SD Bat Projects

South Dakota Bat Working Group
Last update April 12, 2008

Important Note to Researchers in SD:

If you intend to conduct bat work in South Dakota, you are REQUIRED to obtain a Scientific Sampling and Collecting Permit from the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department BEFORE you commence your research. There are several GF&P scientific and regulatory protocols that must also be followed. The following web-site contains a downloadable PDF.format application:

Sampling + Collecting Permit

Sampling + Protocol Guidelines

For further information contact:
Doug Backlund, (605) 773-4345, doug.backlund@state.sd.us

Projects & Field Research in SD

Alyssa Kiesow - Bat conservation and wind power concerns

Alyssa Kiesow - Bat surveys along the Missouri River

Alyssa Kiesow - South Dakota Bat Management Plan

Joel Tigner & Eileen Stukel - Bats of the Black Hills (Status + Conservation Needs)

Joel Tigner - Bat Roost Project (survey & database)

Joel Tigner - Protection of Bat Roosts in Caves and Mines

Brandon Bales - Bat Migration along Missouri River, SD (SDSU MASTERS THESIS)

Vicki Swier - Bat distribution in East-river, SD (SDSU MASTERS THESIS)

Scott Pedersen - Morphological studies Big Brown Bats (SF-DOH vouchers) (SDSU)

Wildlife Diversity Small Grants program
SD GFP accepts research proposals for the Wildlife Diversity Small Grants program. During 2002, the grants were focused on vertebrate species, so the chances of funding projects for South Dakota bat research/inventory are good. Information and application forms are available at:

Wildlife Diversity Small Grants program:
Contact: Doug Backlund, SDGFP, 523 E. Capitol-Foss Bldg., Pierre, S.D. 57501,
doug.backlund@state.sd.us, (605) 773-4345

SDSU field trip to a night roost in the Black Hills that is monitored by Joel Tigner.

Bat survey work along the Missouri River

Alyssa Kiesow, SD Department of Game Fish, & Parks

Survey work - The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks & South Dakota Bat Working Group have begun monitoring bats in riparian areas along the central portion of the Missouri River in South Dakota. Basically, we return to the same area/location 14-15 times during the active season (May to October) to capture bats with mist nets and record their calls with advanced bat detectors. In doing so, we hope to further our understanding of bat activities along the central portion of the Missouri River.

Recapture of a Northern Myotis - At 9:15 p.m. on September 9, 2004, I caught a female Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) at Farm Island Recreation Area which had been banded previously with a cream-colored plastic band engraved with 329P. This bat was originally captured and banded by Vicki Swier at Farm Island on July 25, 2002. When Swier caught this female bat 2 years ago, it was post-lactating, its forearm measured 36mm and it weighed 7.7g. When I caught it in September, its forearm again measured 36mm, but its weight was up to 9.3g. I also measured ear length (= 16.0 mm) and tragus length (= 7.0 mm).

South Dakota Bat Roost Project

Little is known of the roosting ecology of bats outside of the Black Hills region in South Dakota. Joel Tigner has been conducting research in order determine the status of bat populations in the Black Hills, mapping the locations of bat roosts and gating important sites to protect the bats from vandals. If you live in South Dakota and know of an active bat roost, or monitor a 'bat house' we would like you to be a part of this ongoing project. We are actively seeking locations of mines that provide potential roosting habitat in the Black Hills region. Site evaluation can be provided at no cost to individuals interested in determining whether their site(s) provide potential roosting habitat. There is no obligation or further commitment required to participate in this service. Should you elect to permanently close an underground site, advice and protocol can be given to prevent placing bats unnecessarily at risk.

For additional information or to report a location, contact:
Joel Tigner @ Batworks, 605-721-4564 (Rapid City) batworks@rushmore.com

Protection of Bat Roosts in Caves and Mines

Nine of the twelve species of bats identified in western South Dakota are dependent upon underground roosting sites at some point during the year. While species such as Townsend's Big-eared Bat utilize underground roosts almost exclusively throughout the year, others use them primarily as winter hibernation sites.

Naturally occurring caves, common throughout the limestone periphery of the Black Hills, historically have served as roosting habitat for bats. Many of these sites have been lost as bat habitat. Commercial development of caves coupled with other forms of human disturbance has contributed to this loss. With the arrival of mining in the Black Hills region, abandoned underground workings introduced new potential roosting sites onto the landscape. Abandoned mines have likely served as a buffer against the loss of their more natural roosting sites. All nine of South Dakota's bat species that utilize underground roosts have been documented using abandoned mines in the Black Hills.

