Long-Term Monitoring of Bat Populations in North Dakota

Abstract

Throughout the past few decades, North American bat species have experienced population declines due to White-Nose Syndrome, wind energy, climate change, and other factors. In North Dakota, the presence of wind energy, and the recent arrival of White-Nose Syndrome in 2019, pose serious threats to bat populations in the state. The objective of this study was to gather and analyze long term population data on the different bat species in North Dakota. In Summers of 2019-2021, we recorded bat echolocation call sequences at 60 grid cells established across North Dakota. We compared data across years to determine if any species showed changes in activity level. Occupancy modeling was also used to determine any link between occupancy/detectability and some environmental features for four bat species in 2020. Our results suggest a possible decline in regional populations of species in the Myotis genus. We found no link between occupancy and environmental factors.