Blomberg quoted in KJ article on white-nose syndrome in bats
The Kennebec Journal quoted Erik Blomberg, an assistant professor of wildlife population ecology at the University of Maine, in the article, “White-nose syndrome has affected up to 97 percent of Maine’s bat population.” According to a biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the white-nose fungus can spread while bats hibernate, when they travel from cave to cave and even when people visit caves, by tracking the fungus to other places on shoes and clothes. The biologist estimated the bat population has declined by 97 percent in Maine. “There’s a long, sad list of species that have been affected or damaged” like this, Blomberg said. “But this is pretty unprecedented.” The Portland Press Herald and The Times Record also carried the article.