34 2017 Annual Report
N O R T H A M E R I C A N B A T M O N I T O R I N G P R O G R A M
A N D H A B I T A T P R O J E C T S
Many North American bat species have seen a dramatic decline in recent
years, with wind turbines and white-nose syndrome being the two major
causes of mortality. To conserve Nebraska's bats, Game and Parks has teamed
up with the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources to develop the
North American Bat Monitoring Program. The Nebraska Master Naturalist
Program trained volunteers to drive bat detection routes in this ongoing
project. The data collected will be critical to make decisions about bat
conservation and help protect these species. Bats eat well over their body
weight in insects each night and save farmers and meat producers millions
in agricultural pest control. In addition, Game and Parks has been improving
habitat for at-risk bat species on public and private land in the Pine Ridge
Biologically Unique Landscape. Bats need good roost sites, foraging areas, and
access to water. Foraging is infl uenced by availability of insects, proximity to
day and night roosts, and uncluttered areas that provide shelter, such as forest
edges. One of the habitat projects is at Fort Robinson State Park, where forest
thinning is creating opening and edge habitat bats use for foraging and as
travel corridors. Opening the canopy also allows more light to penetrate the
forest fl oor, promoting the establishment of shrub and deciduous tree species.