(Photo - Joel Tigner)
Once numerous across the Black Hills region, abandoned mines have been steadily disappearing. Whether from intentional closures owed to liability and/or safety concerns or closures resulting from natural erosion and degradation, hundreds of sites have been lost. In the past, intentional closure of abandoned mines was done without any prior biological assessment being conducted. While this practice still occurs, recognition of the importance of abandoned mines as significant wildlife habitat has seen some improvement in mine reclamation practices. The evaluations of Homestake Mining Company's two hundred historic abandoned mine workings (prior to closure) as bat habitat is a recent example of responsible land management. (Five of these sites, identified as providing significant bat habitat, were protected.)

Future management of underground roosting sites will be a critical component in maintaining viable populations of bats in the Black Hills region. Generally, protection of underground roosting sites involves installation of a "bat friendly" gate (Photo credit: Phil Henry). The installation of specially designed bat gates permits bat passage but restricts human entry. Gate design allows for natural air exchange between the outside and mine interior, a factor important in maintaining acceptable microclimate conditions. Installation of gates is timed to minimize disturbance to bats. At mines, such gates serve to mitigate liability and safety issues while protecting significant habitat. Caves are closed only during sensitive times of the year.

PROTECTION TO DATE: In the Black Hills, six wild caves have been gated to protect hibernating bat populations. One of these gates has experienced repeated vandalism with recent surveys yielding fewer bats than those conducted ten years ago. Including the previously noted five sites on Homestake property, twenty mines have been gated to protect bat habitat in the Black Hills. Additional sites have been identified and are being evaluated on both public and private land. Development of management plans and gate installation will continue as funding becomes available.

PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS!

DO YOU HAVE AN OPEN ABANDONED OR INACTIVE MINE ON YOUR PROPERTY?

We are actively seeking locations of mines that provide potential roosting habitat in the Black Hills region. Site evaluation can be provided at no cost to individuals interested in determining whether their site(s) provide potential roosting habitat. There is no obligation or further commitment required to participate in this service. Should you elect to permanently close an underground site, advice and protocol can be given to prevent placing bats unnecessarily at risk.

For additional information or to report a location, contact:

Joel Tigner
Batworks
605-721-4564 (Rapid City)
batworks@rushmore.com

Vicki Swier

Tree roost: Eptesicus fuscus
Big brown bat.

Jennifer Hollenbeck
collecting data from a roost tree.

Distribution, Food Habits, and Roost
Site Selection by Bats in Eastern SD

Completed Masters Project: Vicki J. Swier

DOWNLOAD .pdf file of THESIS

OVERVIEW: Recent surveys, (Pedersen, Swier, Wolfe, unpublished), suggest that conventional census methods (mist netting) do not accurately represent the bat populations in eastern South Dakota. Alternatively, acoustic sampling has effectively identified bats in other regions of the county (Betts, 1998), therefore, I utilizd the ANABAT system to determine what bats are present in eastern South Dakota and to determine the current distribution of resident bats. Given the relative low cost of ANABAT compared to other acoustic sampling devices and the need to use multiple acoustic sampling systems, the ANABAT is the most economically feasible device for this study. Other parameters were studied included the characteristics of foraging habitat and roost sites that each species utilizes. To obtain an accurate representation of bat distribution, proposed sites were widely distributed across eastern South Dakota (e.g., state parks and national wildlife refuges throughout eastern SD) and revisited the sites from Jones and Genoway's 1967 study.

PREVIOUS WORK IN East-RIVER: From 1861 to 1998, twenty-four studies have focused on the bats of the western half, while only Jones and Genoways (1967) describe a detailed account of bats found in eastern South Dakota and Findley (1956) specializes only on Vermillion County. This incomplete data on eastern South Dakotan bats may be related to their wide distribution and low abundance, which is limited by the availability of suitable roosts (Humphrey, 1975). Jones and Genoways focused on mist net captures at a few foraging sites and Findley focused only on the bats of Vermillion County. Both studies did not include the entire eastern region or research possible roost sites. More than 30 years have passed since these data were collected. Before we can conserve bat species, a much more thorough survey needs to be completed to find what species inhabit the eastern side of the state and what roosts these species utilize.

This current project has five objectives: 1) to revisit the sites sampled by Jones and Genoways and Findley; 2) to find which species of bats are present in eastern South Dakota by sampling new sites at state parks and refuges; 3) to determine the current distribution of resident bats in eastern South Dakota; 4) to determine foraging activity patterns and what habitats bats are selecting to forage; and 5) to locate possible roosts (trees, cliffs or rock quarries).

