Proposal Draft

Carolina Villalobos
206 Hiester Hall
State College, PA 16802

Mr. Alan Jalowitz, Ed.

201B Pattee Library
University Park, PA 16802

Introduction

Is the bat population all of sudden dying? Is it the end of the lives of the only vital flying
mammal in the world?
Recently, over the last four years, thousands of bats have been facing death due to a
mysterious disease that has hunted and killed bats by the thousands not only in the upper
northeastern part of the U.S such as New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts but
Pennsylvania alone. Scientists and researchers four years ago diagnosed the disease as White
Nose Syndrome (WNS), but further research to find a cure for this disease remains unknown. In
Pennsylvania, research has been gathered in the past two years by biologists and researchers by
visiting caves testing bats for WNS. Surprisingly, according to statistics WNS in Pennsylvania
has increased in the last two years as more shocking discoveries are seen as more bats are being
found dead inside caves and outside on the landscape. It is certain that in the past four years
(2006-2010) WNS has almost wiped out large bat populations in the northeast and it has become
a concern that WNS is becoming unstoppable as it spreads out West as well.
Having lived and survived for up to 50 million years, bats have become a great source and
helpful hand in improving agricultural aspects, never the less, replenishing ecosystems. If it were
not for bats, insect populations will sky rocket increasing the spread of malignant diseases,
agriculture will have an enormous impact by lowering its productivity due to insect infestation,
and habitats and niches in rainforests or deserts will decline without bat pollination of flowers
and fertilization of fecal matter to replenish ecosystems.
I will start off the article by first, explaining briefly basic information about bats such as
where they live and what they eat. Moreover, I will explain the significance that bats have on the
planet being pollinators, pest control agents, and seed dispersers. I will then move on to making a
brief introduction of White Nose Syndrome, the fungus responsible for causing the disease, and
further explain in detail its effect on bats. Furthermore, I will talk about the discoveries of WNS
starting from the year that it was first discovered in the United States (2006) to where it is
affecting bats in the present day. Then, I will talk about bat observations made by biologists and
researchers when visiting the caves in Pennsylvania, moreover observations and actions made
and taken by the Pennsylvania Game Commission to help prevent the spread of WNS. Finally, I
will talk about the actions that the public can take to prevent white nose syndrome and treatments
that researchers have been trying to come up with to cure WNS in bats.

Credentials
 Moving onto my senior year and being an Animal Science major at Penn State University, I
believe that I can be a great candidate for this article. Not knowing much about white nose
syndrome in bats before researching to write this article I have learned a lot through web articles
and newspaper documents on the disease. Interning at Centre Wildlife Care, a wildlife
rehabilitation near Shaver’s Creek Pennsylvania, I have learned a lot from wildlife rehabber
Robyn Graboski. Founder and director of Centre Wildlife, Robyn Graboski has rehabilitated
wildlife for almost twenty two years. Among the wildlife, Robyn knows about bats to give me
enough information about WNS. Although most of my research was found from articles on the
web, I was able to grab some information on WNS from Robyn, explaining that WNS was
confirmed as a disease not an illness and it is affecting most of the bat in cave hibernacula in
Pennsylvania. In close contact with the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), Robyn has been
able to give me some email updates from the PGC concerning WNS along with information on
WNS and how one help save them. With her help I have been able to gather enough information
on WNS in bats. Furthermore, I researched through newspaper articles and Proquest articles
through the Penn State Library website finding detailed information on bat behavior, deaths, and
areas affected by WNS.

With my prior research and time management skills, along with your help and our English
instructor, and PSU libraries, this article has the potential to be informative, persuasive, and
intriguing. My strong interest for writing this article builds my hope to spark the reader with
interest as well as allowing the reader to find it entertaining to read. Furthermore, the topic and
article I am writing for the PA Center for the Book Project will be completed and in a manner
that is acceptable to your standards.

