by PYoungbaer » Mar 19, 2013 12:08 pm
TN is still considered leading edge of WNS, although it's been there for several years now. Pennsylvania Game Commission stopped trying to get bats from everywhere once they considered the state saturated. Some southeastern PA counties still show as "clean" on the map, but only because samples weren't sought. I expect Tennessee will get to the same place at some time.
With saturation, disease prevention locally becomes moot. The focus should shift to conservation of remaining bats - i.e., how to help them survive and repopulate to the extent they can, which may not be to the same level as pre-WNS. That's an evolving question, as scientific debate about a new equilibrium - if there is one, perhaps as in Europe, will there be one, etc. is a fluid topic.
With conservation as the focus, things like protecting summer habitat and maternity roosts to maximize re-population, and avoiding hibernating bats in winter, will become higher priorities. Efforts to re-open caves could focus on seasonal visitation of bat caves, for example, and open visitation for non-bat caves.