Delaware will receive federal money to address White Nose Syndrome, an illness on the rise among the bat population nationally.
The government has awarded just over $18,000 to DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife to research, monitor, and respond to White Nose Syndrome in the First State.
The disease is spread by a fungus that thrives during the winter months. The sickness has killed off around 6.7 million bats in North America. These animals are integral to the state’s ecology because they eat insects like mosquitoes and other pests that feed off crops.
Since 2009, DNREC wildlife biologists have been on the lookout for signs of White Nose Syndrome. They’ve engaged the public in collecting data on the disease and have even helped prevent tourists from spreading the fungus in Fort Delaware.
35 other states, including Washington, DC, also received some form of federal grant money as part of the effort to protect bats from the illness.