Research

No books on White Nose Syndrome in bats have been published due to being a recent
discovery of the disease. However, my research includes newspaper articles, journals, an
interview, and the web articles on WNS. As I mentioned before, I have researched and gathered
enough information through the Penn State library website. These sources include NewsBank and
Proquest articles. From the Newsbank Access World News, I found information on updates of
WNS in the past four months and observations made a year ago by researchers on WNS when
caves were visited in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, there is information based on recent treatments
that scientists are experimenting with to find a cure for WNS as actions taken by PGC to prevent
the spread of WNS as well as ways that the public can help to reduce the spread of the disease.
There are other several articles that discuss, as reported by biologists and researchers, normal
hibernating behavior in bats compared to bats that have been affected by WNS. The Proquest
articles discuss statistics of increasing bat deaths in upper northeastern states such as New York,
Connecticut, Massachusetts along with bat deaths in Pennsylvania.
Aside from researching in the PSU library website, I found a variety of images depicting what
WNS looks like on bats. Moreover, I picked out several photos showing the physical conditions
of bats to provide the public with an idea of how serious this disease has affected bats.
Furthermore, speaking with wildlife rehabber Robyn Graboski about WNS allowed me to
understand and learn more about the disease. In close affiliation with the Pennsylvania Game
Commission, Centre Wildlife Care has received recent updates through emails sent on the spread
and number of bats deaths in Pennsylvania caused by WNS.
Technical Description

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a deadly fungal

disease that affects bats in hibernacula, cave or mines
where bats hibernate. For the past four years, WNS has
been spreading affecting bats from New England to as far
west as Missouri. As of now, the fungal disease remains
untreatable and as concerns keep rising, the disease will
continue to spread.

Four years ago (2006) in Albany, New York, it the first

discovery ever made when hundreds of bats were found
dead by biologists exploring nearby caves in the winter.
The same physiological characteristics were seen on the
bats dead or alive: the white fungus appearing on their
muzzle and wing membranes (sometimes appearing on
ears). As more and more investigations were made by
biologists visiting caves, more dead bats were found on
the landscape near or inside the caves. The white fungal
disease took off into spreading from northeast to New
England and south to into eastern Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, which soon gave the outbreak the name
White- nose Syndrome. (close-up of map on

http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2010/04/white_nose_syndrome.php )

The white fungus, belonging in the genus

Geomyces distructans, usually appears on the muzzle
(around the nose area) on bats. Up close, the small
patches appear like fuzzy white mold, such as that
found on rotten fruit. In other cases, the fungus is seen
on the backs of bats and appears like white snowflakes
bound to the back. However, as seen by researchers
and biologists, the fungus appears on the ears, nose,
and wing membranes the majority of the time.
Geomyces distructans the name given to the fungus, had not been known to man and science
before, remaining undiscovered until the outbreak of WNS in caves and mines in 2006. It is
given the possibility that European travelers had introduced the fungus in North America when
visiting nearby caves by carrying the fungal spores on their clothing. Yet, little is known if the
fungus came from a different country or remained undiscovered by residing in the cool
temperatures in caves in North America. A team of scientists lead by David Blehert and Andrea
Gargas, experimented and studied the fungus carefully monitoring its growth and different
temperatures (published in 2008). Surprisingly the slow growing fungus grew better at 37°F and
45°F rather than at 75°F (showed no growth). These cold temperatures were similar to that
found in infected bat caves.
In the winter seasons, bats usually hibernate in the deep darkness of caves or mines and
awaken once or twice every 15-30 days to urinate, drink, and mate. Interestingly, bats lower their
temperatures to a range of 35-50° F barely above the ambient cave temperature while
simultaneously lowering their immune response. Since Geomyces grows in cold temperatures,
there is the explanation why it is growing on bats. With white nose syndrome affecting bats,
hibernating behavior in bats has changed dramatically. According to witnesses in Chester Mines,
Massachusetts in 2009, bats were spotted active in the months of January-through mid March
flying during the day looking for food and water. In Mifflin county mines in Pennsylvania, bats
were interestingly and strangely discovered dead on the snow in a ring around trees. For many
biologists and researchers, there is strong evidence that WNS has affected hibernating behavior
in bats.
Working at a lab at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, biology professor Dr. DeeAnn
Reeder, studies and performs field work on immune responses in hibernating bats. Over the past
three years, Reeder has been questionably studying and testing periodic arousals of bats during
hibernation. Strangely enough, bat arousal time affected with WNS rouse bats every three or four
days depleting their fat reserves, which explains why bats appear dehydrated and most of the
time emaciated. When a bat is dehydrated the wing membranes appear shriveled up similar to
when a leaf has not been exposed to water in a long time. According to Reeder, “Sometimes we
find dead bats in a ring around trees. We’re not sure exactly, but I think their body fat gets so
lean they wake up and think it’s spring and it’s time
to feed, but don’t find any insects in winter, roost in a
tree, die and fall.” While visiting the caves in Mifflin
County with students last year, Reeder has felt
overwhelmed to see these creatures die in increasing
numbers. Reeder hypothesized that bats have an
immune-surveillance system which means that during
hibernation, bats increase their body temperature to
fight off any diseases and then lower their
temperature again. These periodical warm-ups is
what boosts the bat’s physiological system. WNS
however, arouses bats, thus leading bats to awaken
frequently causing them to expend their stored energy
in search for food.
Working alongside with Dr. Reeder, Greg Turner,
a biologist with the Game Commission’s Wildlife
Diversity Section, had also investigated and
researched the Mifflin County mines in 2008
counting the number of bats that so far had survived
in the cave. “There’d be about 2,000 to 3,000 bats in
the area. So far, we’ve counted about 500 and a lot of
them are dead. This past fall we began to examine the
health of our bats to see if they came into hibernation…using telemetry gear and data-loggers to
monitor the body temperatures and arousal patterns…” According to Reeder, the two biologists
along with the Pennsylvania Game Commission estimated about 80-90% mortality in some of
the caves in the area in 2008.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) has take action to prevent the spread of WNS.
Caverns including the Aitkin Cave, a well known hibernation site in a 43-acre preserve in Mifflin
County, PA have been banned entry and are closed to the public. Although the disease is not
contagious and harmful to humans, pets and even livestock, the fungal spores are capable of
clinging onto clothing or fur. To make bat
hibernacula save, it is better to keep caves
closed to prevent further spread and
contamination. Caving in the northeast and
areas where WNS has settled, has been
banned by the National Park Service, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Forest Service and
The Nature Conservancy to prevent further
spread of WNS.
The Game Commission in general
performs field work in caves instate every
year. In the past two years (2008-2010)
however, the Commission has dived further
surveying 20 to 30 hibernacula between
January and March monitoring for WNS. Moreover, the agency assisted researchers in
investigating bats by looking for normal metabolic rate of hibernating bats, studying normal
immune response capabilities of bats, and measuring if there is sufficient fat stores in bats before
hitting hibernation. It is important, not only for the Game Commission, but biologists and bat
researchers to note these hibernating characteristics in bats since hibernation has become critical
ever since the spread of WNS.

