[Opening Music]
Hi, my name is Kevin Castle. I'm one of the wildlife veterinarians for the
National Park Service. Our role is to help protect the health of wildlife
that people enjoy in our national parks. Usually when you think of wildlife, you think of
things that are pretty obvious, like deer or elk. But we also are involved
with protecting the health of things that aren't quite so obvious, like bats.
When we do take a closer look at bats, what we see is something that's very disturbing.
There's a fungal disease called White-nose syndrome, that is affecting bat
populations across the country.
[Tom Rodhouse:] White-nose presents a tremendous challenge to the agency,
to the National Park Service is particular, because bats are so common.
They actually are very widespread, they show up in buildings
and in bridges, they're in natural structures like caves...
[Elaine Leslie:] The park service really cares about bats, not just because
of their importance as far as ecosystem services,
but their importance as far as species that we're mandated to take
care of, to steward for the next generation.
[Pat Reed:] They are a major part of the system that they
live within, particularly when it comes to eating insects. They eat millions of insects on a daily basis.
[Paul Cryan:] These are free pest control service
that farmers are benefiting from all over the continent.
Without those bats, the cost to agriculture could be really substantial.
[Shawn Thomas:] There was a study last year that indicated that bats
actually provide billions of dollars worth of ecosystem services.
They actually prey on a lot of agricultural pests.
And they reduce the need for farmers and other people working in
agriculture to use pesticides.
[Paul Cryan:] Bats are just amazing animals, and there's nothing else like them on earth.
[Tom Rodhouse:] Here in this covered bridge we've got bats roosting up
in the rafters there, squeaking away, you might be able to hear them.
Just the one of many examples of how versatile bats are, and how they can take
advantage of many kinds of features, including those that we provide them.
[Elaine Leslie:] So bats have such an important role in the ecosystem for
so many reasons, and not just natural, but cultural as well.
That it is our job, it is part of our stewardship
responsibilities to make sure that bats are here for future generations.
[Vickie Carson:] The very mission of the park service is to preserve and protect
and provide for enjoyment, so we're supposed to take care
of the resources that are here in the park, but also help people understand them
and appreciate them and learn about them.
[Kevin Castle:] Even without White-Nose Syndrome, some bat
populations have been struggling recently. National Park Service provides
a great way to keep an eye on some of those species.
[Steve Thomas:] Here at Mammoth Cave we have two species of endangered bats,
one species is the Gray Bat, and the other is the Indiana Bat.
[Pat Reed:] It's particularly important, as them being a threatened and endangered species,
that we protect those particular species.
[Tom Rodhouse:] National Park Service over 300 park units that are scattered across the country,
widely representing different kinds of habitats, different
species of bats, different hibernacula types, and environments.
[Shawn Thomas:] They have different needs at different times of the year.
During summer, a lot of our bats form maternity colonies. They're raising their
pups and they like to be closer to entrances in warmer, drier spots.
In the winter when they transition to hibernation, they need areas
that are deeper and colder so they can drop their body temperatures
and remain in torpor. And so there is a whole different set of caves in our park that
they can choose to meet those particular needs.
[Tom Rodhouse:] These animals are worth saving, they're worth fighting for.
They're really an important part of our collective natural resource heritage in this country.
[Kevin Castle:] Bats are obviously an important parts of ecosystems and they need our protection.
In the next part of this series, we'll investigate this emerging threat -- White-nose syndrome.
[Closing Music]