SUBCOMMITTEE ON FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, OCEANS AND INSULAR AFFAIRS
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Friday, June 24, 2011
10:00 a.m.

• Official hearing transcript

OVERSIGHT HEARING ON:

• "Why We Should Care About Bats: Devastating Impact White-Nose Syndrome is Having on One of Nature's Best Pest Controllers"

OPENING STATEMENT:

The Honorable John Fleming
Chairman

WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY:

Panel I

Dr. Gabriela Chavarria
Science Advisor to the Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Jim Peña
Associate Deputy Chief
U.S. Forest Service

Dr. Jonathan Gassett
Commissioner
Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources

Nina Fascione
Executive Director
Bat Conservation International
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Peter Youngbaer
White-Nose Syndrome Liaison
National Speleological Society
(Truth in Testimony Form)

Dr. Justin Boyles
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Tennessee
(Truth in Testimony Form)

BACKGROUND:

Bats are one of the most economically important non-domesticated animals in North America. According to Science Magazine, bats contribute $22.9 billion annually to the agricultural industry through insect control and pollination. Since 2006, over one million bats have been killed by a fungus known as the White-Nose Syndrome. This hearing will review the steps that have been taken over the past five years to control White-Nose Syndrome and the amount of money that has been spent on these efforts, assess the efficiency of working groups meant to contain if not stop this disease, and look for new ways of managing this deadly bat fungus.