AllStar Ecology was well represented at the Joint Bat Working Group Meeting in Roanoke, VA. The March 27-29, 2018 meeting was an assemblage of the Northeast Bat Working Group, Midwest Bat Working Group, the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network, and the Colloquium on the Conservation of Small Mammals.

Malachia Evans, AllStar Ecology Bat Biologist, presented a poster on the use of AllStar Ecology artificial roosting structures by northern long-eared bats.  Bats utilized 73% of the sites where AllStar installed roosts and rocket boxes saw a 24% increase in use during their second year on the landscape. AllStar’s landscape modeling also showed to be a useful tool for roost placement. Click here to download Malachia’s poster:  Artificial Roost Use by Northern Long-Eared Bats in West Virginia from 2016-2017 – Malachia Evans & Eric Schroder (pdf)


 

Neil Lafleur, AllStar Ecology Bat Biologist, presented a poster on his development of a bag trap to catch bats utilizing AllStar built rocket boxes. Neil’s trap design boosted our catch rate of bats monitored in rocket boxes from 60% to 94%.


 

Jesse De la Cruz, former AllStar Ecology Bat Biologist, is now with the Conservation Management Institute out of Virginia Tech. Jesse gave an oral presentation on roost use by northern long-eared bats which represented work he conducted with AllStar and further research with CMI.


 

Eric Schroder, AllStar Ecology Bat Biologist, gave an oral presentation on recently published research on Indiana bats from his Masters thesis work at Western Illinois University. Click here to download Eric’s article and presentation:  Indiana bat maternity roost habitat preference within Midwestern United States upland Oak-Hickory forests – Eric Schroder (pdf); Indiana Bat Maternity Roost Preference within Midwestern United States upland Oak-Hickory Forests – Eric Schroder (pdf)


 

Philip Arant, new AllStar Bat Biologist, gave an oral presentation of work he recently completed for his Masters thesis at the University of Kentucky. Philip will continue to help with this research into forest management techniques and the effects on northern long-eared bats in his new role with AllStar.


 

Ryan Ward, Senior Environmental Scientist/AllStar Ecology Owner, gave an oral presentation on AllStar’s development of conservation sites for rare, threatened, and endangered bats. He covered site selection and various conservation measures such as artificial roosts, potential roost tree creation, reforestation, and hibernacula protection.


For information on topics related to our bat program and the upcoming bat season, please contact Eric Schroder at 304-816-3490.

 

Author: Ryan Ward