Presenters/Co-Authors:

Piper Roby, Biologist, Copperhead Consulting: plroby@copperheadconsulting.com

Abstract:

Military bases can be important refuges for many species of flora and fauna, and in particular, those that are threatened, endangered, or state-listed. INRMPs outline survey and monitoring plans for federally-listed species as part of ecosystem-based management, and many of these in the eastern US include monitoring bat populations. To date, Copperhead has conducted 72 projects on 21 military properties in the eastern US, primarily consisting of survey and monitoring of bat populations, but has also included research and evaluation of non-listed species. This presentation will cover methods used to conduct bat surveys and highlight projects that involve multi-year surveys and research studies. Not only do bat surveys satisfy INRMP requirements, they can lead to new discoveries such as the two largest maternity colonies of the federally endangered Indiana bat residing on Ft. Knox in northcentral Kentucky.