Reginald Murray, of Oklahoma Wildlife Control®, L.L.C., removing the chimney cap of the fireplace to view the "void" of the fireplace during a bat exclusion job in Tulsa, OK

In giving an accurate estimate, everything must be inspected and viewed, which cannot always be done. Take the estimate of $1500 for example. This estimate is an approximation based on what could be viewed. However, a more accurate estimate could be delivered if during the inspection, we could have been able to view the “void” between the fireplace frame, and the brick which covered the fireplace. Since this is most often the case, where there are portions of an area, that cannot be viewed during an inspection … we allow for, and note, that an estimate can exceed the established figure by 25%. This accounts for the areas which cannot be seen.

Internal structure and framing of the fireplace found "rotted" from long term exposure and saturation of bat urine. This home is in South Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Once we began the exclusion process, and removed the chimney cap from the fireplace, it was discovered that the problem was larger than first presumed during the initial inspection. The internal framing of the fireplace, has been home to bats for an extended period of time, and the fecal material (guano) and urine from the bats, was found to have rotted the wood of the structure. It was also found, that the urine has soaked through the brick mortar of the fireplace due to long term exposure.

In this situation, we will still be able to complete the estimate at the cost and services given to the client. However; to be correctly done, the expenses will be higher than the estimated costs. To be correctly done, the brick needs to be removed, and the framing replaced. There will also need to be a “bat bug” eradication plan of action performed by a pest control company, such as Mother Nature’s Pest Control of Tulsa.

Big Brown Bat found in the fireplace void when the chimney cap was removed for further inspection of the problem by Reginald Murray of Oklahoma Wildlife Control in Tulsa, OK

In this economy, financing a venture such as this, is a very hard thing to do. We work hand in hand, step by step with our clients to find the resolve that fits their budgets. However, regardless of our recommendations, it is ultimately the decision of the home owners to approve or disapprove the processes needed to correct the problem.

Do not let this happen to you. Get an inspection when you first notice the problem, or better yet when you suspect the problem. By doing so, it can save you a lot of money. Contact us today with any questions you might have.

via Alva Goes Batty Over Parking Garage Demolition – News9.com – Oklahoma City, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports |.

NEWS 9

ALVA, Oklahoma – A parking garage was demolished that was once home to hundreds of bats.

The Central National Bank of Alva had been consulting with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation on the issue for months. Wildlife officials said the garage was home to an estimated 700 bats, but say the vast majority were males. Any female bats were no longer able to reproduce.

Most of the bats are believed to be Mexican free tail bats. The bats are neither protected at the state or federal level.

Wildlife officials have no jurisdiction, but recommended the bank demolish the garage at night after the bats have left to feed. They say when the bats come back and find the garage gone they should go elsewhere to find a habitat.

Those against the plan believed there were still young bats that are unable to fly and fend for themselves. Ned Bruha, also known as The Skunk Whisperer, helped to lead the fight against the garage’s demolition.

“Just because they aren’t protected doesn’t make this right,” said Bruha who stood in front of the bulldozer set to demolish the garage.

Bruha ended up arrested on the garage roof while trying to stop the demolition. Shortly after, the crowd watched the decades old garage get torn down.

Critics say the bank should have waited one more month to guarantee babies would be mature enough to fly out on their own.

Bank officials say the garage was already slated to come down in expansion plans but they were also concerned about the bat guano making it a health hazard.

The Woods County game warden came out Tuesday morning and recovered two injured bats, but one soon died of dehydration. It’s still not known how many bats are in the rubble.

“We had injuries, and now we’re not allowed to go over there and pick up the dead or injured bats to try to help them out. I think that’s ludicrous,” Bruha said.

“There’s beams, partial walls, things that weigh thousands of pounds that’s not stable, so we don’t want anyone in there to get hurt or killed over a bat,” said Bank Director Brian Hofen.

Bats were seen flying back into the area under the collapsed roof. The bank waited until late Tuesday night to begin removing rubble from that area to allow the bats to leave for their nightly hunting.

Ned Bruha was released from jail Tuesday morning after the game warden had finished his recovery work. No charges would be filed against him, but he was asked to leave the area. Bruha left Alva Tuesday afternoon.

Lisa McMurphy and a few other concerned citizens remained to monitor the situation and to take care of any bats that may be found by the game warden.