Regional distribution and monitoring of bats
along the lower Missouri River in South Dakota

Completed Masters Project: Brandon Bales

DOWNLOAD .pdf file of THESIS

Objective – By June 30, 2007:
Determine migratory behaviors/patterns and migratory timing of bats in South Dakota, specifically those that may use the Missouri River drainage as a corridor.
Determine the distribution, seasonal activity pattern and habitat selection of bats utilizing the Missouri River drainage.

Insufficient data regarding aspects of bat natural history hinder conservation efforts associated with bats. At this time, information is mostly limited to bat species in western South Dakota, particularly the Black Hills. Data gaps relating to bats include long-term monitoring of sites or populations, population status, population distribution, foraging habits and habitats, roosting sites, migratory patterns, reproductive strategies, population structure, and genetic structure, particularly in central and eastern South Dakota. The migratory movements of South Dakota’s bats remain a hole in our understanding of their natural history. The possible migratory patterns and behaviors of bats among critical maternity roosts, hibernacula, winter ranges and summer ranges are unknown. Unpublished data from Tigner and Swier (2003) suggest that possible migratory corridors may include the eastern and western state borders and the Missouri River drainage (Kiesow et al. 2004). Data gaps result from lack of data collection and lack of interest by biologists and managers concerning bat species. Furthermore, bats are difficult to study, which limits a detailed understanding of their natural history. Factors making research on bat migration difficult include extreme mobility, animal size, widely dispersed populations (some species), nocturnal activity patterns, and cryptic and/or inaccessible roost sites (Kunz 1988, Petryszyn 1995). To properly understand and conserve bats in South Dakota we must greatly expand our data collection. An understanding of migratory patterns will help identify critical conservation time frames and sites in the state; allowing for data based management decisions and integration of this information into the South Dakota Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Conservation Plan and the South Dakota Bat Management Plan.

Analyses of Dept. of Health bats:

Pedersen's SDSU lab recieves rabies-negative bat carcasses from the ADRDL @ SDSU. Most of these specimens are Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) collected by Animal control officers in the Sioux Falls area. These carcasses provide a very unique (albiet macabre) opportunity to study a very large population of bats and gather a tremendous wealth of information concerning bat biology and anatomical structure. We have begun the process of identifying reproductive patterns in Big Brown bats in eastern South Dakota by documenting several life-history events based upon these DOH vouchers: (1) Lactating females first appeared on June 19th and were collected through July 14th; (2) Neonates and juveniles were first noted on June 23rd; (3) Scrotal males made their first appearance on August 8th and were submitted for testing through September. These dates reflect the day the animals were actually turned in for testing, as such, they lag behind the actual date of appearance by a week or more. At the present time, the skeletons/carcasses have all been stripped and are currently being cleaned by dermestid beetles for future analysis.