Conclusion

After providing an introduction on WNS in bats, discussing my credentials, informing you on

my current research, and writing a technical description, I hope you are convinced of my ability
to write about this topic to the highest level. I intend to write in a way that the reader will
understand my topic fully. Any questions or concerns feel free to write any comments or advice I
would greatly appreciate it. I therefore requests your permission to continue my research and
writing on WNS for the article. Thank you for your time Allen.

Best Regards,
Carolina Villalobos

Citations
Rick Steelhammer."White-nose disease confirmed in Pendleton bats. " McClatchy –
Tribune Business News 25 February 2009 ABI/INFORM Dateline, ProQuest.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=2&did=1651007761&SrchMode=2&sid=2&Fmt=3&
Inst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1274631261&clientId=9874 18
May.2010.
• Mediocre
•Talks about the spread of WNS in bats in five different states in the northeastern part of
the US and it’s risk of expansion to the west.
•Info is useful by stating where the disease has spread and how can it affect people of the
States.

Christopher Baxter. "White-nose syndrome killing bats: Flying mammals are found dying of
mysterious fungus in Pennsylvania mine. "McClatchy - Tribune Business News
23 January 2009 ABI/INFORM Dateline, ProQuest.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=3&did=1631479231&SrchMode=2&sid=2&Fmt=3&
Inst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1274631261&clientId=9874 . 18
May. 2010.
•Mediocre
•Some caves have been affected in the PA and the PGC begins to grow concern of bat
populations beginning to decrease
• This article is helpful by showing statistics of bat populations declining in 2008 when the
WNS began to arise.

"WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME SURFACES IN PENNSYLVANIA. " US Fed News Service,

Including US State News 22 Jan. 2009,General Interest Module, ProQuest.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=5&did=1635569601&SrchMode=2&sid=2&Fmt=3&
Inst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1274631261&clientId=9874. 18
May.2010.
• Good
• Two Biologists from Bucknell University and from the Game Commission have been
working on monitoring bat behavior, metabolic activity, and hibernation characteristics of
bats
•This article is helpful by explaining what the two biologists have discovered in the last
two years in terms of bat behavior linking to WNS

Morgan Simmons. "Bat disease spreading much faster than expected. " McClatchy –Tribune
Business News 23 April 2010 ABI/INFORM Dateline, ProQuest.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2016571241&SrchMode=2&sid=1&Fmt=3&
Inst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1274636065&clientId=9874. May
2010.
• Mediocre
• WNS confirmed in Tenessee
• there is proof that WNS has reached the caves in Tenessee. The article talks about
some of the common bat species that are affected.

