Budget could cut white-nose syndrome research

Bat with white-nose syndrome (New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation photo)

The fight to eradicate white-nose syndrome in bats may suffer a setback if proposed federal budget cuts become a reality. Scientists estimate that more than 6 million U.S. bats died from the syndrome between 2006 and 2012, and many more have died since then, Michael Doyle reports for Environment & Energy News. Bats occupy an important place in the ecosystem, as predators of mosquitoes and insects that harm crops, so scientists are scrambling to find a way to combat the disease. One way the federal government has done that is by awarding grants to promising research into methods of killing the disease without killing the bats, as well as to scientists doing general research on bats.

The latest round of Fish and Wildlife Service grant funding came from the agency's "Science Support" fund, which the Trump administration has proposed eliminating in the Interior Department's 2018 budget, Doyle reports. FWS distributed more than $1 million in bat-related research grants last month to scientists in 37 states and the District of Columbia. Research is also conducted by the wildlife program of the U.S. Geological Survey, but the administration is proposing a 22 percent cut in that fund for next year. The USGS has contributed valuable information to the battle against white-nose syndrome; several weeks ago its researchers found that the fungus that causes it can spread in warm as well as cool weather. The administration is proposing an 11 percent cut in funding for the National Science Foundation, which funds research grants on white-nose syndrome. An NSF summary says University of Georgia researchers are using "computational tools from mathematics, computer science, epidemiology and ecology to understand and predict the spread of [the] devastating disease," Doyle reports.

Congress has ignored some of President Trump's previous attempts to cut science funding, but the affected government agencies aren't taking any chances. In response to the threat of reduced or eliminated funding, some of the agencies are pooling research funds with each other and seeking contributions from private entities. The Bats for the Future Fund was established and mostly funded by FWS and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but has also received funding from the U.S. Forest Service and Shell Oil Co. Research project funding is to be announced Sept. 22.