Software Testing and Level of Effort Determination to Inform Indiana Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat Acoustic Survey Guidelines and Pilot Assessment of Activity Correlates Indicative of Gray Bat, Little Brown Bat and Tri-colored Bat Status
A FWSR4/R5 FY20 Science Support Partnership and Quick Response Programs for the Southeast and Northeast Regions Project
With the onset and advance of whitenose syndrome (WNS) across USFWS Regions 2-6 managers realized that then current Indiana bat presence and absence survey guidelines were likely insufficient due to population declines. The objectives of this study are: 1. Continue to test automated bat identification software following USFWS and USGS jointlydeveloped protocols and standards as submitted to USFWS over the study period and report findings 2. Establish and operate zero-crossing, frequency division survey sites in representative upland, riparian and field-edge habitat in areas with recent past (since advent of WNS) or currently known Indiana bat maternity colonies in KY, TN, VA, IN and NY. 3. Establish and operate zero-crossing, frequency [...]
Summary
With the onset and advance of whitenose syndrome (WNS) across USFWS Regions 2-6 managers realized that then current Indiana bat presence and absence survey guidelines were likely insufficient due to population declines.
The objectives of this study are:
1. Continue to test automated bat identification software following USFWS and USGS jointlydeveloped protocols and standards as submitted to USFWS over the study period and report findings
2. Establish and operate zero-crossing, frequency division survey sites in representative upland, riparian and field-edge habitat in areas with recent past (since advent of WNS) or currently known Indiana bat maternity colonies in KY, TN, VA, IN and NY.
3. Establish and operate zero-crossing, frequency division survey sites in representative upland, riparian and field-edge habitat in areas with recent past or currently known northern long-eared bat maternity colonies in NC, KY, DC, VA, WV, and NY.
4. Supplement survey sites in objectives 2 and 3 to provide additional coverage for little brown bats in MA, VA and WI, gray bats in KY, GA and VA and tri-colored bats in KY, NC and VA.
5. Develop necessary and updated level-of-effort values from acoustic sampling data and VA Unit and USFWS and cooperator-contributed mist-netting data for Indiana bats and northern long-eared bats for use in setting both acoustic and mist-netting presence and absence guideline standards; determine if similar approaches are sufficient to inform guidelines for little brown bat, gray bat and tri-colored bat.
6. Compare Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat acoustic data from known or strongly suspected maternity colony sites (2015-2019) with current (2020-2021) data from areas in Regions 3, 4, and 5 where combined acoustic and intensive mist-net sampling has determined absence or presence of non-reproductive individuals to delineate hourly, nightly and whole survey period activity levels with the likelihood of aternity activity.
