2012 - More »
Comments
Showing 1-1 of 1
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
