Bat Roost Habitat Enhancement & Monitoring in the Columbia Valley

Awarded to Wildlife Conservation Society Canada to advance bat conservation in the Columbia Valley by addressing key threats and filling critical knowledge gaps.

PROPONENT: Wildlife Conservation Society Canada

DESCRIPTION: The Columbia Basin is home to a diverse bat community with 13 species, each exhibiting unique foraging behaviours and roosting needs. Bats are a critical component to a healthy ecosystem as the primary consumers of nocturnal insects. Over half the bat species in the Columbia Basin are considered at-risk of extinction, with five now listed or assessed as Endangered under the federal Species At Risk Act. As long-lived mammals, with lifespans of up to 40 years and high roost fidelity, securing optimal roosting habitat is critical for fostering resilience in bat populations. This project’s objectives are to to mitigate habitat loss, and work towards reducing future and continued forest degradation in this region. To support population resilience, WCSC will monitor the abundance and diversity of these nocturnal insectivores, which are essential to healthy ecosystems and adaptively enhance strategic areas where bat biodiversity persists, but maternity roosting habitats are limited. In the Spillimacheen–Canal Flats area, they are implementing a comprehensive conservation strategy creating interim roosting habitat and using acoustic monitoring and guano-based genetic sampling to assess bat populations and the habitats being enhanced.

WCSC will continue installing artificial tree roost structures to support bat species that depend on old growth forest habitats. Monitoring these roosts will help WCSC better understand which species use them, when and how they are used (e.g., for maternity colonies), and evaluate their effectiveness to inform future improvements. From these data, they will develop a comprehensive summary of roost enhancement results, including acoustic, microclimate, and occupancy data compiled across all years.

OBJECTIVES: Specific objectives of this project are to: 1) Enhance habitat and fill critical knowledge gaps regarding the use of anthropogenic-created tree roost structures; 2) Develop bat-friendly forestry (BFF) guidelines for anthropogenic roost creation; 3) Establish baseline species diversity/relative abundance using standardized NABat protocols; and 4) Evaluate bat habitat use in the Columbia Valley through year-round acoustic monitoring.

PHOTO: Cori Lausen/WCSC