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2009
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Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission Working With Other Public Land Managers to Address White-nosed Syndrome (WNS) in Bats
All caves within the ANHC System of Natural Areas have been closed in an effort to prevent the spread of White-nose Syndrome (WNS) among the state’s bat populations. The closures became effective July 1, 2009, and will last for at least two years. Natural Areas that include caves, such as Cave Springs Cave NA, Garrett Hollow NA, Hell Creek Cave NA, and Slippery Hollow NA, house populations of
 federally endangered bats and provide critical habitat for several of Arkansas’s 16 species of bats. These caves are not easily accessible and are not managed for public recreational caving. In fact, several of the caves are gated to protect the delicate karst habitat (see main gate at Hell Creek Cave Natural Area on the right). Even with such limited access, ANHC is joining with other public land managers in the region and closing the caves to all human entrance, including academic research.
White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a condition named for a newly-described species of white fungus (Geomyces destructans), adapted to cold conditions like those found in caves. The fungus appears on
 the faces, ears, wings and feet of hibernating bats (see image at right) and is strongly suspected to be the cause of WNS. Scientists believe WNS is spread bat-to-bat as they cluster in caves and mines, and it may be unknowingly transferred from one cave or mine to another on the footwear, clothing and gear of humans visiting caves. WNS was first recorded in 2006 in a cave in New York, and within two years had spread to Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. WNS outbreaks were confirmed this past winter in nine states (totaling over 65 sites), including new outbreaks in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee.
The effects of WNS are unprecedented as nearly one million bats in the New England and Mid-Atlantic states are known to have died as a result, including over 25,000 endangered Indiana bats. Once a colony is affected, the fungus spreads rapidly. At least 95 percent of bats at one hibernation site were killed in just two years. Biologists are concerned that WNS could devastate populations of endangered bats.
Evidence consistently shows that infected bats arouse from hibernation far more often than normal. About 25 of the 46 bat species in the U.S. use caves or cave-like locations to some extent during winter, when their body temperature and metabolic rate drop to strikingly low levels to conserve energy. Every time they arouse from hibernation, their temperature and metabolism increase and they burn large amounts of stored fat. After a few extra arousals, they lack the energy stores to survive until spring and typically die of starvation. Scientists need to know exactly what causes these arousals and just what bats are doing during them. Researchers also hope to learn whether some bats survive WNS infections, what characteristics make that possible and whether the spread of this can be predicted, slowed or stopped. There is no known human health risk associated with white-nose syndrome in bats.
A dozen scientists and 14 state and federal wildlife managers attended the second WNS strategy session May 27 and 28, which was sponsored by Bat Conservation International, Boston University, Disney Rapid Response Fund, National Caves Association, the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Park Service. The following consensus statement was released after the meeting:
“White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease of hibernating bats that has caused the most precipitous decline of North American wildlife in recorded history. Since it was first discovered in 2006, WNS has infected six species of insect-eating bats in the northeastern and southern U.S., causing declines approaching 100% in some populations; estimated losses have exceeded one million bats over the past three years. If the spread of WNS is not slowed or halted, further losses could lead to the extinction of entire species and could more than quadruple those that are federally listed as endangered in the U.S.For more information on WNS please visit Bat Conservation International US Fish and Wildlife Service
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Back to School
 As teachers and students prepare to go back to the classroom, more than 200 teachers will start the new school year with ANHC educational materials from summer workshops. As an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) we participate in some of the workshops DAH conducts each summer around the state. In a session at Lake Frierson State Park, we focused on the natural features of Crowley’s Ridge as well as details about the endemic species on this year’s Heritage Month poster.  In late July, we got the chance to showcase the connections between DAH agencies with a workshop in the newly-renovated “great hall” of Camp Ouachita in Perry County (see photo at right). After we examined why many of Arkansas’s endemic species occur in the Ouachita Mountains, education staff from DAH’s Arkansas Historic Preservation Program pointed out the architectural features of the nation’s only surviving WPA-constructed Girl Scout complex, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each participant received a copy of The Natural Division of Arkansas along with posters, activity sheets and resource guides. In addition to hands-on ANHC instruction with these two workshops, an additional 150 copies of the book were distributed at DAH workshops in Rogers, Lake Village, Altus and Little Rock. The Arkansas Department of Education’s Mathematics and Science centers around the state are also important partners for workshops. In June, I taught a session on the natural divisions of Arkansas at the South Arkansas Mathematics and Science Center in Arkadelphia. We finished up the summer with a workshop for the Social Studies and Science Conference at Henderson State University. All ANHC teacher workshops include continuing education credits for professional development.
