Identifying Potential Habitat for
Northern Long Eared Bats
Introduction
The Northern
Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis)
is federally listed as “threatened” under the
Endangered Species Act (ESA). Northern Long-eared Bats are a migratory species,
spending their winters in hibernacula—generally caves, and migrating to
floodplain forests and roosting in trees during the summer. Their range covers
most of the eastern United States and the species is dependent on floodplain
forests for migration and summer habitat. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Northern
Long-eared Bats, as well as other bird and bat species are highly impacted by
the installation of wind turbines. The spinning blades are difficult for bats
to avoid while flying, disrupting their migrations and causing major
fatalities. (Amos, 2016)
The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) has the responsibility of protecting and ultimately
recovering listed threatened and endangered species. For many Midwestern bat
species, this requires identifying important migratory corridors and ensuring
the safe passage of individual bats as they migrate each spring and fall.
While Iowa is a prime
candidate for developing wind energy, there is not a surplus of bat habitat.
Additionally, most of the state has been altered for
agricultural uses; streams have been straightened and trees have been removed,
eliminating much of the forested riparian habitat that did exist. As human development continues to sprawl, it
is crucial for land and resource managers, biologists and other conservation
professionals to strategically preserve and protect landscapes and geographies
that will most benefit the wildlife and resources they’re
trying to recover.
Objective
The objective of this
project is to identify potential habitat for the Northern Long-Eared Bat in
Iowa. The analysis was limited to a specific river in a specific county in an
effort to illustrate the analysis at a fine scale. While identifying potential
habitat spatially, I also wanted to quantify the acreage, helping to identify
counties with the greatest habitat preservation potential. This type of spatial
analysis will allow managers to identify geographies for conservation that are
the most feasible logistically and the most urgent for Northern Lone-Eared
Bats.
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Methods
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Results