Hunting News

Appalachian Bat Count seeking volunteers

Appalachian Bat Count seeking volunteers

By Pennsylvania Game Commission

Game Commission biologists are seeking volunteers this summer in the Appalachian Bat Count, a statewide monitoring effort to collect bat maternity colony data.

The monitoring is especially important because of bat mortalities caused by White Nose Syndrome (WNS) throughout the eastern United States and Canada.

“WNS primarily kills during the winter, but the true impact of WNS on bat populations cannot be determined using estimates from winter hibernacula alone,” according to Nate Zalik, a wildlife biologist for the Game Commission.

“Pennsylvanians can help us more fully gauge the impact of WNS by conducting a bat count this summer. We are especially urging people who have previously conducted a bat count for the Game Commission to participate again this year.

“Sites monitored for many years are valuable in assessing bat population trends. However, we also are interested in receiving reports from new surveyors and sites, as identifying the location and size of colonies of WNS survivors is important,” he said.

Information on how to participate can be found by clicking here.

Scout groups, 4-H and nature clubs as well as individuals are invited to participate.

“The little brown bat and the big brown bat are the two species that most often use buildings as their summer roosts,” Zalik said. “Abandoned houses, barns, church steeples, roosting structures constructed specifically for bats, and even currently occupied structures can provide a summer home to female bats and their young.”

The fieldwork isn’t difficult to do, Zalik noted.  Pennsylvanians can play a huge role in helping having a better understanding of what is happening to bats this summer.

“Please consider lending a hand. Bats need you more than ever,” Zalik said.

For more information on WNS click here.

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