The North American Bsal Task Force
is working to prepare, detect and respond to the lethal salamander pathogen, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal)
Our website is currently being updated. Please bear with us during this transition!
Recent Highlights
The 2022 Task Force Annual Report is now available here. Read about what each of the working groups have been focused on for the last year and what they will be up to next.
Dec 2nd, 2022 – The Task Force recently gave a webinar as part of the PARC Disease Task Team Webinar Series. Check it out here if you missed it to learn more about the basics of Bsal, what the task force is doing, and how you can get involved!
March 2022 – Now available: “A North American Strategic Plan to Control Invasions of the Lethal Salamander Pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans.” Download HERE.
On March 11th from 2-4 PM Eastern Time Task Force members are holding a Bsal Workshop at the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference. Visit our Workshop page to learn more and find resources.
North American Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans Task Force
Inaugural Annual Meeting
October 27th, 2020
A total of 44 participants joined the 1st Annual Meeting of the North American Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) Task Force. A short introduction to the history and current composition of the Task Force got us started. A representative from each of the eight working groups walked us through the ‘who, what and how’ of their function, and highlighted interactions between groups. Representatives from Canada and México provided insights on their countries’ approach to the Bsal threat to North American amphibians.
A great beginning to what will hopefully be a yearly event. Thanks to the motivation and enthusiasm of presenters and participants alike, I believe we achieved one of our main goals: to open a conversation between current and potential working group members, and elicit suggestions for improving the Task Force’s work. For instance, as a result of the workshop, some working groups have new members, and we have volunteers to translate communication material to Spanish and French, thus broadening our reach.
If you missed the workshop, or want to revisit some of the talks and material presented, click here to access a video recording, or simply download a pdf of the presentations.
Dr. Deb Miller and Dr. Matthew Gray, both researchers at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, were recently interviewed by The Conversation about Bsal and their work to understand this pathogen.
Listen and Read more here: