Craig Stihler talks about white nose syndrome in bats and other challenges to WV endangered species

Summary: Craig Stihler is the Endangered Species Coordinator for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. He will discuss bats generally and then focus on their status in West Virginia and the region, with a special emphasis on the challenges different bat species (and those who are trying to conserve them) are facing. In particular he will review the problems now being posed by White Nose Syndrome, a fungal infection that is currently ravaging bat populations in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast and is continuing to spread to other regions. Stihler, who is based in Elkins, has worked for WVDNR for more than 30 years and headed its endangered species conservation efforts since 1987. He is recognized as an expert on a number of species, including the West Virginia northern flying squirrel and flat-spired three-tooth land snail. However, he is best known for his work on bats. Working with landowners and cavers alike, he has been a leader in the effort to reduce human disturbance in bat caves, which is a major threat to certain bat species. In 2006, he received the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s prestigious National Recovery Champion award, which recognizes professionals for outstanding contributions toward recovering threatened and endangered species in the United States.