If you would like more information about our educational programming, please visit the “Outreach” section of our website.
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Trail Restoration Work
Work has begun to renovate trails on two natural areas in western Arkansas: Iron Mountain and White Cliffs. Iron Mountain Natural Area is located in Polk County, just south of Mena. The trail is a 2-mile single tract loop that follows an intermittent stream named Paul Branch. This natural area has been hit by recent storms and downed trees have blocked the trail in several locations. Several of the trail markers are missing or covered by debris. ANHC stewardship staff have started the job of cleaning up the fallen trees and branches, cutting out the trail tread way, installing new footbridges and marking the path with blue diamonds. White Cliffs Natural Area is located in Little River County near Millwood Lake. Trail work has been started near the parking area, and will continue east across the state highway. This loop trail is  approximately 1.5 miles and ends up on a small hill overlooking the lake and the Little River (see photo at right). Work here also includes clearing fallen timber from the trail, cutting a new path in places, and marking the trail with blue diamonds.Both of these trails should be ready for hiking this fall, so when the weather cools down and you are ready to get outside, visit the Natural Areas section of our website for more information about these and other trails on Natural Areas.
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“Umbrellas” After the Rain
 We can still see impacts from the record breaking rainfall last month. Some areas of Arkansas received more than 200 percent of normal rainfall for July, such as Jonesboro (Craighead County), Little Rock (Pulaski County), and Texarkana (Miller County). At Little Rock, the monthly total of 11.65 inches made it the wettest July on record (breaking the previous record of 9.23 inches in 1891). One of the more colorful effects in the natural world was a bumper crop of mushrooms. The seemingly spontaneous emergence of mushrooms after rain is so notable that the very term "to mushroom" suggests explosive growth. Mushrooms are the visible fruiting bodies produced by some fungi. Unlike plants, fungi cannot produce their own food. Instead they absorb nutrients from their surroundings. When triggered by rain, those fungi propagate themselves by producing spores--not seeds, but something similar, the microscopic germ of life that can become another fungus. And spores are often delivered by mushrooms. While mushrooms may seem to sprout overnight, it actually takes days or weeks for one to develop. Most of the growth goes unnoticed because it occurs underground in a part of the fungus called the “mycelium.” The mycelium is made of moist thread-like filaments that are interwoven into the soil and detritus of the forest floor and virtually impossible to discern. Mycelia are also a vital component in many ecosystems. Some decay logs and other plant materials, others are partners of living trees, helping them absorb nutrients and water. Still others create plant hormones that stimulate trees to grow. Scientists estimate that 80 per cent of trees depend, at least in part, on mycelia. A mycelium can grow to gargantuan proportions. Some mycelia of Honey mushrooms (Armillaria bulbosa) have been estimated to extend over 30 acres with an age of more than 1,000 years.  The structure of each species of mushroom is established in embryonic form, with a distinct cap and stem, poised in the mycelium for the appropriate environmental stimulus - moisture. When water permeates the ground after a rain, the young mushroom absorbs it, expanding rapidly with the preexisting structure now enlarged by the addition of the fluid. As the stem elongates, the cap expands, a little like an umbrella unfolding. In some mushrooms, the expanding cap breaks a veil-like membrane extending from the cap to the stem, leaving a ring. The underside of the cap holds the spore-producing structures which can be gills, pores, or even a fungus type of teeth. When the cap is open, the spores then fall out and are carried away. If a spore lands in a good spot, it germinates, producing the mycelium of a new fungus individual. If you have mushrooms in your lawn or garden, it is a sign that your soil has lots of organic matter. If a concentration of mushrooms keeps popping up in one area, it may be the spot where a tree was cut down but there is still a woody root system to be disposed of, supporting plenty of fungi. The study of fungi, including mushrooms is called “mycology.” The North American Mycological Association has variety of information about mushrooms, including educational materials, publications, photographs, and even cultivation guides.
