Description:
The bat conservation component of Kootenay Connect consists of 3 main activities: monitoring, inventory, and roost habitat enhancement. We track species diversity and relative abundance through annual acoustic monitoring of bat echolocation calls using bat detectors. In 2022, we once again acoustically recorded bats in all four of the Kootenay Connect focal regions for a total of 6 NABat grid cells: Creston Valley, Bonanza Biodiversity Corridor, Kimberley/Wycliffe, and Columbia Valley. We also conducted our second summer of monitoring two old-growth mimic tree roosts that we created in fall 2020 in the North Columbia area near Donald, and our first summer of monitoring the 12 tree roosts we created in 2021. In addition, we conducted a 9-night capture inventory at multiple sampling locations across the Columbia Valley ranging as far north as Kinbasket Reservoir. As our roost enhancements’ target species at risk, our goal was to determine where the nearest Northern Myotis could be located, given that this is one of two endangered Myotis in the Columbia Basin.

Keywords: bats

Authors:

Organization: Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada

Category: Bats

Focal Area: All

Resource Type: Report

Year: 2023