Indiana and Northern Long-eared Bat Roost Tree Density as a Function of Distance from the Edge of Cleared Transportation ROW.
Focus Area
Wildlife & Ecosystems
Subcommittee
Natural Resources
Status
Archived
Cost
$500k-$750k
Timeframe
2-3 years
Research Idea Scope
To identify the likelihood of suitable roost tree occupancy for both the Indiana and Northern Long-eared bat as the distance from cleared ROW increases. This would require a multi-year habitat analysis and tracking survey.
Urgency and Payoff
I would suspect that as distance from existing cleared ROW increases, the residency rates of potential roost trees will be positively correlated. Since minor clearing of ROW due to limited expansion of ROW or for maintenance is routinely conducted by DOT’s nationwide; being able to understand if a tree that is closer to the ROW is less likely to be a roost tree for protected bats would be a very valuable piece of knowledge to be able to bring to the table and could potentially allow the USFWS to relax certain constraints; such as clearing restriction dates.
Submitted
06/04/2015