MONTPELIER, Vt. – A Vermont environmental group says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to protect a once-common species of bat through the Endangered Species Act.
The Richmond-based Center for Biological Diversity says the service has proposed granting Endangered Species Act protection to the northern long-eared bat, a species that has been devastated by the disease known as white-nose syndrome
But the service declined to recommend protection for the eastern small-footed bat.
Regional officials of the Fish and Wildlife Service were closed Tuesday as part of the federal government shutdown.
The Center for Biological Diversity’s Mollie Matteson says the proposal to protect the northern long-eared bat comes “not a moment too soon.”
White-nose has spread to 22 states and parts of Canada. Scientists estimate nearly 7 million bats have died.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.