- NABat Coordination Team
NABat News September 2022
NABat Photo Contest Deadline Extended!
NABat is partnering with Bat Conservation International to host our 2nd annual photo contest! The last day for submissions has been extended through 12 October 2022. Don't wait, submit your photos now for a chance to win!
Click here for the full contest details
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USFWS Propose to List Tricolored Bat as Federally Endangered
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) as an endangered species. The proposal follows an in-depth review which determined the species' dramatic, range-wide declines meet the qualifications of endangered status under the Endangered Species Act. White-nose syndrome is currently present across 59% of the species’ range and has caused population losses over 90% in affected colonies.
The USFWS is requesting comments on the proposal; see the official press release for instructions. A public hearing on the species' potential status change is scheduled for 6:00 pm ET, 12 October 2022. Click here to register for the public hearing.
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The USGS/USFWS BatTool is Live!
A collaboration between the USGS and USFWS has delivered the BatTool, an R package and decision support application useful for projecting bat populations under the influence of environmental stressors.
Click here to launch the BatTool application; or visit the BatTool R package repository.
Additionally, the R package can be installed using the following R code: remotes::install_gitlab("umesc/wthogmartin/BatTool", host="code.usgs.gov"
The associated manuscript detailing the R package, Shiny app, and a wind impacts case study has been submitted to Methods in Ecology and Evolution and is expected to be published in coming months. For more information please contact Ashton Wiens: awiens@usgs.gov.
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Updates from the AFWA Bat Working Group
The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Bat Working Group was initiated to identify barriers to bat conservation and to liaise other AFWA committees with guidance and assistance on bat-related issues. Since June, the group has met monthly to draft a new work plan, updating priorities and action items. The final work plan and annual report will be presented at the impending annual AFWA meeting; visit the AWFA meeting website for a full event schedule and more details as they become available. For more information about the working group please contact Leanne Burns: leanneklb@gmail.com.
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Request for Information: US DOE Wind Energy Bat Deterrents
The US Department of Energy Wind Energy Technologies Office has issued a Request for Information (RFI), seeking input on the status and research needs related to bat deterrent technologies. This RFI will inform a potential funding opportunity announcement. This RFI seeks input related to:
1) bat behavior research needs to inform advanced deterrent development
2) field research needs for validation and acceptance of deterrent technologies
3) deterrent hardware research needs to ensure seamless deterrent integration with wind turbines, as well as long term reliability and effectiveness
Responses to this RFI must be submitted electronically to WETOBatRFI@ee.doe.gov with the subject line "DOE Bat RFI Response" no later than 5:00pm, 16 September 2022.
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Public Input Wanted: BOEM Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Offshore Wind Project, Rhode Island
The US Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management is seeking public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Revolution Wind energy project, offshore Rhode Island. Comments will be accepted through 17 October 2022.
Comment submission instructions and public hearing schedules are available here.
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Call for Workshops: International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum
The Business Network for Offshore Wind has opened the Call for Workshops for the 2023 International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) through 1 November 2022. IPF will take place on 28-30 March 2023 in Baltimore, US.
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Call for Proposals: Nature-Inclusive Solutions Around Offshore Wind Farms
Multinational electric utility, Iberdrola, through its PERSEO start-up program, is inviting innovative proposals that seek to develop, test, or monitor nature-inclusive solutions that could be implemented in an offshore wind farm environment. Applications are due 30 September 2022.
CoP Calls are Back!
After a summer hiatus we are returning to our monthly NABat Community of Practice calls. We held our September CoP call on the 13th where we provided brief updates on NABat Working Groups and presented the current status of NABat's winter and summer abundance analyses.
The October CoP call is scheduled for 3:00-4:30pm ET, 18 October 2022, and will feature the goals and accomplishments of NABat's many regional Hubs and will provide info for how you can get involved. Keep an eye on the NABat Events Page for the meeting links!
If you want to be added to the distribution list for NABat CoP calls, please reach out to Bethany Straw: bstraw@usgs.gov.
October NABat Training Webinars
We're featuring two training webinars this October to support folks processing and uploading their summer data:
October 4th: Uploading Acoustic Data to the Partner Portal
October 13th: Prepping and Uploading Colony Count/Capture Record Data
Check out the NABat Events page for a complete list of training webinars, meeting links, and all other upcoming events!
Seasonal activity patterns of bats in high-elevation conifer sky islands
Extralimital occurrences of southeastern myotis in Alabama and Georgia
Consumption of endemic arbovirus mosquito vectors by bats in the southeastern United States
Spatial and temporal variation in New Hampshire bat diets
Offshore and coastline migration of radio-tagged Nathusius' pipistrelles
Diet analysis of bats killed at wind turbines suggests large-scale losses of trophic interactions
Finding bat roosts along cliffs: using rock climbing surveys to identify roosting habitat of bats
Bat responses to climate change: a systematic review
Pyrodiversity in a warming world: research challenges and opportunities
University of Georgia: PhD Research Assistantship
The University of Georgia is seeking a graduate student to investigate biodiversity responses to streamside management zones (SMZs) on private, working forests. The overall goal of the research is to relate various biodiversity metrics within and adjacent to SMZs using a multi-taxon approach.
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University of Oklahoma: PhD Student
The Becker Lab at the University of Oklahoma is recruiting a PhD student to start in Fall 2023 as part of a large-scale, collaborative NSF project with the VERENA Consortium on the molecular foundations of the global virome, with particular attention to the ecology and evolution of immunity in bats.
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Stantec, Inc.: Acoustic Bat Biologist
Stantec is seeking an Acoustic Bat Biologist to join their team in Overland Park, Kansas. The position will involve performing bat acoustic surveys and analyses to support environmental services projects. This position will include opportunities for both field and office work.
September's Featured Resource: An NABat R Script for Renaming Acoustic Files
Sometimes you need to rename your acoustic files so they match the filename entered in your call metadata or to remove spaces/special characters. We've developed an R script that assists you to rename all the files in a folder. Download the R Script then follow along through step-by-step video instructions to see the R Script in use!
Additional resources on preparing and processing data are available here.
In Case You Missed It, NABat Updated Its General Terms & Conditions
We've updated our General Terms and Conditions for the NABat Partner Portal. The new version now includes three new sections at the beginning: Background, Purpose, and Collaborators.
View the updated General Terms and Conditions here