Contact: Scott_Pedersen@SDSTATE.edu

Return to SD-BWG Home Page

Report all dead links/images to Scott_Pedersen@SDSTATE.edu

South Dakota Bat Working Group Last update April 12, 2008
	Important Note to Researchers in SD: If you intend to conduct bat work in South Dakota, you are REQUIRED to obtain a Scientific Sampling and Collecting Permit from the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department BEFORE you commence your research. There are several GF&P scientific and regulatory protocols that must also be followed. The following web-site contains a downloadable PDF.format application: Sampling + Collecting Permit Sampling + Protocol Guidelines For further information contact: Doug Backlund, (605) 773-4345, doug.backlund@state.sd.us
Projects & Field Research in SD Alyssa Kiesow - Bat conservation and wind power concerns Alyssa Kiesow - Bat surveys along the Missouri River Alyssa Kiesow - South Dakota Bat Management Plan Joel Tigner & Eileen Stukel - Bats of the Black Hills (Status + Conservation Needs) Joel Tigner - Bat Roost Project (survey & database) Joel Tigner - Protection of Bat Roosts in Caves and Mines Brandon Bales - Bat Migration along Missouri River, SD (SDSU MASTERS THESIS) Vicki Swier - Bat distribution in East-river, SD (SDSU MASTERS THESIS) Scott Pedersen - Morphological studies Big Brown Bats (SF-DOH vouchers) (SDSU)
Wildlife Diversity Small Grants program SD GFP accepts research proposals for the Wildlife Diversity Small Grants program. During 2002, the grants were focused on vertebrate species, so the chances of funding projects for South Dakota bat research/inventory are good. Information and application forms are available at: Wildlife Diversity Small Grants program: Contact: Doug Backlund, SDGFP, 523 E. Capitol-Foss Bldg., Pierre, S.D. 57501, doug.backlund@state.sd.us, (605) 773-4345 SDSU field trip to a night roost in the Black Hills that is monitored by Joel Tigner.
	Bat survey work along the Missouri River Alyssa Kiesow, SD Department of Game Fish, & Parks Survey work - The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks & South Dakota Bat Working Group have begun monitoring bats in riparian areas along the central portion of the Missouri River in South Dakota. Basically, we return to the same area/location 14-15 times during the active season (May to October) to capture bats with mist nets and record their calls with advanced bat detectors. In doing so, we hope to further our understanding of bat activities along the central portion of the Missouri River. Recapture of a Northern Myotis - At 9:15 p.m. on September 9, 2004, I caught a female Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) at Farm Island Recreation Area which had been banded previously with a cream-colored plastic band engraved with 329P. This bat was originally captured and banded by Vicki Swier at Farm Island on July 25, 2002. When Swier caught this female bat 2 years ago, it was post-lactating, its forearm measured 36mm and it weighed 7.7g. When I caught it in September, its forearm again measured 36mm, but its weight was up to 9.3g. I also measured ear length (= 16.0 mm) and tragus length (= 7.0 mm).
	South Dakota Bat Roost Project Little is known of the roosting ecology of bats outside of the Black Hills region in South Dakota. Joel Tigner has been conducting research in order determine the status of bat populations in the Black Hills, mapping the locations of bat roosts and gating important sites to protect the bats from vandals. If you live in South Dakota and know of an active bat roost, or monitor a *'bat house'* we would like you to be a part of this ongoing project. We are actively seeking locations of mines that provide potential roosting habitat in the Black Hills region. Site evaluation can be provided at no cost to individuals interested in determining whether their site(s) provide potential roosting habitat. There is no obligation or further commitment required to participate in this service. Should you elect to permanently close an underground site, advice and protocol can be given to prevent placing bats unnecessarily at risk. For additional information or to report a location, contact: Joel Tigner @ Batworks, 605-721-4564 (Rapid City) batworks@rushmore.com
	Protection of Bat Roosts in Caves and Mines Nine of the twelve species of bats identified in western South Dakota are dependent upon underground roosting sites at some point during the year. While species such as Townsend's Big-eared Bat utilize underground roosts almost exclusively throughout the year, others use them primarily as winter hibernation sites. Naturally occurring caves, common throughout the limestone periphery of the Black Hills, historically have served as roosting habitat for bats. Many of these sites have been lost as bat habitat. Commercial development of caves coupled with other forms of human disturbance has contributed to this loss. With the arrival of mining in the Black Hills region, abandoned underground workings introduced new potential roosting sites onto the landscape. Abandoned mines have likely served as a buffer against the loss of their more natural roosting sites. All nine of South Dakota's bat species that utilize underground roosts have been documented using abandoned mines in the Black Hills.
(Photo - Joel Tigner)	Once numerous across the Black Hills region, abandoned mines have been steadily disappearing. Whether from intentional closures owed to liability and/or safety concerns or closures resulting from natural erosion and degradation, hundreds of sites have been lost. In the past, intentional closure of abandoned mines was done without any prior biological assessment being conducted. While this practice still occurs, recognition of the importance of abandoned mines as significant wildlife habitat has seen some improvement in mine reclamation practices. The evaluations of Homestake Mining Company's two hundred historic abandoned mine workings (prior to closure) as bat habitat is a recent example of responsible land management. (Five of these sites, identified as providing significant bat habitat, were protected.)
	Future management of underground roosting sites will be a critical component in maintaining viable populations of bats in the Black Hills region. Generally, protection of underground roosting sites involves installation of a "bat friendly" gate (Photo credit: Phil Henry). The installation of specially designed bat gates permits bat passage but restricts human entry. Gate design allows for natural air exchange between the outside and mine interior, a factor important in maintaining acceptable microclimate conditions. Installation of gates is timed to minimize disturbance to bats. At mines, such gates serve to mitigate liability and safety issues while protecting significant habitat. Caves are closed only during sensitive times of the year.
