The U.S. Congress has approved $1.9 million in federal funding for research to identify the cause and seek solutions to White-nose Syndrome – the disease that is devastating bat populations throughout the northeastern United States and threatening bat species across North America.

The funds, included in the final version of the 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, mark a dramatic increase from the initial allocation of just $500,000 for monitoring affected bat populations. The WNS-research support was added by a joint committee that resolved differences between House and Senate versions of the bill. Both houses of Congress approved it on Thursday (October 29)...more

Sharpen your skills and learn new ones at a Bat Conservation International field-training workshop next summer. The 2010 schedule for the six-day, five-night workshops includes sessions in Arizona, California and Pennsylvania.

These popular workshops are designed for professional biologists, wildlife and land managers, educators, consultants and serious bat aficionados. More than 1,500 participants from around the United States, Canada and 21 other nations have attended BCI workshops since 1991. Many used their workshop experience to help them become leaders in bat research and conservation. ...more

The bats emerge at the Singing Water Vineyards each summer night to wreak havoc among the insects that swarm around rows of merlot, Syrah and pinot grigio grapes in the Texas Hill Country. The insect-eating crew is drawn to the vineyard by three cozy bat houses. Dick and Julie Holmberg began growing wine grapes in 1998, a project that quickly blossomed into a commercial winery on the property near Comfort, Texas. Dick says he became interested in promoting bats after reading that the flying mammals...more