Bat monitoring protocol for the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network: Version 1.0
Goodwin KR. 2020. Bat monitoring protocol for the Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network: Version 1.0. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2020/2126. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
The National Park Service’s (NPS) Great Lakes Inventory and Monitoring Network (GLKN) monitors long-term ecosystem health in parks of the Great Lakes ecoregion. Bat population monitoring has been implemented in nine NPS units: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Grand Portage National Monument, Indiana Dunes National Park, Isle Royale National Park, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Voyageurs National Park. Sampling began in 2015 and has continued each year since. The bat monitoring program uses acoustic detectors to passively record bat echolocation calls. Sampling is conducted yearly between June and August at a set of 18–35 sites per park. Acoustic files and associated deployment data are archived at each park and submitted to GLKN for centralized data management and analysis. Data are processed through specialized acoustic analysis software to obtain automated species-level classifications for echolocation calls, followed by manual vetting of a subset of calls. Data analysis focuses on species richness, species distributions, and relative activity levels. Yearly summary reports and multi-year trend analyses are produced by park staff, the protocol lead, and contractors.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Goodwin, Katy
- Date of Issue
- 2020-05
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- GLKN , NRSS
- Keywords
- Protocol