Results of Bat Inventories at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield 2015-2016
Castleberry S, Terrell V, Morris T. 2017. Results of Bat Inventories at Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield 2015-2016. University of Georgia
White-nose Syndrome (WNS) is a disease in bats caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Since its discovery in 2006, WNS has killed millions of bats in the eastern United States (Frick et al. 2010, Langwig et al. 2012). The disease was first confirmed in Georgia in February 2013, and in 2014 Pd was confirmed in the county adjacent to the one in which Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CHAT) and Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield (KEMO) occur. WNS has had a well-documented, devastating impact on bat populations as counted in winter hibernacula. What is less certain, is the resulting impact the disease has on bat presence on the landscape during the summer months. Three species susceptible to WNS were documented in CHAT during the summer of 2004 and 2005: little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), and tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). No bat inventories have occurred at KEMO, but the same three species are expected to occur there based on habitat similarity. Additionally, both parks are within the southernmost extent of the ranges of two federally-endangered bat species that are known to be susceptible to WNS: Northern long-eared bat (M. septentrionalis) and Indiana bat (M. sodalis). This project involved implementing summer bat inventories to document presence and an index of relative abundance of bat species two years after WNS confirmation in the state and one year after Pd documentation in a county adjacent to the parks’ county. Survey results will provide park managers with important information on bat distribution and the impacts of threats like WNS. This project also involved establishing monitoring routes to be included in routine bat monitoring efforts being conducted by the state.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Castleberry, Steven; Terrell, Vanessa; Morris, Trina
- Date of Issue
- 2017-02
- Units
- CHAT , KEMO
- Keywords
- Anabat, Bat, Chattahoochee, mist netting, White-nose Syndrome
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals