White-Nose Syndrome
Conserving the Nature of America
 

Intergovernmental Executive Committee Convenes To Lead International White-Nose Syndrome Response

January 14, 2011

For immediate release
News media: for further information, contact:
Ann Froschauer, USFWS 413-253-8356
Laura MacLean, AFWA 202-624-7744

Click here for a pdf version of this news release.

Members of a new intergovernmental executive committee tasked with implementation of the white-nose syndrome (WNS) national plan met in late December to discuss the coordinated national response to this deadly wildlife disease.   WNS has killed more than one million bats in the Northeast, and has spread rapidly across the United States and into Canada since its discovery in 2007. 

The White-Nose Syndrome Executive Committee will provide oversight across participating state and federal agencies and tribal governments to ensure consistency and coordination in management action, policy interpretation, communication, and collection of scientific information related to WNS.

Co-chaired by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), the committee also includes representatives from five Native American tribes, four states, and six federal agencies in addition to the Service: U.S. Geological Survey, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Department of Defense. The committee will also include representatives from federal wildlife management agencies in Canada and Mexico.

“The Committee will provide the cooperative leadership necessary for the implementation of the national plan, and an opportunity to build on the science and work that has been ongoing since discovery of WNS,” said Dr. Jon Gassett, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and AFWA co-chair of the WNS Executive Committee.

“The cooperative response to this unprecedented wildlife disease has been tremendous,” said Marvin Moriarty, executive committee co-chair and Northeast Regional Director for the Service.  “But as WNS continues to spread, the work of this team to ensure we are working closely to leave no stone unturned will be critical to conserving North American bat species.”

The committee’s work to implement the national plan will include:

  • Guiding cooperative intergovernmental leadership in response to WNS,
  • Providing oversight across participating agencies and organizations to ensure consistency in management, science, policy decisions, and funding,
  • Addressing need for intra-organizational resources, and
  • Ensuring exceptional scientific and technical expert representation in WNS organizational structure.

The national plan, which was open for public comment from October 27, 2010 through December 26, 2010, will be finalized in early 2011. For more information, visit http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/.

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies to advance sound, science-based management and conservation of fish and wildlife and their habitats in the public interest. For more information about our work and member agencies, visit http://www.fishwildlife.org.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and a trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information about our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov.

-FWS-

White-Nose Syndrome Organizational Chart (click for full-size)
WNS Organizational Chart (click for full-size)

White-nose Syndrome Executive Committee

Co-Chairs:

Jon Gassett, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
Marvin Moriarty, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region

Members:

Peter Boice, Deputy Director, Natural Resources, Department of Defense
Arnold Coyote Runs, Crow Tribe
Thomas J. DeLiberto, National Wildlife Disease Coordinator, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services
Bob Duncan, Executive Director of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Trudy Ecoffey, Oglala Parks & Recreation Authority, Oglala Sioux (Pine Ridge Reservation)
Steve Ferrell, Director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department
Bert Frost, Associate Director, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science, National Park Service
Joel Holtrop, Deputy Chief, National Forest System, U.S. Forest Service
Anne Kinsinger, Associate Director, Biology, U.S. Geological Survey
Mike Lavoie, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
Mark Reiter, Director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife, Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Patricia Riexinger, Director of the Division of Fish, Wildlife, and Marine Resources, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Adam Ringia, Natural Resources Director, Pueblo of Laguna
Linda Rundell, New Mexico State Director, Bureau of Land Management

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Last updated: January 28, 2011