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New and Improved
Cove Creek Natural Area in Faulkner County has new and improved access, with a new access road and a small parking area. The western boundary of the 228-acre natural area is also the boundary between Conway and Faulkner counties. Conway County Judge Jimmy Hart was instrumental in helping ANHC secure access easements to maximize the opportunity for public use while maintaining safety, protecting healthy wildlife and plant populations and adhering to the conservation values consistent with the agency’s mission.  ANHC stewardship staff just completed “re-opening” the new access road by clearing downed trees and limbs from recent storms in the area. When members of the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission tour the new access later this month, they will see woody debris along the road. This has been left to increase wildlife diversity by providing shelter, shade, perch sites, and food resources. Cove Creek (see photo at right) meanders through the foothills of the Ozarks in a southerly direction. The natural area contains approximately one mile of Cove Creek near its confluence with Cadron Creek. The stream is relatively deep with a constant velocity due to a progressive drop in elevation. The section of Cove Creek through the natural area is clear and consists of long pools with few riffles. Driving directions for the new access:
From I-40 in Conway travel north 7 miles on Highway 25 to Wooster, then travel 7 miles on Highway 285 to Mallet Town Rd, turn left and travel two miles to Town Circle Rd, turn right. Follow Town Circle Road for .3 miles and turn right and follow the gravel access road for .2 miles to the parking area.
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Endemic Species of the Month: August 2009
Ozark Pocket Gopher (Geomys bursaris ozarkensis)Most of us have seen genetic material being used to solve crimes on TV, but many fields of biology utilize DNA, including plant and animal taxonomy. By comparing the DNA sequences of genes, it is possible to show the degree of relatedness between species or determine the uniqueness of a new species. The endemic species for this month was found to be a new addition to the list of Arkansas mammals through DNA testing - the Ozark pocket gopher (Geomys bursaris ozarkensis). Prior to the 1990s, all pocket gophers in Arkansas were classified as Baird’s pocket gopher (G. breviceps) The new Arkansas species was described through further DNA (nucleotide sequence analysis of the cytochrome-b gene of mtDNA ) testing and analyses of cranial morphology. Results of the analysis indicated that populations from the Ozark Mountains are most similar to G. bursarius missouriensis in Missouri and not to geographically proximate populations of G. breviceps. To date, the Ozark pocket gopher has been confirmed to exist in Izard County with an estimated population of about 3,500 individuals. The term “geomys” in the scientific name means ‘earth mouse” . Most of their lives are spent underground so gophers are seldom seen, but their presence is obvious when the excavated dirt from a burrow is deposited in a mound at the surface.  Gophers have several special adaptations that help them work in a subterranean environment (see Plains pocket gopher photo at right). The legs are short to allow movement in a tunnel, and the front feet have three large claws used for digging; however, not all of the digging is done with the feet. The gnawing incisors often are used to break up the more compact dirt in front of them. Digging with your teeth could place a lot of dirt in your mouth, but another specialization solves that problem. The incisor teeth grow through the lips so that the mouth actually closes behind these teeth instead of in front of them. That way, the teeth can be used to dig without dirt getting into the gopher’s mouth. Gophers gather food when it is available and store it for later consumption. Built-in “grocery bags” are used to carry the food gathered during foraging. Those bags are fur-lined cheek pouches located on each side of the head. These pockets are the reason for the common name “pocket gopher.”
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Upcoming Events
August 26, 2009. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission Meeting: The ANHC will meet at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute on Petit Jean Mountain. This email was sent to &*TO; from the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. If you are not interested in this type of information, you may unsubscribe. 
ARKANSAS NATURAL HERITAGE COMMISSION an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage
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