NPS Wildlife Grant: Bat Acoustic Monitoring in Northern Great Plains Parks

STATEMENT OF JOINT OBJECTIVES/PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN

WYNDD will use acoustic methods to monitor bats at 6 parks in the Northern Great Plains (Table 1) under the continent-wide multi-agency North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) sampling frame and protocol. They will also examine the work done by NGPN in 2014-25. The primary objective is to monitor for temporal changes in abundance (as measured by an index of bat flyover activity).

Table 1. Parks to be Surveyed
Park State NABat Cells # Points # Road Surveys
Badlands National Park SD 3 12 6
Jewel Cave National Monument SD 1 4 2
Missouri National Recreation River NE/SD 5 20 10
Niobrara National Scenic River NE 2 8 4
Theodore Roosevelt National Park ND 2 8 4
Wind Cave National Park SD 1 4 2
Total 14
56
28

A total of 14 NABat cells will be monitored. Four passive acoustic recorders will be deployed at points within each NABat cell for four to seven nights. The recorders will be configured to monitor bat activity throughout the night. In addition, at each NABat cell a 25-48 km long vehicle road survey will be conducted at least two nights. The road surveys start 30-45 minutes after sunset with the surveyor driving about 32 kph. A microphone is attached to the roof of the vehicle. The surveys will be conducted in the months of June-August, generally following the schedule in Table 2. WYNDD will strive for as much year-to-year consistency as possible in terms of hardware, settings, and timing of surveys.

RECIPIENT INVOLVEMENT

1. Provide a project supervisor competent in bat ecology. The supervisor is responsible for the supervision of the participants, controlling the analysis of the data, and for ensuring that the project is undertaken in a safe manner.
2. Provide necessary training for field personnel.
3. Review data collected by NGPN in 2014 and 2015. The WYNDD staff will meet with a NPS technician representative (Midwest Regional Wildlife Biologist) to review previous work and work on logistics and permits for future work.
4. Maintain frequent contact with the NPS Technical Representative and ATR.
5. WYNDD will conduct point and road surveys in 6 parks for 2016-2020. The field work may be conducted by a student or technician level person, with guidance and oversight by a senior biologist knowledgeable of bat acoustic surveys.
6. WYNDD will systematically collect and store data, including metadata such as deployment dates and times, hardware used, hardware configurations, and other relevant information (contact NGPN for specific data fields and forms). Data should be provided to NGPN as soon as is possible after completion of surveys.
7. WYNDD will complete a report by December 31st of 2015 that summarizes recommendations for the 2016-2020 field work. By December 31, 2016 – 2019 an annual report that summarizes the field survey effort, the quantity and quality of data collected, and recommendations for future work based on field experiences will be completed. By December 31, 2020, a final report that summarizes field work will be completed.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE INVOLVEMENT

1. Issue the necessary NPS research permits for this study;
2. Participate and collaborate jointly with the WYNDD in carrying out the scope of work.
3. To provide a NPS technical representative to assist with specifics of the project as needed. The NPS technical representative and ATR will assist with project from start to completion of the report. NPS staff will contribute at least 80 hours of assistance.
4. Provide local knowledge and expertise to WYNDD on bats, previous studies, and habitat conditions at the park, and park staff;
5. The Network ATR and technical representative will monitor the performance of this Agreement by communicating on a regular basis with the PI.
6. Jointly participate in the development and review of the reports; NPS technical representative will do species identification of the audio files for data analysis, and final reports.
7. NGPN will be responsible for final storage of the data,
8. Incorporating findings into I&M monitoring efforts and national level work; and
9. NGPN will provide will provide acoustic recorders and associated equipment (e.g., microphones, tripods, GPS).