In 2022, an estimated 1.6 million people visited New River Gorge (NPS 2023b). To date, there are over 1,600 established rock climbs documented in the New River Gorge area (Mountain Project 2022, Williams 2019). As visitation has increased, NERI has become interested in documenting the presence of bat species and their habitat on and near the cliff face, rim, and base areas to support a park management plan. A total of 51 routes were selected to survey three times throughout the summer of 2022. Cliff line surveys included personnel on-rope rappelling down each selected cliff face to look for bats or bat sign and to collect data on the physical attributes and record habitat information. In addition, a simultaneous acoustic survey for bats was conducted at the base of each survey route. Although no bats or bat sign were documented, analysis of the acoustic data in concert with the environmental factors revealed that bats were detected at more highly climbed walls versus unclimbed walls, at least northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) were more likely to be detected near less vegetated walls, and activity of eastern small-footed bats (Myotis leibii) was higher as the summer progressed. Bats that roost on rock walls use cracks and crevices, which are also an important feature for climbers. Opportunistic conversations with climbers revealed that bats are observed on the cliffs. Colorado State University has a Climbers for Bat Conservation group (CSU 2023) that could be a resource for engaging climbers in a citizen science campaign.

These data were compiled to improve our understanding of bat foraging along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Objectives of our study were to determine whether bat activity was influenced primarily by variation in prey availability relative to other environmental or geomorphic factors. These data represent 1,428 paired samples of bat activity and insect abundance calculated as catch rates collected on 611 sampling nights at 410 sampling sites throughout a 470 km segment of river. These data were collected from April to October in 2017-2020 at recreational camps along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon between Glen Canyon Dam and Pearce Ferry. These data were collected through a U.S. Geological Survey led community science program that recruited recreational river runners to sample insects using light traps and to record bat activity using handheld acoustic recorders. Sampling was conducted for one hour at dusk during each night of the river expedition. These data can be used to interpret changes in total bat activity and insect catch rates over time and space relative to environmental variables.

These data were compiled to improve our understanding of bat foraging along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Objectives of our study were to determine whether bat activity was influenced primarily by variation in prey availability relative to other environmental or geomorphic factors. These data represent 1,428 paired samples of bat activity and insect abundance calculated as catch rates collected on 611 sampling nights at 410 sampling sites throughout a 470 km segment of river. These data were collected from April to October in 2017-2020 at recreational camps along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon between Glen Canyon Dam and Pearce Ferry. These data were collected through a U.S. Geological Survey led community science program that recruited recreational river runners to sample insects using light traps and to record bat activity using handheld acoustic recorders. Sampling was conducted for one hour at dusk during each night of the river expedition. These data can be used to interpret changes in total bat activity and insect catch rates over time and space relative to environmental variables.

NPS acoustic bat access database

This data set is comprised of two Microsoft Access 2010 files. The files are a front end and backend file that conform to the NPS Bats Acoustic Survey Database version 1.7. The backend contains acoustical monitoring site and deployment information for 2016 in Buffalo National River, AR.

US Geological Survey and National Park Service researchers designed and implemented an acoustic monitoring program for bats in the three large parks of Western Washington, all part of the North Coast and Cascades Network (NCCN) of National Parks.This work was part of the larger NCCN bat population monitoring and white-nose syndrome (WNS) surveillance program, designed to understand bat distribution, activity, and disease dynamics on the leading edge of WNS spread in the state. Data were collected throughout each park along elevational, precipitation, and seasonal gradients. This monitoring program examines questions of interest at the national, regional, and park scale to increase the understanding of bat distribution, occurrence, and seasonal/annual dynamics before extensive spread of WNS in the state. This data release contains acoustic detections of bat species in Mount Rainier National Park during 2019-2020 monitoring.

Bat Acoustical Monitoring data collected at four National Park units in 2019. Colonial National Historical Park, Petersburg National Battlefield, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Shenandoah National Park were surveyed using Acoustic recording equipment and analyzed using Kaleidoscope Pro Software by staff at the USGS Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Bat Acoustical Monitoring data collected at six National Park units in 2017. Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, Booker T. Washington National Monument, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park, Petersburg National Battlefield, Richmond National Battlefield Park, Shenandoah National Park were surveyed using Acoustic recording equipment and analyzed using Kaleidoscope Pro Software by staff at the USGS Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Four parks in the Cumberland Piedmont Network (CUPN) have selected cave-roosting bats as a high priority vital sign for long-term monitoring: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (CHCH), Cumberland Gap National Historical Park (CUGA), Russell National Monument (RUCA) and Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA). Cave bats were selected for several reasons, including their important ecological role in supporting cave ecosystems, their crucial role in controlling certain nocturnal insect populations and reducing agricultural and forestry pests, and their status under the Endangered Species Act (several bat species are considered “endangered”, “proposed endangered”, or a “species of concern”). All species of CUPN cave-dwelling bats are under threat from the novel fungal disease of bats called white-nose syndrome which has been confirmed in caves at these four network parks. Additional threats to the network’s cave-roosting bats center around habitat loss or impact—which may be caused by human disturbance, in-cave modifications, land use changes above cave roosts, an increase in feral predators (e.g., cats), collisions with wind turbines, and food source impacts from acid deposition, heavy metals, or pesticides. Given the importance of bats to both surface and subsurface ecosystems, and because many bat species rely on cave habitat for their survival, monitoring of bats and their cave roosts is of great importance for managing and protecting bat populations and critical bat (cave) habitat. Monitoring information will increase confidence in manager's decisions and improve their ability to manage park resources and will allow managers to confront and mitigate threats to the park and operate more effectively in legal and political arenas. Winter in-cave counts primarily using direct visual or photographic techniques will be used to assess abundance each sampling year between 1 January and 28 February. Fifteen bat hibernacula will be censused in years ending with an odd number (e.g., 2017, 2019) at CUGA and MACA, and another 14 hibernacula will be monitored in years ending with an even number (e.g., 2016, 2018) at CHCH, MACA and RUCA.