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Sleep All Day, Stay Out all night, No Wonder We love our Ohio bats!

7/12/2016

Bat Acoustic Survey Monitoring

Bats are not blind (myth); in fact, they can see almost as well as humans (truth). To fly around and hunt for insects in the dark, bats use a remarkable high frequency system called echolocation.

Echolocation: Bat Conservation Trust

The Division of Wildlife extends a "Thank you!" for contribution toward this bat monitoring effort: "Without your assistance, this project and the coverage we get across the state (Ohio) annually would not be possible. As you likely already know, the data from this project allows us to monitor population changes for bats through long-term assessments. With potential threats to bat populations increasing (e.g., White-nose Syndrome, habitat destruction) in Ohio, it is imperative that we continue to monitor and assess our Ohio bat populations." - Sincerely, Bridget Gladden, ODNR

ODNR WNS

Battle For Bats: Surviving White Nose Syndrome (WNS)

The Battle for Bats - The WNS Tragedy

WNS: Devastating Bat Disease

The greatest harm to bats is not knowing anything about them.
Learn the difference between what are Bat "Myths" and Bat "Truths" .
Myth: Bats aren’t necessary.
Truth: Without bats, humans would be in trouble. Bats help control insect populations, reseed deforested land, and pollinate plants, including many that we eat. Researchers and scientists also learn from bats to improve medicine and technology.

See why our bats are truly amazing and beneficial mammals:

Bat Myths and Truths

Sarah Blair coordinated our 2016 Warren County route departing from the Caesar Creek Nature Center. Mike Schumacher formerly coordinated this route.
Thank you for your awesome work and collaboration!

Caesar Creek Nature Center

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Help Protect Bats and Their Habitats

7/1/2016

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The Division of Wildlife uses information from Bat Acoustic Survey Monitoring to help track our bat species, population rates and document the progression of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS). Sadly, signs of WNS has officially shown up far west in the state of Washington as of 2016.

Find out up-to-date information about White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), the deadly disease that affects North American bats by cilcking on the black box below. Extensive groups of state, federal, tribal, university, and non-governmental partners are helping minimize the impacts of White-Nose Syndrome. They also need our help! #Save the Bats

2016 White-Nose Syndrome Updates and Ocurrences

Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Contact Information:
www.whitenosesyndrome.org/partner/ohio-department-natural-resources

In the winter of 2006-07, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation found approximately 10,000 bats of the genus Myotis (little brown bats, M. lucifugus, and Indiana bats, M. sodalis) dead and dying in four caves in New York. Since 2006, White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) has killed millions of bats in eastern North America, including several Myotis species, Perimyotis subflavus (Tri-colored bat), and Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat).

In March 2011, the first Ohio case of WNS was confirmed in an abandoned mine in Lawrence County, Ohio. Several counties in Ohio have been confirmed as WNS positive, including Lawrence County in 2011, 5 counties were added in 2012 (Geauga, Summit, Cuyahoga, Portage, and Preble), and 10 counties added in 2013 (Medina, Jefferson, Union, Wayne, Ashland, Athens, Clinton, Madison, Warren, and Sandusky).

Updates on WNS in the State of Washington:
wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/health/wns/

www.whitenosesyndrome.org/news/deadly-bat-fungus-washington-state-likely-originated-eastern-us

Battle For Bats: Surviving White Nose Syndrome from Ravenswood Media on Vimeo.

Bats Truly Need Our Help:

Contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources/Division of Wildlife immediately if you suspect you have seen bats with this WNS condition in Ohio. Learn who to contact in one's owns state: https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/
Do not handle live bats. Contact: 1-800-WILDLIFE Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Report the bat or the groups of bats that you suspect with WNS. This information will help others understand our bat populations and White-Nose Syndrome.
Do not spread White-Nose Syndrome and limit disturbance to roosting bats. Avoid entering areas where bats may be living to limit the potential of transmitting the fungus that causes the disease and disturbing vulnerable bats. Do not allow dogs to access areas where bats may be roosting or overwintering as they may act as carriers of the fungus to new sites.
Clean your clothing and gear if you come into contact with crevices in rock cliffs, talus areas, caves or mines. When possible use the decontamination guidelines at www.whitenosesyndrome.org.
Improve bat habitats. Reduce lighting around your home, minimize tree clearing, and protect streams and wetlands. Try to incorporate one or more snags into your landscape keeping old and damaged trees when possible. Snags provide important habitat for bats and other backyard wildlife. For more information on living with bats, and instructions for how to build a bat house, visit: ocvn.osu.edu/news/please-help-our-ohio-bats-make-ready-bat-friendly-houses-roosts-springsummer-occupancy

Devouring 1,000 Mosquitoes nightly; Bats are now welcome guests as "Zika Fears Rise": www.nytimes.com/2016/07/05/nyregion/devouring-1000-mosquitoes-an-hour-bats-are-now-welcome-guests-as-zika-fears-rise.html?_r=0

Build a Bat Roost WildOhio Video

Why should you put up a bat house?
Bat houses benefit bats, you, your family, communities, farmers, gardeners
and the ecosystem as a whole.

Bat houses provide bats a home. In turn, bats will eat thousands of insects.
Bat houses give bats an alternative to our houses. Thus, reducing the chance of human-to-bat contact.
Bat populations have decreased significantly (especially with White Nose Syndrome) and bat houses can help provide secure habitat.

Why Bat Houses Are Important

See Additional Bat House Designs:

wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/portals/wildlife/pdfs/publications/birds%20and%20birding/pub419.pdf

www.batcon.org/pdfs/bathouses/FourChamberNurseryHousePlans.pdf

www.batweek.org/files/Single_chamber_bat_house_instructions.pdf

www.eparks.org/pdf/batbox.pdf

Why do some bat houses fail?

—Bat Facts:
Over 1,000 Species Worldwide
—45 species native to U. S.
—11 species in Ohio (2016)
—The only true flying mammal
—Primarily nocturnal, but most times can be seen flying about in the early evening (crepuscular)

Teachable Moments:

The Save Lucy Campaign was created to raise awareness of White-Nose Syndrome
and its devastating impact on North American Bats.

The Save Lucy Campaign

Creatures of the Night

The Order name ‘Chiroptera’ means “hand-wing”
—Order Chiroptera =“hand wing”
—Megachiroptera =“large “bats: Found in tropics - —large fruit bats/flying foxes
—Microchiroptera =“small” bats: all bats in U.S.
—Varied diets and ID characteristics