The First Ever Pacific Northwest Native American Workshop on Bats
Through a partnership between U.S. Geological Survey, Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service, and Oregon State University, the first Pacific Northwest Native American Workshop on Bats is in the works. This two-day, one-night event (8-9 August 2023) will be held in Toppenish, WA and hosted by the Confederated Bands and Tribes of the Yakama Nation. This free workshop is open to tribal biologists, resource managers, and native college students from their respective nations in the Pacific Northwest. Attendees will gain information on the benefits and threats to bats, as well learn technical skills and be presented new technology on how to study and monitor bats. In addition, there will be discussion on the parallels between the loss of bats and loss of indigenous knowledge across the landscape and provide opportunities for future collaboration with local and national agencies and NGOs.
Funding Opportunity: USFWS WNS Grants
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is making funding available in 2022 and 2023 for research and development of enduring solutions to manage WNS in bats. Funding through the Research and Development of Biotechnological Tools for WNS grant opportunity will advance projects that leverage knowledge about WNS, fungal pathogens, invasive species, wildlife diseases and other relevant topics to produce enduring solutions to WNS in North America. USFWS seeks management solutions that are pathogen-specific, effective, scalable, and safe for native biota and environments. For this opportunity, biotechnological tools are considered tools that involve the modification of an organism or genome for the purposes of acting on the function of an organism (in this case, Pd). Collaborations are encouraged and applicants are invited to contact a member of the Service’s WNS coordination team while developing their projects. The deadline has been extended to August 31st.
Comment Period Open: ESA Regulation Revision
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries) are proposing to restore important protections for species, strengthen consultation and listing processes, and reaffirm the central role science plays in decisions that guide the protection and recovery of endangered and threatened wildlife. The agencies encourage any interested parties to provide input and substantive comments on each of the three separate proposed rules during the 60-day public comment period from June 22, 2023 to Aug. 21, 2023. Find the proposed rules here. Learn more by visiting the Endangered Species Act Regulation Revision website.
Notice of Funding Opportunity: Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program (which may include funding for bat-related culvert work) is now available for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 in the amount of $111.85 million. The program helps carry out projects by certain Federal, Tribal, State, and local governments, including municipalities, counties, and others that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve habitat connectivity for terrestrial and aquatic species. Webinars that describe the program and the application process as outlined in the NOFO will be scheduled shortly. These webinars will be recorded and posted for prospective applicants. Please check the webpage for future webinars and more information. The NOFO is available here. The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM ET on August 1, 2023. Grant applications must be submitted through Grants.gov For additional information contact: wildlifecrossings@dot.gov.
Call for Manuscripts: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering Special Issue
The Journal of Marine Science and Engineering has extended the manuscript submission deadline for the Special Issue, “Interface between Offshore Renewable Energy and the Environment”, until 30 September 2023. Find information on the special issue here.
New OES-Environmental Guidance Documents
OES-Environmental has created a series of Guidance Documents for Risk Retirement that can be used to evaluate environmental effects of marine energy and apply current understanding within consenting processes. Two new stressor-specific documents, focused on Collision Risk and Entanglement, were recently published. Visit Tethys to learn more about Risk Retirement and view all country- and stressor-specific documents.
Individual Variation in Parturition Timing within and among Years for a Bat Maternity Colony Use of highway infrastructure by bats: a literature review and survey of the Trans-Pecos region of Texas Combining stable isotopes, trace elements, and distribution models to assess the geographic origins of migratory bats
Long-term spring through fall capture data of Eptesicus fuscus in the eastern USA before and after white-nose syndrome Climbers for Bat Conservation: creating a citizen science program in Red River Gorge Kentucky Westward expansion of the Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) into Dawson and Lincoln counties of central Nebraska Species and reproductive status influence element concentrations in bat fur Estimating density of forest bats and their long-term trends in a climate refuge Bat use of abandoned mines throughout Nevada Assessing the threat of bat-associated fungal pathogens Species‐specific responses to white‐nose syndrome in the Great Lakes region
Bat roosting strategies and torpor expression in a wildfire-affected landscape during summer Changes in Migratory Behavior and Phenology of Tadarida brasiliensis in the South-Central United States DNA barcoding and new records of Ornithodoros yumatensis from Central Mexico
Bat Tech Lead: Great Basin Institute
GBI is hiring a seasonal bat tech to lead their bat monitoring program next year. Position starts in early January and begins with winter acoustic sampling following a modified version of NABat, followed by 5 weeks of capture surveys to sample bats for the presence of Pd. After this, summer NABat surveys begin and finish up in mid to late June. They're looking for someone that has a couple seasons of bat handling/netting experience who is ready to take the next step in being the field lead and working alongside an intern that will be starting at the same time. Position is based in Boulder City, NV (Just outside Las Vegas) but field work will occur in 5 different National Park units. Must be comfortable hiking up to 10 miles a day over multiple days per field hitch and also be comfortable driving 4wd vehicles on unmaintained roads. The crew will generally be primitive/dispersed car camping during field hitches with occasional access to park housing. See this link for more details!
Bat Biologist: Portland, Maine
Tetra Tech’s commitment to hiring the best talent in the industry and helping them thrive professionally is stronger than ever. They are currently seeking a qualified Bat Biologist for its Portland, Maine office location to support projects across the country. The position involves providing strategic task management, technical direction and consulting, and scientific support to various projects involving bat species and habitats. Portland Maine would be the desired location for employment, but remote work would be considered.
July's Featured Resource: Offshore Sampling Frames A sampling frame set of grid-based, finite-area frames spanning the offshore areas surrounding Canada, the United States (including Hawaii/Alaska), Mexico, and the Caribbean is available. These offshore grids are intended for use with the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat). Like NABat's continental Master Sample, the offshore sampling grids have been attributed via a Generalized Random-Tessellation Stratified survey design (see data release detailed explanation). Grid boundaries are based on World Exclusive Economic Zone oceanic political boundaries and extend into the shoreline 30 kilometers. Find it here!