Bank officials said they simply wanted to diffuse the situation, considering the bank has received numerous threats over the last few days from as far away as Austria.

The folks looking out for the bats said they hope this will bring about a law protecting animals in similar situations.

About a week ago, we published some stories about caving and its risks. I ended up going to Alabaster Caverns State Park and talking to two people who work there. I’ll be sure to post some links to that story just in case you all didn’t see it.

Released on Tue, Feb 16, 2010 – 1:48 pm under

• Wildlife Resources

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has received confirmation that two bats have tested positive for White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a white fungus that is responsible for the deaths of thousands of bats in the Eastern United States. This is the first record of White Nose Syndrome in Tennessee. The bats were hibernating in Worley’s cave in Sullivan County.  Three tri-colored bats were collected by the TWRA and submitted to the National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wis. for testing last week.

Last spring the state of Tennessee, National Park Service, and USDA Forest Service and Tennessee Valley Authority closed caves on public lands in Tennessee in an attempt to slow the spread of the fungus. The Nature Conservancy also closed caves located on their lands in Tennessee.

Scientists are trying to determine the cause of WNS and its effects. Once a colony is affected, the fungus spreads rapidly and has killed at least 95 percent of bats at one New York hibernation site in two years. Other northeastern U.S. monitored bat colonies affected by WNS are experiencing similar large fatalities. There have been no reported human illnesses attributed to WNS and there is currently no evidence to suggest that WNS is harmful to humans or other organisms.

Preliminary research results recently released by the United States Geological Survey indicates that the potential exists for WNS to be transmitted between bat hibernation caves as an unwanted hitch-hiker upon humans, their clothing, or other caving gear.

“Temporarily staying out of caves and mines is the one thing we can do right now to slow the transmission of White Nose Syndrome,” said Cory Holliday, Cave and Karst Manager for The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee. “We knew the bat deaths in the Eastern United States were large. Here in Tennessee we stand to lose the last stronghold of bats like the endangered Indiana and grays. We have hundreds of thousands of bats hibernating in our caves each winter. With a 95 percent mortality rate the loss is catastrophic.”

Biologists are concerned that WNS could devastate populations of endangered Indiana and gray bats. Bats play a key role in keeping insects such as agricultural pests, mosquitoes and forest pests under control.

“Bats provide a tremendous public service in terms of pest control, said Richard Kirk, Nongame and Endangered Species Coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. If we lose 500,000 bats, we’ll lose the benefits from that service and millions of pounds of insects will still be flying around our neighborhoods, agricultural fields and forests.”

The disease causes bats to use up their fat reserves rapidly during hibernation. This causes the bats to fly out of caves during the winter in a desperate attempt to find food, but since the insects they eat are also seasonally dormant, the bats soon die of starvation.

State and federal agency biologists and non-governmental organizations are currently surveying caves in east Tennessee and other portions of the state. These surveys are being conducted as annual bat population surveys and to monitor for WNS.

Links to more information -http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html

—TWRA—

Photo Caption:

This is one of two two-colored bats collected last week showing signs of White Nose Syndrome. (Photo by Sterling Daniels, TWRA)

White-Nose Syndrome is likely cause

Annapolis, MD (March 10, 2010) — Several dead bats and over two hundred visibly affected bats were found during a survey conducted in an Allegany County cave near Cumberland on March 5. The bats observed during the survey exhibited a white fungus concentrated around the muzzle of the infected bats. The findings are consistent with White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) and if confirmed, this will be Maryland’s first documented occurrence of the disease.

“Many biologists suspect that the WNS fungus, Geomyces destructans, is a non-native pathogen recently introduced to the United States,” said Dana Limpert, DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service ecologist and bat expert. “Fortunately WNS is not known to be harmful to humans. Unfortunately there is no known cure for bats infected with the disease, so our priority is preventing the spread of this deadly syndrome to other bat caves or hibernacula.”

WNS, likely spread by contact among bats and their environment, is a disease suspected of killing more than a million bats in the northeastern United States. Bat carcasses and fungal samples were sent to the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. for verification. Positive laboratory confirmation of the fungus is expected to take several weeks.

