President Obama's proposed budget, releases yesterday, has several proposed increases in WNS funding:
White-nose Syndrome
FY 2014 President’s budget
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Science Support:
“The 2014 request includes... a program increase of $1.5 million to direct, focus, and accelerate the science efforts of partnering universities, cooperative wildlife units, and other institutions to answer some of the remaining questions about how to address and mitigate the threats posed by the white-nose syndrome on bat populations.”
White-nose Syndrome...........................................+1,500,000
U.S. Geological Survey
Ecosystems activity/Wildlife Program/White-nose Syndrome
White-nose Syndrome........................................... +1,505,000
National Park Service
America’s Great Outdoors/Park Operations from America’s Great Outdoors funds
“The 2014 budget proposal provides several key programmatic increases, including $3.0 million to address white-nose syndrome in bats at national park units. This disease was first detected in New York State in 2006 and since then has killed millions of cave-dwelling bats and threatens bat populations in the national parks.”
" Control and Management of White-nose Syndrome in Bats……….+3,000,000"
(Figures provided by Jocelyn Zeimian, Bat Conservation International, who works on Capitol Hill. She reports that this is new money, not re-allocated as has been the recent practice. If appropriated, this would be the first new money since we successfully lobbied for $1.9 million in 2009. She also reports that the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Hal Rogers, is supportive of WNS funding efforts. This is likely due in large part to his representing the district of Carter Caves State Park, now infected with WNS. With strong Senate support from the likes of Frank Lautenberg and Patrick Leahy, this funding stands a decent chance of making it through the process.)