The federal Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public response to a plan it has drafted to protect three species of bats in three states: New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Written comments will be accepted for 30 days, from Oct. 29 to Nov. 29.

White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease affecting cave-hibernating bats, has caused significant declines in populations of Indiana, northern long-eared, and tricolored bats.

Impacts from human activities, according to a release from the Fish and Wildlife Service, can exacerbate these declines and impede recovery. The goal of the plan is to move species conservation forward by minimizing and offsetting the loss of habitat resulting from tree removal or habitat modification associated with routine development in New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The plan is available for review at https://www.regulations.gov/document/FWS-R5-ES-2024-0039-0001. The public may submit written comments at regulations.gov under document number FWS-R5-ES-2024-0039.

“Collaborative conservation is imperative in the effort to protect our most vulnerable species,” says the Service. “Public comment periods help the Service pool the knowledge and resources of private conservation organizations, landowners, state and federal agencies and Tribal nations in order to identify innovative strategies to conserve and recover wildlife.”