Earlier this year, we announced a proposal to reclassify the northern long-eared bat as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Currently listed as threatened, the bat continues to decline due to the range-wide impacts of white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease affecting cave-dwelling bats across the continent.
In North Carolina, biologist Gary Jordan is finding reasons to be hopeful. Gary has been surveying and detecting the northern long-eared bat in counties where the species wasn’t previously reported. In 2022, Gary found the bat in five additional counties: Sampson, Chowan, Halifax, Northampton, and Onslow Counties. The species has now been documented in 27 Coastal Plain counties in eastern North Carolina. Finding bats in more places is a source of hope for us because the range extension occurs within the Coastal Plain, where bats are not wintering in caves and are likely not vulnerable to White Nose Syndrome. These bats forgo hibernation, are active during most of the winter, and roost in trees in swamps during winter. Several North Carolina Department of Transportation staff assisted Gary with surveys.
Disclaimer: Do not attempt to handle bats. Gary is trained and authorized to handle bats.
