bats in alaskaleoimages.blob.core.windows.net/hubfiles/alaska/48... · alaska citizen science...
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Bats in Alaska: Citizen Science and Field Research Give New Insights about their Distribution, Ecology, and Overwintering Behavior
Project PIs: David Tessler and Marian Snively
Presenter: Veronica Padula
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage
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Why study bats?
• Resource managers need to determine the appropriate actions and levels of effort necessary to fulfill their public trust responsibilities for this species
• Planning and environmental assessment processes for public lands should include bat habitat and range information when considering effects of land-management practices
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Why study bats?
• Through increased awareness of the value of bats in the wild, we can slowly begin to understand and conserve bats in Alaska
• Important that we continue to learn more about bats and bat ecology in Alaska so we can conserve resources critical to their survival and prevent population declines
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Conservation Concerns
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the entire genus Myotis as a conservation concern in 2003
• White Nose Syndrome is decimating bat populations in eastern North America
• High mortality rates caused by crashes with wind turbines
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White Nose Syndrome
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Bat Species in Alaska
Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
Long-legged bat (Macrophyllum macrophyllum)
Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
Keen's myotis (Myotis keenii)
California myotis (Myotis californicus)
Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis)
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Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) • Most common and widespread bat species in
Alaska • Weight: 5–9 g • Length: 3–4 ½ in • Wingspan: 8–9 in • Flying speeds: up to 22 mph, average of 12 mph
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Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
• Habitats
• Southeast: Temperate rainforests
• Interior: Spruce/birch forests
• Western region: Treeless, shrub-dominated communities
• Distribution limited by geographic barriers, roost availability, climate, length of night, and prey availability
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Research Needs
• Little is known about the ecology of bats in Alaska
– Distribution and abundance during summer months poorly understood
– Few summer maternity roosts documented
– Even less known about where bats go in winter
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Research Needs
• Knowing where bats are on the landscape, where they hibernate, and whether or not they migrate are critical information gaps
• Because bats occur in low densities in Alaska, documenting their summer distribution, roosting habitat, migration habits, and winter hibernacula is a challenging task
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Alaska Citizen Science Program
• Partnership between members of the public and professional scientists
• Provides opportunities for private citizens to assist wildlife biologists in collecting important data and be part of ongoing research projects and conservation planning
• With help of local residents we are able to expand our efforts and do more with our resources
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Alaska Citizen Science Program
• Alaska is a huge state with few scientists and limited funds available to study the many different species of wildlife that live here
• The Citizen Science Program allows individuals, families, community organizations, and school groups — anyone interested in learning more about our local wildlife — a chance to get involved
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Alaska Bat Monitoring Program (ABMP)
• Developed in 2004, a citizen science-based approach for collecting baseline information on the locations of bats, roosts, and hibernacula to
• Aims to encourage general public and natural resource professionals across Alaska to report any and all encounters with bats.
• Used as the basis for more intensive, directed research efforts
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Alaska Bat Monitoring Program (ABMP)
• Enlist volunteer participation by:
– Extensive public outreach efforts
– “Inreach” to academics, agency researchers, and other natural resource professionals
– Mass-media elements to publicize the project
– Live presentations for the general public, civic organizations, and school groups
– The website www.akbats.net provides “self-service” alternative for those we are unable to reach in person
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Alaska Bat Monitoring Program (ABMP)
• Volunteer data • Observations wherever bats encountered
• Record number of bats observed
• Whether bats flying or roosting
• Substrate type (if roosting)
• Date and time, elevation, latitude and longitude, and physical directions to the observation site.
• Photographs to validate observations are requested but remain optional
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Ongoing Research
• Bat detectors convert the high-frequency calls that bats make to a lower-frequency sound within the range of human hearing
• Allow us to “eavesdrop” on bats while they forage
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Summer Roosts • We know of only a handful of summer roosts,
most in buildings
• Track summer roosts through fall to determine if bats leave or remain in place over winter
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Winter Roosts
• Either migrate to warmer climates or hibernate
• Drop body temperature and metabolic rate to conserve energy when no food is available
• Hibernacula must stay cold, but remain above freezing
• Caves and abandoned mines popular in East and Midwest
• Don't know where most western bats spend the winter
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Results of Citizen Science, 2004-2012
• Yielded data with geographic scope and temporal sweep that would be extraordinarily expensive to acquire using more traditional field methods for such exploratory research.
• This project and these data are intended to inform and guide more rigorous research efforts utilizing these gold-standard methods in the future
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Bat Reports
• Received reports of bats from 252 unique locations – Southcentral (n=191)
– Central (n=34)
– Western Alaska (n=27)
• Overall, bats reported throughout state south of Brooks Range – Northernmost observation in Kotzebue
– Westernmost in White Mountain and St. Michael
– Southernmost from Semidi Island group
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Bat Reports
• Clustered along road corridors and near population centers
• Also received reports from remote villages off of road system
• Received 48 reports of maternity roosts
– All were associated with human structures
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Bat Reports
• Reports of bats in 25 unique locations during the winter period from October to April – All associated with buildings unless observed flying
outdoors
– No hibernacula in natural substrates
• Implications – Bats in most northerly areas are likely non-migratory
and overwinter in human structures
– Winter observations in Southcentral Alaska suggest both migratory and non-migratory behavior
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Local Environmental Observer Network