Bhattacharya, S. "Murder in the bat cave." New Scientist 27 Mar. 2010: Research Library
Core, ProQuest.http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=2015960801&SrchMode=2
sid=2&Fmt=2&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1274636781&cli
ntId=9874 18 May. 2010.
• Good
•Bat hibernation characteristics
•This article talks about some basic facts about bat hibernation, such as what is the
normal bat hibernating period and what is abnormal of bats hibernating with WNS

Theodore H. Fleming, Cullen Geiselman, and W. John Kress

The evolution of bat pollination: a phylogenetic perspective
Ann. Bot. 2009 104: 1017-1043.
• Mediocre
•Bat Pollination
•Helpful by describing how bats contribute to the ecosystem by pollinating flowers which allow
for the production of more plants eaten by mammals or other species.

Malawsky,Nick. “Bat Disease Confirmed Here.” Centre Daily Times State College PA: pg 1
Newsbank Access World News.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw
search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=12
9107E571C61C0&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=1. Saturday April 11, 2009.
• Good
• WNS syndrome investigated and confirmed in Centre County PA
• The article talks about the discovery of WNS in Centre County, Mifflin county, and areas close to
Centre County where caves have been infected.

ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Bat Disease Could Spread into West.” Erie Times-News PA: ETN.
NewbankBank Access World News.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw
search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=1
F94BF6294264A8&p_docnum=2&p_queryname=6. Saturday, May 8, 2010.
• Mediocre
•White Nose Syndrome is spreading west
• Caves are closing down in the west to prevent further contamination of the fungus. The article
talks about how humans to prevent the spread of WNS and how can the fungus spread from one
area to another.

Hayes, John. CAN BATS BE SAVED? - A LITTLE-UNDERSTOOD FUNGUS IS KILLING

THEM AT AN ALARMING RATE. Pittsburg Post-Gazette PA Two Star: A-1.
NewsBank Access World News.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw
search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=12E4E8C
6123E300&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=8. Sunday, March 7, 2010.
•Good
•Research on bats being made on behavior, WNS, how far researchers have gone with finding a
cure for bats
•article is helpful because it gives me some information on eating, hibernating, and survival
characteristics of bats and how WNS has changed these normal bat behaviors.

Jackson, Kent. “Illness Machines Threatens Bats.” Standard-Speaker Hazleton, PA Daily: Section B
pg12. NewsBank Access World News.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw
search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=12E4E8C
6123E300&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=8. Sunday, March 7, 2010.
• Good
• Cause of how WNS ended up in the US
• Researchers have come to the conclusion that it’s possible that WNS was first introduced in
in America by European travelers which might have carried and brought the disease from
European caves. This article is helpful by explaining how exactly did researchers found out
how the illness was first discovered.

Baress, Cecilia. Biologist Try White-Nose Treatments on Bats. Pattsville Republican,The &
Evening Herald PA Daily: section A pg 1. NewsBank Access World News
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iwsearch/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p
action=doc&p_docid=12DEC744CA79ABD0&p_docnum=3&p_queryname=14. Sunday, March, 7,
2010.
•Mediocre
•Investigating the fungus causing WNS
•helpful article which talks about how two biologists from the Penns. Game Commission investigate
what anti-fungal agents (used in athletes foot) can be used to treat the fungus causing
WNS and can be useful to spray in caves to detain the fungus.

