The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced grant awards totaling $1,276,088 to 30 states for white-nose syndrome projects. State natural resource agencies will use the funds to support research, monitor bat populations and detect and respond to white-nose syndrome, a disease that afflicts bats. The Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin will share a total of $280,470 to address white-nose syndrome.

“Although the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leads the national response to white-nose syndrome, we can’t do this alone,” said Wendi Weber, co-chair of the White-Nose Syndrome Executive Committee and Service northeast regional director. “State agency partners are critical in the united fight against this devastating disease.”

“White-nose syndrome has spread rapidly from one state in 2007 to 25 states and five Canadian provinces this year,” said Dr. Jeremy Coleman, the Service’s national WNS coordinator. “These grants provide essential support to our state partners in preparing for and responding to this disease. The research, monitoring, and actions made possible by these grants have yielded valuable results and insights for our national response to white-nose syndrome.”

First discovered in New York in the winter of 2006-2007, the disease spread through the eastern U.S. and parts of Canada, and continues to move westward. The Service is leading a cooperative effort with federal and state agencies, tribes, researchers, universities and other non-governmental organizations to investigate and manage WNS. In addition to developing science-based protocols and guidance for land management agencies and other partners to slow the spread of WNS, the Service has funded many research projects to support management of the disease and improve understanding of it.

Funding for grants was provided through the Endangered Species Recovery and Science Applications programs. Thirty states submitted proposals requesting $1,284,048. All eligible requests were given at least partial awards, ranging from about $11,500 to $52,500, for a total of $1,276,088.

Additional information about WNS is available at www.whitenosesyndrome.org/. Connect with our white-nose syndrome Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfwswns, follow our tweets atwww.twitter.com/usfws_wns and download photos from our Flickr page at www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq/collections/72157626455036388/.