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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — An effort to place two types of bats on Maine's endangered species list because they have suffered apparent die-offs from white nose syndrome is up for a public hearing.
State regulators could add the northern long-eared bat and little brown bat to the list. Wildlife officials said last year that cave counts of those species showed nearly 90 percent declines. The hearing is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday in the Cross Building in Augusta.
The eastern small-footed bat is also being proposed for the state's threatened species list.
The syndrome is a disease caused by a fungus that interrupts bat hibernation, which robs the animals of energy and stored fat.
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