New protections for northern long-eared bats

In a good news, bad news scenario, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) changed the status of the northern long-eared bat from “threatened” to “endangered.” The change recognizes that the species, which lives in forested areas in 37 states and Canada, is flying dangerously close to extinction, primarily due to white-nose syndrome (a fungus) but also habitat loss. 

The good news is that the northern long-eared bat should receive more attention and funding, as well as new habitat protections. The bad news of course is that the bat truly is knocking on extinction’s door.

Our followers submitted more than 14,000 public comments asking the agency to take this important step. 

We applaud the action by FWS and look forward to seeing new protections for this species and its habitat. Thank you, too, to the organizations that brought a lawsuit that helped us reach this point.