Description:
WCS Canada’s Western Bat Conservation program tackles threats to bats by collecting baseline data, filling knowledge gaps, and enhancing habitats to strengthen bat populations. In the Columbia Basin, we lead critical research that supports the Kootenay Connect initiative, which focuses on protecting and enhancing key areas to establish linkage corridors, promote biodiversity, and ensure suitable habitat for multiple at-risk species. During year six, Kootenay Connect’s bat conservation efforts center on three 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 2024, we acoustically recorded bats in five Kootenay Connect focal regions, covering seven NABat grid cells. We recorded over 40,000 bat passes across these seven cells, confirming 13 species. Additionally, we recorded more than 105,000 bat passes using longterm, solar-powered migration monitors at Duncan Island, Creston, Slocan, Columbia Wetlands, and Columbia Lake, successfully identifying migration corridors for all three migratory bat species assessed as Endangered by COSEWIC. Since 2020, we have created 134 tree and tree-like roosts in Kootenay Connect linkage areas, including 33 new structures in 2024.

Keywords: bats

Authors:

Organization: Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada

Category: Bats

Focal Area: All

Resource Type: Report

Year: 2025