Dr. Allen Kurta
Dr. Allen Kurta received a B.S. and M.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University and a Ph.D. in Biology from Boston University. His research for the past 34 years has focused on the ecology and behavior of bats, with an emphasis on the Indiana bat. He has published over 75 papers in scientific journals, and he has authored or edited numerous books, including, Mammals of the Great Lakes Region (1995), The Indiana Bat: Biology and Management of an Endangered Species (2002), The Bats of Puerto Rico: an Island Focus and a Caribbean Perspective (2005), Bats and Forests: Conservation and Management (2007), and Bats of Michigan (2008). Dr. Kurta is a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Mammalogy and current Feature Editor of Bat Research News. He has served as a member of the Indiana Bat Recovery Team since 1995 and currently is the chair of the Technical Advisory Committee for Mammals, Endangered Species Program, Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
White-Nose Syndrome
A serious disease has been killing off bats in the United States and Canada. It was initially discovered in New York, but has now spread to many of the surrounding states and as far west as Oklahoma.
These bats have a white fungus growing on them during hibernation. This fungus is called Geomyces destructans. It is now estimated that over a million bats have died as a result of White-Nose Syndrome
Photo courtesy Al Hicks, New York Department of Environmental Conservation