The disease has been documented in caves and mines where large numbers of bats hibernate. The disease has not been found in bats that use buildings or other man-made structures. Based on its distribution in the northeastern states, WNS in Maryland is only expected to occur in the mountainous parts of the State where caves occur. It is not expected to be found in metropolitan environments.

“It is unclear how this cave became infected but there is evidence from other locations in the Northeast that cavers may be a source for spreading the WNS fungus,” said Dan Feller, the DNR ecologist who discovered the dead bats. “Cavers are generally responsible outdoor enthusiasts, but contaminated clothing and gear may inadvertently transmit spores into new areas, potentially impacting vital bat populations. We will begin immediately to elicit support from the local caving community to help us limit the spread of this disease.”

WNS was first discovered in a cave near Albany, N.Y. in February 2006. It has been confirmed or suspected in 10 states in the eastern U.S. from New Hampshire to Tennessee. Since 2006, biologists across the Northeast have reported as much as a 100% decline in hibernating bats in affected caves.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requests that cavers refrain from caving in all WNS affected states and adjoining states. And cavers should refrain from caving anywhere during the hibernation period (September – May) to minimize disturbance and mortality to bats.

DNR biologists, following strict protocols established by the Northeastern WNS Working Group, will continue their monitoring efforts to determine if any other hibernation sites are affected in the state. Additional information on white-nose syndrome can be found at:http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/bats/nhpbatdisease.asp.

A Tulsa City-County Health Department truck sprays for mosquitos along a Tulsa street. Health Department officials said West Nile virus has been detected in the county’s mosquito population.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

White-nose Syndrome Jumps to a ‘Gateway to the West’

May 20, 2010 (Austin, TX) – The White-nose Syndrome (WNS) fungus has taken a frightening leap that apparently opens western states and perhaps Mexico to this deadly wildlife disease that already has decimated bats throughout the eastern United States. The fungus has been confirmed for the first time in Oklahoma and in a new bat species, the cave myotis.

Cave myotis, the first uniquely western species to face the fungus, will likely spread it to other western bats. But an even greater risk of WNS moving into new regions involves cave myotis’ tendency to share caves with migratory Mexican free-tailed bats, one of the most widely dispersed and far-ranging species of bats in the American West and South.

Huge colonies of freetails typically spend their summers in the United States, where they are found from coast to coast, then migrate south for the winter. Their migration routes can cover 1,000 miles or more and reach deep into Mexico.

“The arrival of the WNS fungus in Oklahoma may open a gateway to the West. It certainly puts all the western states on high alert,” said Mylea Bayless, WNS Emergency Response Coordinator for Bat Conservation International. “This may expose a whole new community of bat species to White-nose Syndrome – and we know far less about where these bats hibernate than we do in the east, so tracking and monitoring the disease will be much more difficult.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said in a news release today (May 20, 2010) that the fungus found on the cave myotis in Oklahoma has been confirmed as Geomyces destructans fungus linked to WNS.

White-nose Syndrome has killed more than a million bats of eight species since it was discovered in a New York cave four years ago. Mortality rates approach 100 percent at some sites. WNS so far has killed only hibernating bats, which include 25 of the 46 U.S. bat species. Cave myotis hibernate through the winter and are probably susceptible to WNS. Mexican free-tailed bats, however, remain active year round.

WNS’ potential impact on Mexican freetails is unknown, but these bats share their winter and summer ranges with many hibernating species. Biologists fear that migrating freetails, even if they are not themselves battered by the disease, may prove to be carriers that spread the fungus that’s linked to White-nose Syndrome.

Mexican freetails form very large colonies and consume enormous quantities of insects, including such expensive agricultural pests as the corn earworm moth. Bat Conservation International owns and protects the world’s largest bat colony – up to 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats that spend each summer at Bracken Bat Cave near San Antonio. About 1½ million of freetails live under the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin, Texas, where BCI is headquartered. They constitute a significant tourist attraction in the city.

Endangered Indiana bats already are being killed by WNS, and the fungus has now been found in endangered gray bats. So far this year, the disease or the fungus has expanded into Tennessee, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri and now Oklahoma. It also spread northward into Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Bats across the continent are at imminent risk.

Bat Conservation International (BCI) is devoted to conserving the world’s bats and their ecosystems in order to ensure a healthy planet. Founded in 1982, the organization has achieved unprecedented progress by emphasizing sustainable uses of natural resources that benefit both bats and people.