White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a devastating disease associated with the mortality of millions of bats was first documented in New York during the winter of 2005-2006, and is now confirmed in numerous US states and Canadian provinces. The fungus that causes WNS was detected on a big brown bat hibernating in an Iowa cave in March 2012. The loss of large numbers of bats due to WNS is expected to have enormous economic impacts to agriculture. Knowledge of the abundance and distribution of bat species in Iowa is minimal, but is critically needed to understand the potential ramifications of WNS to Iowa.

Project was completed by Julie A. Blanchong, Rebecca Christoffel, and Daryl Howell.

Research report (pdf)

Funding Organization: Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR)

Duration: 07/01/2012 to 12/31/2013