This week we installed the first of several stations aimed at detecting bats. Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks non-game biologist Kristi Dubois provided the initial monitoring equipment. Joining her for the installation were two members of the Northern Rocky Mountain Grotto, a Montana caving association. Many recreational cavers provide their time and expertise to monitor bat populations. Their commitment is partially in response to outbreaks of white-nose syndrome, a fungus responsible for the reduction of bat populations primarily in the eastern United States. Though caving activities were once thought to be responsible for the movement of white-nose syndrome, research now suggests that bat-to-bat contact is responsible for most transmission. Despite this finding, cavers continue to document bat populations and the dynamics of white-nose syndrome, and work with agencies to prevent the closure of cave systems. We have yet to document white-nose syndrome in Montana.
Very little is known about bat populations in Montana. The Montana Natural Heritage Program has initiated a statewide bat monitoring program to remedy this situation. Bat monitors like the one we installed provide information on species distribution, population status, overwintering behavior, and migratory phenomena. Collecting data now will help biologists monitor bat population response if the white-nose fungus makes its way to Montana. Monitoring stations at MPG Ranch fit into this monitoring program. We hope to install stations at several elevations; the state currently lacks a high-elevation monitoring site.
For our initial site, we chose the pond/slough system on the Bitterroot River floodplain. This area boasts open water throughout the year. Initial data from other stations have revealed high levels of bat activity in the winter if open water is available. Given insect hatches from recent warm temperatures, Kristi thinks it’s likely we’ll detect bats right away.
William “Bat-boy” Blake helps pound in the posts that will hold the solar panels powering the bat monitoring station.
Debbie Leick helps Kristi Dubois program the unit so that it just records at night.
The crew finishes installing the charging station. The microphone that will record bat sounds is located to the left of the charging station, on a pole close to the water’s edge.
Kate graduated from Middlebury College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Conservation Biology in 2000. She pursued a M.S. in Forestry at the University of Montana where her thesis focused on the habitat associations of snowshoe hares on U.S. National Forest land in Western Montana. After completing her M.S. degree in 2003, Kate alternated between various field biology jobs in the summer and writing for the U.S. Forest Service in the winter. Her fieldwork included projects on small mammal response to weed invasions, the response of bird communities to bark beetle outbreaks and targeted surveys for species of concern like the black-backed woodpecker and the Northern goshawk. Writing topics ranged from the ecology and management of western larch to the impacts of fuels reduction on riparian areas.
Kate coordinates bird-related research at the MPG Ranch. She is involved in both original research and facilitating the use of the Ranch as a study site for outside researchers. Additionally, Kate is the field trip coordinator and website manager for the Bitterroot Audubon Society. She also enjoys gardening and biking in her spare time.