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Some of Vermont's nine bat species are endangered, and others are being threatened by disease and habitat destruction.

White-nose syndrome is killing off many bat colonies across North America. The same disease is decimating the northern long-eared bat population, which is also on the brink of extinction.

The mosquito-chomping little brown bat is about the size of a thumb. It’s one of nine bat species that can be found in Vermont. And, along with four others, it’s considered endangered in Vermont. They like to hang out in attics and old barns.But in recent years, biologists have seen a promising trend: their populations here appear to be stabilizing. And they say it’s thanks to volunteer community scientists that we know. As part of our Summer School series, ¿ªÔÆÌåÓý’s Abagael Giles set out for a secret colony, to learn more about how to count them.

The Indiana bat has been on the federal endangered species list since the 1960s. Vermont’s Champlain Valley is at the extreme edge of this bat’s range � and a new discovery in Hinesburg this month has bat wildlife officials excited.

The Fish and Wildlife Department and a state science advisory panel disagree over how to protect endangered bats in Vermont from a large-scale pesticide�

Bats aren't scary � or they shouldn't be � and the population levels in Vermont seem to be stabilizing after huge die-offs caused by the fungal infection�

By now, white nose syndrome -- a disease that's threatening vast numbers of bats -- is probably a term familiar to even the most pedestrian wildlife