Of the 45 bat species living in the United States, 15 are normally present in Virginia (and two others have been recorded).1 They are insect eaters, catching mosquitoes, moths, and other insects "on the fly."
About half of Virginia's bat species depend upon caves as sites for sleeping and raising their young. The other half rely upon trees, old logs, and other buildings for shelter. Human disturbance in caves during the winter can force the bats to burn energy during their normal hibernation cycle, causing bats to starve before insect populations re-appear in the Spring and provide a food source.
Three bat species in Virgina are listed as endangered: Gray Bat, Indiana Bat, and Virginia Big-eared Bat. Major threats to the survival of the species include human disturbance inside caves, collisions with wind energy turbine blades and tall telecommunication towers, and a fungus (Geomyces destructans) that appeared suddenly and started to cause massive die-offs from "white-nose syndrome" in New York/New England in 2006.
 Federal Register Notice proposing designation of critical habitat for Virginia Big-eared Bat, in 1979 Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service |
 spread of white-nose syndrome, from New England into Virginia/Tennessee Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service |
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The state bat of Virginia roosts in Tazewell County caves during the summer. The population disperses to roost in additional caves in Highland and Bland counties in the winter.2
A disease known as white-nose syndrome, apparently caused by the Geomyces destructans fungus, threatens to eliminate some bat species in Virginia. In late 2009, the National Zoo started to establish a colony of Virginia Big-eared Bats. Forty bats, not yet infected by the fungus, were captured and moved to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at Front Royal, Virginia. Only eight survived the winter, reflecting the challenge of creating an artificial environment that matched the requirements of the species.3 The potential to conserve the official state bat species in captivity and reintroduce it to the wild, comparable to the California condor or the whooping crane, is still unproven.
In addition, bats can be killed at wind farms. The death of over 1,000 bats at Mountaineer Wind Energy Center (West Virginia) in 2003, followed by additional deaths in 2004, triggered research efforts to determine how to minimize bat/windmill collisions. The migration season in the fall appears to be the time of greatest risk.4
