The catastrophic drop in the little brown bat population is continuing, with the numbers down 50 percent from last summer and 80 percent from 2008, according to the results of New Jersey's annual summer bat count.

The dramatic declines are due to a fungus that attacks the bats during their winter hibernation in caves and abandoned mines. The outbreak is called white-nose syndrome for a white fuzz the fungus produces on the nose, ears and wing membranes of infected bats.