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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/19/2024 01:51 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&*****=20130&cosponId=12112
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House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: March 13, 2013 09:58 AM
From: Representative Stephen McCarter
To: All House members
Subject: Resolution Designating the Week of April 14th through April 20th, 2013 as "Bat Protection & Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania
 
In the near future, I plan to introduce a resolution designating the week of April 14 through 20, 2013, as “Bat Protection and Awareness Week” in Pennsylvania.

Although some mammals are able to glide, bats are the only mammals which are truly able to fly. Bats are so unique that they belong to their own order of mammals known as Chiropteran, meaning hand-winged. Pennsylvania is home to nine different species of bats, all of which feed on insects and can consume 25 percent or more of their body weight during a single feeding. A typical colony of 100 bats feeding for roughly 200 days has been estimated to consume more than 2,220 pounds of insects or approximately 600,000,000 bugs according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. While the large-scale ecological importance of bats may not be apparent, the United States Geological Survey estimates that bats save the agriculture industry billions of dollars annually through the consumption of harmful insects.

Pennsylvania has experienced a significant decline in populations of certain bat species in recent years due to the disease known as White-Nose Syndrome. Since it was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 2008, White-Nose Syndrome has been confirmed in 23 counties and is suspected in seven others. According to studies conducted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, there has been about a 99 percent decrease in the Northern Long-Eared Bat, Tri-Colored Bat, and Little Brown Bat populations. The loss of these species could have an enormous impact on the Commonwealth and a devastating effect on our economy. As such, it is vital that Pennsylvanians recognize the importance of bats and develop measures to conserve and protect these amazing creatures.


Introduced as HR199