White-nose syndrome (WNS), the disease that has killed hundreds of thousands of bats in the Eastern United States, has been discovered in a retired Avery County mine and in a cave at Grandfather Mountain State Park, marking the arrival of the disease in North Carolina.

"White-nose syndrome is confirmed in Virginia and Tennessee, so we expected we would be one of the next states to see the disease," said Gabrielle Graeter, a biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. "This discovery marks the arrival of one of the most devastating threats to bat conservation in our time."

Although scientists have yet to fully understand white-nose syndrome, current knowledge indicates it's likely caused by a newly discovered fungus, Geomyces destructans, which often grows into white tufts on the muzzles of infected bats, hence the disease's name. The first evidence of this fungus was collected in a New York state cave in 2006. Since then, it appears to have spread north into Canada and as far south as Tennessee, which reported its first occurrence last winter and now North Carolina.

Wild South will continue to monitor for the disease by assisting the NC Wildlife Resources Commission in mist-net surveys during the summer.

After more than five years of toil we have protected old growth forests in the Globe Timber Sale from destruction. The US Forest Service did an about face of its management plan for this significant conservation area in Pisgah National Forest. The agency combined the Globe project with the Mulberry project, creating a "stewardship project," and substantially reduced logging and road-building in both areas.

The project eliminates the controversial proposal to log old growth stands that contain 300 year-old trees, removes an additional 101 acres from logging, reduces temporary roads from 1.5 miles to half a mile, and forbids any permanent road construction.

All receipts from this stewardship project will directly benefit the Grandfather Ranger District, rather than the U.S. Treasury as is typical. We plan to ensure that any money generated from this project go towards wildlife habitat improvements and recreational resource enhancement.

Thanks to the 1,500 people who submitted comments in opposition to the Globe Timber Sale, the Town of Blowing Rock who adopted a unanimous resolution opposing it, the many groups and individuals who collaborated with us in fighting it, and all folks who made financial gifts over the years to keep our efforts moving forward. Our vigilance, persistence and teamwork have paid off once again. Now it’s time to focus our collective energy on establishing a Grandfather National Scenic Area to permanently protect this area once and for all. Onward!

Direction and standards for the management of the endangered Indiana bat were established in August of 2000. Since then, additional information has become available regarding desirable habitat elements for the species. This new knowledge is enabling the USFS to more clearly define desired conditions, establish more appropriate monitoring and allow greater management flexibility in certain situations.

The Forest Service has worked together with the Fish and Wildlife Service in crafting this amended language to ensure this plan amendment will be equally protective of the Indiana bat as the current direction. Wild South will be filing comments to ensure protection for the bat and its habitat.