FORT Wildlife Biologist Dr. Ernest Valdez to share white-nose syndrome expertise at the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society Southwest Conference
USGS-FORT's Dr. Ernest Valdez (Research Wildlife Biologist) has been invited by the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) to share his expertise and present on the topic of white-nose syndrome at the Wildlife Health Workshop - NAFWS Southwest Conference in Ignacio, Colorado, during 11-14 August 2025.
White-nose syndrome is a deadly fungal disease that has spread rapidly across hibernating bat species in North America. The disease has killed millions of bats since its discovery in 2006, causing near extinction in multiple species.
At the conference, Valdez will discuss various aspects of the wildlife disease including the history of its origin in the United States, epidemiology, methods for surveillance, and decontamination of equipment. Dr. Valdez will also highlight the regional Native American workshops on bats that he has organized.
Pacific Northwest Native American Workshop on Bats
Acoustic Bat Monitoring Workshop Series for NAFWS
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What is White-nose Syndrome? What is White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose syndrome is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in at least 40 states and eight Canadian provinces have died from this devastating disease. The disease is named for the white fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of...
What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome? What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose Syndrome mostly affects hibernating bats. More than half of the 47 bat species living in the United States and Canada hibernate to survive the winter. Twelve bat species, including two endangered species and one threatened species, have been confirmed with white-nose syndrome in North America. The causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans ( Pd), has been found on an additional six...
Why are bats important? Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...
Related
What is White-nose Syndrome? What is White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose syndrome is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. Since the winter of 2007-2008, millions of insect-eating bats in at least 40 states and eight Canadian provinces have died from this devastating disease. The disease is named for the white fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of...
What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome? What species of bats are affected by White-nose Syndrome?
White-nose Syndrome mostly affects hibernating bats. More than half of the 47 bat species living in the United States and Canada hibernate to survive the winter. Twelve bat species, including two endangered species and one threatened species, have been confirmed with white-nose syndrome in North America. The causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans ( Pd), has been found on an additional six...
Why are bats important? Why are bats important?
By eating insects, bats save U.S. agriculture billions of dollars per year in pest control. Some studies have estimated that service to be worth over 3.7 billion dollars per year, and possibly as much as 53 billion dollars per year. This value does not, however, take into account the volume of insects eaten by bats in forest ecosystems and the degree to which that benefits industries like lumber...