WHITE NOSE SYNDROME, 2: Taking proactive measures to 
limit the impact of a deadly disease ... .details ahead on 
Passport to Texas.

This is Passport to Texas

White Nose Syndrome is headed to Texas.

O6 -- This disease has the potential to impact over half of our 
North American bat species.

Mylea Bayless is a conservation biologist with Bat 
Conservation International. Little is clear about the 
disease, other than it's a fungus that's killed about a 
million hibernating bats, mostly in the northeast, since its 
discovery in NY State in 2006. 

As of June 15, the disease had affected nine species of 
bats, in 14 states. In May, it was confirmed in Oklahoma, 
poised on Texas' doorstep.

O3 -- So what we're trying to do right now is to implement a 
surveillance plan.

John Young is a non-game mammalogist for TPW. He's 
enlisting the help of BCI, the Texas Department of Health, 
Universities and others to help monitor the diseases' 
progression. So far, it's not been found in Texas.

16 -- We have taken a bit of a proactive stance on our wildlife 
management areas and some of out state parks where we're 
looking at closing cave access if there's bats present. But that 
won't be all of the caves that we have because some don't have 
bats, and it will only be a select number of caves.

Find detailed information about your role in limiting the 
spread of this disease at passporttotexas.org.

The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Program supports 
our show

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti. 



Total sound bite time:		 0:25.0
Maximum Script time:		 0:60.0 Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25