The bat population seems to be starting to make a slow recovery after it was decimated by white nose syndrome, which started to rip through the province’s bat colonies – and others throughout North America – in 2011. Last week, a New Brunswick researcher reported the discovery of several maternity colonies with healthy bats and pups, leading to a glimmer of optimism for the future of bats in that province.  Donald Sam, a species at risk biologist with Nova Scotia’s Department of Lands and Forestry, said the population here also seems to be starting the long road to recovery. “We’re a little ahead of New Brunswick, not to compare,” Sam said. “We identified maternity sites four years ago, mostly on Crown land because that’s what we have easy access to.” He said department staff have gone back to those sites several times, and the numbers are growing over the four years.