Since first discovered in 2007 in New York, white-nose syndrome has spread to 16 states, including Virginia and Maryland, and four Canadian provinces. The disease is estimated to have killed over five million hibernating bats. An outbreak of infectious disease among bats on the order of white-nose syndrome is without precedent, and although insect-feeding wild bats may lack the easily defined monetary value of domestic animals, a recent analysis showed that they provide natural pest control services to American farmers valued at approximately $23 billion per year. Join us on March 7 to learn about this emergent wildlife disease and to discuss the profound impacts white-nose syndrome may have in the 21st century. Follow this event live on Twitter @USGSLive FREE and Open to the Public This announcement and directions can be found on : http://www.usgs.gov/public_lecture_series/

Most of us have heard or seen stories in the news about the consequences of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and the likely global consequences of changing climate conditions, but what might the impact be in our area? To help with an understanding of how decisions made by the global community about emissions might affect the future of the western United States, Tom Suchanek will be discussing how increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide might affect human land-use and environmental systems in California and the Bay Area. By: Tom Suchanek, USGS Western Ecological Research Center Lead Scientist & Climate Change Coordinator FREE and Open to the Public Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 7pm PST USGS, Conference Room A, Bldg 3, Menlo Park, California Website for more information: http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar Live videostream link: http://online.wr.usgs.gov/calendar/live.html