On Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced that a low level of the fungus that causes white nose syndrome was found on one of the 15 bats swabbed this winter at a tourist cave run by the state. None of the bats seen in the cave appeared to have symptoms of white nose syndrome.

According to the Iowa DNR release, to prevent the fungus from spreading to other caves, “the DNR will be adding mats with disinfection solution that people will walk across after leaving the caves….”

Read the Iowa DNR press release here.
Read an article in the Kansas City InfoZone, here.

The InfoZone story includes a criticism of Iowa DNR by the Center for BioDiversity for keeping the cave open to the public after the fungus was discovered.

You can also read the Center for BioDiversity press release, here.

Photo: Maquoketa Caves State Park, courtesy of Iowa DNR