Bre a k i ng n e ws at n el s on st ar. c om
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Friday, June 21 • 2013
Vol. 5 • Issue 102
Lena Horswill’s mark on community recognized See Page 13 280 Baker Street Nelson BC (250)
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Fletcher Falls kicks off Kootenay Day Trips See Page 2
Going to bat for a special creature
A killer fungus is sweeping westward and threatens to take a heavy toll on bat populations in BC. With so much at stake, local biologist Cori Lausen is leading the charge with other locals to do everything possible to protect and assist a mammal that is still misunderstood
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Cori Lausen prepares to head into the Queen Victoria Mine above Beasley. The local biologist is taking the lead on trying to save the bat population in the Kootenays from a killer fungus.
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KIRSTEN HILDEBRAND Nelson Star Reporter
well known abandoned mine was gated this week to protect a critical hibernation zone for bats
Kirsten Hildebrand photo
that are facing extreme challenges as a species. The Queen Victoria Mine above Beasley is a popular roosting spot in the summer and in winter, the largest most diverse hibernaculum in the province, says bat biologist Cori Lausen. “There are thousands of aban-
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doned mines in the area but none have nearly the diversity,” she says, explaining the cavelike nature of the mine makes it more attractive to bats. Lausen has been researching Queen Victoria Mine area and its inhabitants. She explains when humans enter a roost such as this mine, they may unknowingly track in spores of the deadly White Nose Syndrome fungus that kills bats while they hibernate. Discovered in 2006, the fungus has yet to be found in BC, but it’s quickly spreading across North America with virtually no bats left in areas of the Eastern North America — up to a 90 per cent death rate with more than 6 million bat deaths. “Every year we find out something new,” Lausen says. “It’s a race against the clock. We’re going to have so few bats when White Nose hits.” “We stand the most to lose,” she says. “We don’t know how it’s going to impact the west, but the predictions are dire.” Of the 16 species of bats found in BC, seven have been found
roosting at the mine. During summer, they pop in and out as they feed using the cavern a rendezvous point, old drilling holes in the mine being particularly attractive to some. Three species have been found overwintering: the Silver-Haired Bat, Californian Myotis and Townsend’s Big-Eared Bat. While in hibernation, bats are much more sensitive. They don’t feed in the winter so have to keep their body temperature and breathing rates very low to conserve fat stores. Noise, light and physical Story continues to ‘Gates’ on Page 14
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