Bats in Schroon? Welcome Back!

As many Adirondackers know, it has been a grim few years for bats, since the discovery of white nose syndrome about a decade ago.

The fungus has spread rapidly across the United States and Canada, causing massive die-offs in bat caves.

New York state wildlife biologist Carl Herzog recently told the Adirondack Park Agency commission he became aware of the their decline back in 2007 and 2008, when folks started seeing bats acting strangely. "Flying around in the middle of winter when they're not normally seen and that's presumably a desperate attempt to find something to eat for an animal that's starving to death."

According to NCPR, the devastation has been profound: 99% of tri-colored bats in New York State are dead. Northern long-eared bats – 99% dead. Little brown bats, once the most common species in New York – only 10% remain. In addition, the Indiana bat, an endangered species, has lost 80% of its population. There is only one big colony surviving here in the Adirondacks.

So it was with much excitement Joe Steiniger recently reported discovering a bat at his home, inside an umbrella.

Spotted a bat? Let us know where in our comment section.