Bat Monitoring

Two bats flying out of a cave
A long-eared myotis and a long-legged myotis in Pond Cave, Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve

NPS / © Michael Durham

Importance and Issues

Bats are a beneficial and essential part of regional ecosystems. They eat night-flying insects, pollinate plants (including many commercial species), and help disperse seeds. Their conservation status, however, is uncertain.

Several emerging threats may cause bat numbers to decline. The westward advance of the disease known as white-nose syndrome, and the rapidly expanding number of wind energy turbines, (which kill many bats in some areas of the country), are both affecting bat populations.

Bats are long-lived and tend to use the same feeding and roosting sites over time, which make them well-suited for long-term monitoring. Changes in bat species presence and activity patterns at lava tube caves in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve will serve as good indicators of environmental change and will help guide park cave management decisions. Visitors in lava tube caves may inadvertantly lead to the introduction of the fungus, Geomyces destructans, that causes white-nose syndrome. Monitoring bat in caves will help us with early detection of the disease in the region.

Monitoring Objectives

  • Estimate status and trend of bat use in safely accessible lava tube caves in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve during winter hibernation.

Source: Data Store Saved Search 733. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Source: Data Store Saved Search 711. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Source: Data Store Saved Search 890. To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

Last updated: November 28, 2018

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