Maine Proposes Listing Two Bat Species as Endangered
A Little Brown Bat with white-nose syndrome in a Vermont cave. Photo via USFWS
Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife has submitted a bill that would see two bat species added to the state’s endangered species list.
Maine Public Broadcasting reports that the bill, submitted on Tuesday, seeks to add the northern long-eared bat and little brown bat to the endangered list.
Both species have been hit hard by white-nose syndrome, experiencing declines of nearly 90 percent since the devastating disease spread to the state in 2011.
A third bat species, the eastern small-footed bat, is also being proposed for the state’s threatened species list.
Besides bats, the bill proposes adding a few invertebrate species to the endangered list and change the statuses of some invertebrates and birds.
A public hearing on the bill is expected in about four weeks.
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