(Reposted from my TR An Awesome Ammonoosuc Adventure -- after an ongoing conversation with the wildlife biologist, I thought this worthy of its own topic.)
Here is a synopsis of an e-mail thread I had with a wildlife biologist at NH F&G, Non-game:
Tim: I was wondering if anyone tracks information about bats. I saw a bat in, of all places, the Ammonoosuc Ravine below Mount Washington on 3/2/2010. Definitely not the right time of year. Someone mentioned that it might be White Nose Fungus.
Wildlife: Thank you for your report. It may be a bat with white-nose syndrome. We had one other report of a bat flying near there this winter.
We are collecting data on bats through on online system shared with the state of Vermont. You can access it through our website at http://wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/bats.html Or directly at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Sick_Acting_Bat_Citizen_Reporting_Form.cfm.
Our website also give more information on white-nose syndrome and links to other informative sites.
Tim: Subsequent to reporting this, I have heard another "theory" in that we disturbed the bat in the "dungeon" (the emergency shelter under the Lake Of The Clouds Hut) and it crawled into a pack or some other item of gear, and did not leave until the ravine. This would mean one of the four of us carried it from the dungeon to the summit of Washington, and then back to the hut where it sat in our gear as we left it while ascending Monroe. This seems unlikely to me given the number of times we put on/take off/adjust our packs.
Wildlife: It is highly unlikely that a bat crawled into a pack. It is also unlikely that any bats were hibernating there. They need to have a constant winter temperature around them above freezing for them to hibernate, and be able to wake back up. The weather conditions are likely too harsh for that.
Tim: I would assume then it probably was lost and blown off course from some place warmer than the area on the slopes of Mt Washington, which is generally well-below freezing for most of the winter, even in tree hollows or other places bats may hibernate.
Wildlife: Your assumption of it being lost is likely correct.
Thanks for the new map. I looked at your previous one, but this one is
also helpful. We'll have to look for the hibernacula in the warmer
months, and then survey it next winter. I hope that the Forest Service
biologists will have some ideas as to the possible location of the
hibernacula.
It is critical that people do not go into caves and mines, even in the
summer. The fungus that is killing our bats can be carried on boots,
packs and other gear, and thus infect a new site. We think this is how
the disease spread from NY to West Virginia, as it is too far for bats
to fly and a caver survey showed that cavers visited the NY sites then
the W. VA sites. Since you seem to like going off-trail (or was that
just by necessity?) if you find cave or mine openings, write down the
GPS coordinates and send them to me. We follow a strict decontamination
process for entering caves and mines.
Thanks again for following up on these sightings. It is very helpful.
--END--
Tim
Here is a synopsis of an e-mail thread I had with a wildlife biologist at NH F&G, Non-game:
Tim: I was wondering if anyone tracks information about bats. I saw a bat in, of all places, the Ammonoosuc Ravine below Mount Washington on 3/2/2010. Definitely not the right time of year. Someone mentioned that it might be White Nose Fungus.
Wildlife: Thank you for your report. It may be a bat with white-nose syndrome. We had one other report of a bat flying near there this winter.
We are collecting data on bats through on online system shared with the state of Vermont. You can access it through our website at http://wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Nongame/bats.html Or directly at www.vtfishandwildlife.com/Sick_Acting_Bat_Citizen_Reporting_Form.cfm.
Our website also give more information on white-nose syndrome and links to other informative sites.
Tim: Subsequent to reporting this, I have heard another "theory" in that we disturbed the bat in the "dungeon" (the emergency shelter under the Lake Of The Clouds Hut) and it crawled into a pack or some other item of gear, and did not leave until the ravine. This would mean one of the four of us carried it from the dungeon to the summit of Washington, and then back to the hut where it sat in our gear as we left it while ascending Monroe. This seems unlikely to me given the number of times we put on/take off/adjust our packs.
Wildlife: It is highly unlikely that a bat crawled into a pack. It is also unlikely that any bats were hibernating there. They need to have a constant winter temperature around them above freezing for them to hibernate, and be able to wake back up. The weather conditions are likely too harsh for that.
Tim: I would assume then it probably was lost and blown off course from some place warmer than the area on the slopes of Mt Washington, which is generally well-below freezing for most of the winter, even in tree hollows or other places bats may hibernate.
Wildlife: Your assumption of it being lost is likely correct.
Thanks for the new map. I looked at your previous one, but this one is
also helpful. We'll have to look for the hibernacula in the warmer
months, and then survey it next winter. I hope that the Forest Service
biologists will have some ideas as to the possible location of the
hibernacula.
It is critical that people do not go into caves and mines, even in the
summer. The fungus that is killing our bats can be carried on boots,
packs and other gear, and thus infect a new site. We think this is how
the disease spread from NY to West Virginia, as it is too far for bats
to fly and a caver survey showed that cavers visited the NY sites then
the W. VA sites. Since you seem to like going off-trail (or was that
just by necessity?) if you find cave or mine openings, write down the
GPS coordinates and send them to me. We follow a strict decontamination
process for entering caves and mines.
Thanks again for following up on these sightings. It is very helpful.
--END--
Tim
