Research

Bats and Bridges

Funders & Collaborators: Wyoming Department of Transportation, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Governor's Big Game License Coalition Grant, and the University of Wyoming INBRE

Logan Detweiler, Master's student, is investigating how bats use bridges in Wyoming. During the summer, Logan visually inspects WYDOT bridges for the presence of bats based on physical presence or sign (i.e., guano deposits or urine staining). He has been collecting dozens of bridge characteristics (i.e., bridge type, structure make [wood, concrete, metal], number of crevices, habitat crossed [moving water, still water, road], etc.) and landscape metrics to help determine why bats are selecting some bridges over others, the type of roost (i.e., maternity, day, night), and collecting fungal swabs from roost sites to determine the presence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Logan's research has been approved by the University of Wyoming IACUC, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and WYDOT.

Maternity roost selection of Northern long-eared bats in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Funders & Collaborators: National Park Service and the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD)

Renee Lile, PhD student, is working with three National Parks and Monuments (Mt. Rushmore, Jewel Cave, and Wind Cave) in the South Dakota Black Hills to investigate the maternity roost selection and spatiotemporal fidelity of female northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis). This species has been heavily affected by white-nose syndrome (WNS) in the eastern portion of it's range and has been petitioned for elevation to Endangered on the USFWS Endangered Species List. Habitat selection and use in the west is relatively unknown, with only one recent study conducted in the Wyoming district of the Black Hills (Abernethy, Whittle & Chalfoun). Renee will be capturing female northern long-eared bats and tracking them to their maternity roosts. All work has been approved by the University of Wyoming IACUC, National Park Service (IACUC & Permits), Black Hills National Forest, and South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks.

Habitat selection and use by three species of greatest conservation need

Funders & Collaborators: Wyoming Military Department, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Camp Guernsey Joint Military Base

Nicholas Kovacs, Master's Student, is conducting a comprehensive survey of the bats of Camp Guernsey Joint Military Base. Due to the petitions for listing of the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) and elevation of ESA status for the northern long-eared bat (M. septentrionalis), the Wyoming Military Department is interested in determining the presence of these three species on Base, as well as improving our understanding of the species various habitat needs. Nick's project involves capturing and tracking bats during summer, as well as assisting the Wyoming Military Department survey and monitor hibernating colonies during winter. Nick's project will greatly improve our understanding of the ecology and behavior of bats in Wyoming. His research has been approved by the University of Wyoming IACUC, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, US Fish and Wildlife Service and Wyoming State Lands.

Investigating the ecology and behavior of Townsend's big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) in response to environmental change

Funders & Collaborators: Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Governor's Big Game License Coalition Grant, Wyoming Military Department, and the Bureau of Land Management

Julia Yearout, Master's Student, is going to be working on a project focused on filling in data gaps regarding the ecology of the Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii), in Wyoming. Corynorhinus townsendii can be found in many different habitat types including coniferous forests, juniper woodlands, deciduous forests, basins, as well as desert shrublands and has a range strongly correlated with the availability of caves and abandoned mines for year-round roosts. Although colonies have been monitored throughout the state since the mid-1990s, there has not been a comprehensive population estimate of this species in Wyoming. A general decline in cave-dwelling bats in the west was noted as early as the 1950’s and surveys for C. townsendii have only recently began to increase across the West. Presently, little is known about how stressors, such as anthropogenic change to hibernacula, climate change, green energy, and disease, will affect C. townsendii long-term. The information collected during our proposed project would allow managers to detect changes in population and determine whether the changes are due to one or multiple stressors. An evaluation of historical data from these surveys is needed to determine where missing maternity and hibernacula roosts should be sought out, and the level of survey effort needed to detect population changes over time. Our proposed research will help consolidate various ongoing survey efforts in the state into a coherent population monitoring scheme and help WGFD better manage the population by identifying stressors affecting the species. By better understanding the habitat C. townsendii uses to move between winter and summer roost sites, managers will be able to identify habitat corridors that will be essential in ensuring long-term persistence of the species.

Wyoming Hibernacula Surveys

Collaborators: Wyoming Department of Fish and Game, Wyoming Military Department, Bureau of Land Management

Recent article in the Laramie Boomerang focusing on bats in Wyoming