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September 2024 NABat Newsletter

Updated: Nov 8


IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Updates to stationary acoustic and mobile acoustic transect bulk upload templates are now LIVE in the NABat Partner Portal. All new acoustic data uploads and data reprocessing will need to meet the requirements of the updated templates. The recent NABat September Community of Practice call reviewed these template changes in detail – a link to the video recording can be found here.  Still have questions or need assistance? As always, please reach out to the NABat technical monitoring team to self-schedule a one-on-one appointment.


Note for State Agencies Submitting Scientific Collection Permit Data to NABat

An important note we wanted to share for state agencies interested in submitting their scientific collection permit data (typically capture data) to NABat – the required fields listed in the bulk upload templates must be satisfied before data can be accepted by the database. Required fields commonly missing from state collection permit forms include site names, type of survey performed, etc. As always, it is recommended that state’s coordinate with their local USFWS office to ensure data duplication does not occur in records submitted to NABat as part of state collection permit data and USFWS permit data. Please reach out to the NABat technical monitoring team if your state is interested in submitting scientific collection permit records and assistance is needed, or self-schedule a one-on-one appointment.


NABat R Package Version 1.1.0

USGS staff with the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) have released version 1.1.0 of the North American Bat Monitoring Program: R Data Connection Package (NABatR). NABatR is an R software package used to pull and reformat data from the NABat database and generate user-specific reports. Version 1.0.0 was originally developed in 2021, led by Kyle Enns and Colin Talbert. Helen Davis and Amy Wray (USGS) together with Kyle Nelson, a collaborator with Colorado State University’s Colorado Natural Heritage Program, have made updates and improvements to NABatR in response to perceived data management needs and feedback from users in the NABat community. The NABatR team will continue to improve and add to the functionality of the package, assisting researchers and practitioners with data management, analyses, and reporting. 


Davis, H.T., Wray, A.K., Nelson, K., Enns, K.D., Talbert, C.B., Straw, B.R., and Reichert, B.E., 2024, North American Bat Monitoring Program: R Data Connection Package, (Version 1.1.0): U.S. Geological Survey software release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P13BSYFZ


BCI 2025 Student Scholarship Program Request for Proposals 

Bat Conservation International (BCI) will be accepting proposals for the 2025 Student Scholarship Program cohort from October 1, 2024 - October 31, 2024. This annual scholarship grows the global capacity for bat research by providing financial support and professional development to M.Sc and Ph.D students to help further their educational and career goals.


View more information here, and the application here.  


Biden-Harris Administration Marks Major Milestones for Offshore Wind, Approves Tenth Project

The Biden-Harris administration announced the approval of the Maryland Offshore Wind Project – the nation’s tenth commercial-scale offshore wind energy project approved under President Biden’s leadership. With this approval, the Department has approved more than 15 gigawatts of clean energy from offshore wind energy projects – equivalent to half of the capacity needed to achieve President Biden’s goal of 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.  


Interior Department Issues Offshore Wind Research Lease to State of Maine

The Department of the Interior announced the execution of the nation’s first floating offshore wind energy research lease. The lease area covers less than 15,000 acres located 28 nautical miles offshore Maine on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and could allow for the deployment of up to 12 floating offshore wind turbines capable of generating up to 144 megawatts of renewable energy.


Biden-Harris Administration Announces Wind Lease Sale Offshore Oregon

The Department of the Interior announced it will hold an offshore wind energy lease sale off southern Oregon. The two areas to be auctioned on October 15, 2024, by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management could generate more than 3.1 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy if fully developed, which could power approximately one million homes.


BOEM Seeks Public Comment

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) recently published a Call for Information and Nominations for a second regional offshore wind energy sale in the Central Atlantic. BOEM will accept nominations and comments through 21 October 2024. BOEM will also host several virtual and in-person public meetings in September and October.

To register, click here.


AVOID providing both GRTS Cell ID and Latitude/Longitude for mobile acoustic data uploads

Remember that for mobile acoustics, if you recorded and uploaded latitude/longitude values to your project metadata, it is recommended to NOT provide the GRTS Cell ID on top of it. Either GRTS Cell ID or latitude/longitude values are required, not both.


