An innovative team of scientists that include researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service’s Northern Research Station, the headquarters of which are located in Newtown Square, was recently honored for its work that is seeking to improve bats’ odds of surviving White-Nose Syndrome.

The scientists investigated bats’ migratory patterns, habitat use, and ability to fight the disease itself.

USDA Forest Service Chief Thomas Tidwell presided over the 2016 Wings Across the Americas Conservation Awards ceremony, which was held as part of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Pittsburgh, and honored outstanding work in the conservation of birds, bats, butterflies, and dragonflies.

Tidwell presented the research partnership award to a team that includes researchers from the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station and Forest Products Laboratory, as well as State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, state natural resource agencies in Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, and three national forests.

The partnership takes a holistic approach to studying the effects of WNS and aims to find ways to help bats cope with the disease, from studying whether microbes on their wings are helping build immunity to identifying where land managers might improve habitat so migrating bats are healthier and more resilient to the disease.

The mission of the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station is to improve people’s lives and help sustain the natural resources in the Northeast and Midwest through leading-edge science and effective information delivery.

The mission of the Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone.