The Wisconsin DNR has begun its annual bat survey which is carried out by agency personnel and experts. The survey is becoming a greater challenge due to white-nose syndrome and the effects it has on cave-dwelling populations including those in Door County. The disease actually changes where bats hibernate according to Mammal Ecologist Paul White.

White-nose syndrome kicks metabolism into high gear, wasting away fat stores needed for the winter and waking bats from their torpor. White says that bats in the northern part of the state, including Door County, have been hardest hit by the disease because exposure to winter weather can be lethal for the creatures.