Featured Resource: NABat Acoustic Survey Template Updates

The NABat stationary and mobile acoustic survey templates were recently updated and are now available for download through the NABat Partner Portal (view templates here). Highlights of these updates include:


  1. The field formerly labeled 'Location Name' is now 'Site Name'

  2. The 'Species List' field has been updated to 'Name of Species List for Auto Id' and is now required for data submission. Legacy data with no known species list should be submitted as 'legacy data unknown'.

  3. If submitting manually vetted species IDs, users are now required to submit a 'Name of Species List for Manual Id'.

  4. Auto ID software is now required for data submission.


That's not all! New metadata (.XML) files for Kaleidoscope Pro software are among the recent updates to the stationary & mobile acoustic data templates. These updated metadata (.XML) files include all the most-current NABat fields and data options to facilitate data prep and audio file processing within the Kaleidoscope Pro software suite. Check out the first chapter of this NABat training video if you need a refresher on working with these files.


Insider Tip: Did you know Kaleidoscope Pro's data output saves a record of the auto-classifier settings AND the names of all species considered during ID? Users have always been able to access a record of these software settings in the "settings.ini" file, and it just requires one simple trick! Right-click the .INI file but select the option to open it in a text editor software instead (e.g., Notepad, WordPad).


We are still finalizing the date/time of the October CoP call.


Stay tuned to the NABat Events page for updates.


If you want to be added to the distribution list for NABat CoP calls, you can sign up here


Conferences

October 19-23, 2024: The Wildlife Society's Annual Conference, Baltimore, Maryland, USA


October 23-26, 2024: Annual North American Symposium for Bat Research, Guadalajara, Jalisco, MX


October 30-November 1, 2024: North America Wind Energy Academy/WindTech Conference, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA


November 12-15, 2024: Wind Wildlife Research Meeting, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA


Events

October 24-31, 2024: International Bat Week


Check out the NABat Events page for a complete list of training webinars, meeting links, and all other upcoming events!















PhD Position - Migration and Hibernation Ecology of Bats

A PhD position is available studying the migration and hibernation ecology of bats around Mammoth Cave National Park. We are seeking experienced and motivated students interested in wildlife ecology and management capable of coordinating research teams at two universities while collaborating with National Park Service biologists. Primary areas of research will focus on the use of Motus technology to track the migration and hibernation of eastern bat species. Specifically focusing on species of special concern. The accepted PhD student will use various capture methods, transmitter application and Motus technology to study the local and large-scale movement patterns of bats during migration and hibernation. This project is a collaboration between Ball State University (Dr. Tim Carter) and Purdue University Fort Wayne (Dr. Scott Bergeson). This position will be based in the Environmental Sciences PhD program at Ball State University.


To learn more about this position, click here


Lead Bat Biologist

SWCA Environmental Consultants is seeking a qualified state/federal permitted Bat Biologist (HR Title = Lead Biologist) to provide regional support and continued growth of our national bat biology program. While this position is ideally based in Houston, TX, we are open to candidates located anywhere in Southeastern U.S. This is a unique opportunity for someone with a strong background in bat biology, particularly with northern long eared (Myotis septentrionalis) and tri-colored (Perimyotis subflavus) bats, to advance their career within a firm that has a national footprint.


To learn more about this position, click here


Bat Specialist (NPS, Mojave Desert Network)

The Mojave Desert Network Inventory and Monitoring Program (MOJN) is seeking a lead bat specialist to lead implementation for our network bat monitoring plan. Monitoring of bats is part of a collaboration between the Mojave Desert Network Inventory & Monitoring Program and Parks of the Mojave Desert Network. Bats have recently become a conservation concern due to the spread of a novel disease known as “White-Nose Syndrome” (WNS). This position is primarily focused on field work, although office work will also be required. This position will also help lead planning for the network bat blitz that will be held in late summer. 


To learn more about this position, click here.


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