K.,Glen. White Nose Syndrome.2009, O’Bannon State Park, Indiana. Accessed 5 Aug.2009.
http://www.coasttocoastam.com/photo/photo-of-the-day/40556
•Good
• Image of a sign saying “Caves Closed”
•This image is helpful to let the reader know that Game Commissions, not only in PA but in the
northeastern part of the US, caves are closing down to prevent further contamination of bats by
the public

Hicks, Al. White Nose Syndrome in Bats.

http://wildwildweather.com/forecastblog/2009/05/welcome-to-the-what-the-anthropocene/
•Good
•Image of bats with WNS
• Image is helpful to give the reader an idea of what bats look like with the illness
Butchkoski, Cal. WNS Occurrence by County District. 2010. Accessed 1 April.2010.
http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2010/04/white_nose_syndrome.php
•Excellent
• Image of counties affected by WNS from 2006-2010
• Image is helpful to give the reader an idea of how badly WNS has spread in counties in the
northeastern part of the US

Chosy, Julia. Dead Bats. 2010. Accessed 8 April 2010.

http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/2010/04/white_nose_syndrome.php
•Excellent
•Image of dead bats in winter
• Image is helpful to allow the reader to see the outcome of WNS in bats in their unusual behavior
to stop hibernating in winter and be active in the months of January-mid March.

Crocoll, Scott. Dead Indiana Bat. 2009, Rodendal, NY. Accessed 27 Jan 2009.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/2009/feb/White-Nose-Syndrome-Spreading-Among
Bats.html
•Excellent
•Image of wing of dehydrated bat
•Image is helpful to allow the reader to see how WNS has affected bats in that bats lose a lot of
water that causes their wings to crumble up due to loss of water in their bodies.

Graboski, Robyn. Personal INTERVIEW. 20 May 2010.

•Good
• She talks about WNS in bats
• This interview was helpful in understanding a little more about WNS. She talks about how
WNS has been confirmed as a disease not an illness. The PGC has prohibited Wildlife Rehabs to
rehabilitate bats.

Lindholm, Jane. “Scientists Racing to Protect Bats from WNS.” Vermont Public Radio. 6 March
2009. http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/84295/. 20 May 2010
•Mediocre
•reporter Jane Lindholm talks about her trip with biologist to visit a cave hibernacula in New
England (Vermont) to study how badly bats have been affected by WNS
• this article is helpful in that it gives several statistics of bat deaths at the mouth of the cave. Also
it gives several details of Jane’s experience of what she observed when she visited the cave.

Science Daily. “WNS In Bats: First Prevention Proposed by Ecologists.” Science News.10 March
2009. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305102709.htm. 20 May 2010
• Mediocre
•The article shows statistics of number of bats that have died
•This article is helpful because it talks about ways that one can solve the issue to stop WNS

Volks, Tom. “Geomyces Destructants.” TomVolkFungi. May 2009.

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/may2009.html. 20 May 2010
•Good
 •Info on fungus Geomyces-the killing fungus affecting bats undergoing WNS
• this article is helpful by explaining detailed information on fungus Geomyces such as: where it
grows, what suitable environments is the fungus resistant to, why has it been killing bats in
caves, etc.

White Nose Syndrome in Bats. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servies

n.d.http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html. 20 May 2010
•Good
•Frequently asked questions of WNS (what is it, where has it been observed, ect.)
•This article is helpful by explaining the signs of WNS in bats, what can a person do when finding
a bat with WNS, what threats does it impose on humans, & how WNS has endangered the
Indiana Bat.

DeCoskey, Jason L. “Re:White Nose Syndrome Update.” Message to Robyn Graboski. August 3,
2009. Email
• Mediocre
•the email talks about how the PGC (Pennsylvania Game Commission) is trying to be actively
involved in WNS surveillance.
• describes what has been discovered of the fungus on bats in PA and what the bats are looking like
in the caves.

Williams, Lisa. “WNS Update for Rehabbers.” Message to Robyn Graboski. December 3, 2009.
Email.
•Mediocre
•The email talks about observations made by the PGC about flying bats I the daytime, which is
unusual.
•There are indications of unusual behavior such as flying during the day instead of night.
•There has been in an increase in the number of bats confirmed with WNS in several counties.

Graboski, Robyn. “ Help save Bats from Deadly Epidemic.” Message to CWC-Supporter Lists.
May 21,2010. Email.
• Good
• Funding of WNS to Congress help fund WNS and stop the epidemic as soon as possible
• What can you do as a person to try save bats from WNS
• Statistics of number of bats in popular National Parks caves that have died

“All About Bat/Intro to Bats.” Bat Conservation International. n.d.

http://www.batcon.org/index.php/all-about-bats/intro-to-bats/subcategory/18.html. 23 May. 2010.
• Good
• Talks about how and why bats are important in our ecosystem
• Bats play a role as pollinators, pest control, & seed dispersal agents