PIRO – Grant Opportunity for Survey of the Bat Community Emphasizing the Northern Long-Eared Bat

Statement of Joint Objectives/Project Management Plan:
The information gathered from this research will add to the public knowledge base for occurrence and abundance of bat species native to PRNL, and habitat use of the federally listed northern long-eared bat in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Goals include to 1) create a baseline against which any future bat surveys in the Central or Eastern Upper Peninsula may be compared, 2) to document and describe habitat use by northern long-eared bats. Information will be shared with cooperating management agencies such as the US Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, and Michigan Department of National Resources.

Recipient Involvement: Implement mist netting surveys to collect baseline data on the bat species of PRNL, and locate northern long-eared roosts and conduct habitat assessment of roosts via radio-tracking. Prepare a report describing findings and analysis of findings.

National Park Service Involvement: Staff will conduct a companion bat acoustic monitoring effort, for comparison of mist-netting and acoustic results. The combination of both methods will enhance knowledge, future comparison, and accuracy of acoustic monitoring. NPS staff will be made available to assist with Recipient’s data collection as deemed appropriate and requested. Staff will provide information from previous acoustic monitoring work in the park, to facilitate finding bats, particularly the northern long-eared bat, in light of WNS infected and impacted population. NPS will assist with PRNL location information, logistics information, access, and other necessary information.

NPS did not solicit full and open competition for this award based the following criteria: The applicant is uniquely qualified to perform the activity based upon a variety of factors. Dr. Allen Kurta (Eastern Michigan University) has been involved with bat surveying and monitoring in Michigan for many years, is well respected within the bat community, well-published on the topic, and has overseen many previous bat inventory projects. Dr. Kurta’s familiarity with the bats of interest and the habitats in Michigan would allow for focused and efficient efforts to locate bats of interest. Dr. Kurta provides significant and current expertise on regional bat fauna and currently has or will be able to obtain the necessary federal permits to do the work on a threatened bat species. Due to the presence of White-nose Syndrome in the UP of Michigan and decimation of bat populations, there is a time-sensitive, critical need for information.