	PROTECTION TO DATE: In the Black Hills, six wild caves have been gated to protect hibernating bat populations. One of these gates has experienced repeated vandalism with recent surveys yielding fewer bats than those conducted ten years ago. Including the previously noted five sites on Homestake property, twenty mines have been gated to protect bat habitat in the Black Hills. Additional sites have been identified and are being evaluated on both public and private land. Development of management plans and gate installation will continue as funding becomes available.
PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS! DO YOU HAVE AN OPEN ABANDONED OR INACTIVE MINE ON YOUR PROPERTY? We are actively seeking locations of mines that provide potential roosting habitat in the Black Hills region. Site evaluation can be provided at no cost to individuals interested in determining whether their site(s) provide potential roosting habitat. There is no obligation or further commitment required to participate in this service. Should you elect to permanently close an underground site, advice and protocol can be given to prevent placing bats unnecessarily at risk. For additional information or to report a location, contact: Joel Tigner Batworks 605-721-4564 (Rapid City) batworks@rushmore.com
Vicki Swier Tree roost: Eptesicus fuscus Big brown bat. Jennifer Hollenbeck collecting data from a roost tree.	Distribution, Food Habits, and Roost Site Selection by Bats in Eastern SD Completed Masters Project: Vicki J. Swier DOWNLOAD .pdf file of THESIS OVERVIEW: Recent surveys, (Pedersen, Swier, Wolfe, unpublished), suggest that conventional census methods (mist netting) do not accurately represent the bat populations in eastern South Dakota. Alternatively, acoustic sampling has effectively identified bats in other regions of the county (Betts, 1998), therefore, I utilizd the ANABAT system to determine what bats are present in eastern South Dakota and to determine the current distribution of resident bats. Given the relative low cost of ANABAT compared to other acoustic sampling devices and the need to use multiple acoustic sampling systems, the ANABAT is the most economically feasible device for this study. Other parameters were studied included the characteristics of foraging habitat and roost sites that each species utilizes. To obtain an accurate representation of bat distribution, proposed sites were widely distributed across eastern South Dakota (e.g., state parks and national wildlife refuges throughout eastern SD) and revisited the sites from Jones and Genoway's 1967 study. PREVIOUS WORK IN East-RIVER: From 1861 to 1998, twenty-four studies have focused on the bats of the western half, while only Jones and Genoways (1967) describe a detailed account of bats found in eastern South Dakota and Findley (1956) specializes only on Vermillion County. This incomplete data on eastern South Dakotan bats may be related to their wide distribution and low abundance, which is limited by the availability of suitable roosts (Humphrey, 1975). Jones and Genoways focused on mist net captures at a few foraging sites and Findley focused only on the bats of Vermillion County. Both studies did not include the entire eastern region or research possible roost sites. More than 30 years have passed since these data were collected. Before we can conserve bat species, a much more thorough survey needs to be completed to find what species inhabit the eastern side of the state and what roosts these species utilize. This current project has five objectives: 1) to revisit the sites sampled by Jones and Genoways and Findley; 2) to find which species of bats are present in eastern South Dakota by sampling new sites at state parks and refuges; 3) to determine the current distribution of resident bats in eastern South Dakota; 4) to determine foraging activity patterns and what habitats bats are selecting to forage; and 5) to locate possible roosts (trees, cliffs or rock quarries).
	Regional distribution and monitoring of bats along the lower Missouri River in South Dakota Completed Masters Project: Brandon Bales DOWNLOAD .pdf file of THESIS Objective – By June 30, 2007: Determine migratory behaviors/patterns and migratory timing of bats in South Dakota, specifically those that may use the Missouri River drainage as a corridor. Determine the distribution, seasonal activity pattern and habitat selection of bats utilizing the Missouri River drainage. Insufficient data regarding aspects of bat natural history hinder conservation efforts associated with bats. At this time, information is mostly limited to bat species in western South Dakota, particularly the Black Hills. Data gaps relating to bats include long-term monitoring of sites or populations, population status, population distribution, foraging habits and habitats, roosting sites, migratory patterns, reproductive strategies, population structure, and genetic structure, particularly in central and eastern South Dakota. The migratory movements of South Dakota’s bats remain a hole in our understanding of their natural history. The possible migratory patterns and behaviors of bats among critical maternity roosts, hibernacula, winter ranges and summer ranges are unknown. Unpublished data from Tigner and Swier (2003) suggest that possible migratory corridors may include the eastern and western state borders and the Missouri River drainage (Kiesow et al. 2004). Data gaps result from lack of data collection and lack of interest by biologists and managers concerning bat species. Furthermore, bats are difficult to study, which limits a detailed understanding of their natural history. Factors making research on bat migration difficult include extreme mobility, animal size, widely dispersed populations (some species), nocturnal activity patterns, and cryptic and/or inaccessible roost sites (Kunz 1988, Petryszyn 1995). To properly understand and conserve bats in South Dakota we must greatly expand our data collection. An understanding of migratory patterns will help identify critical conservation time frames and sites in the state; allowing for data based management decisions and integration of this information into the South Dakota Comprehensive Fish and Wildlife Conservation Plan and the South Dakota Bat Management Plan.
Analyses of Dept. of Health bats: Pedersen's SDSU lab recieves rabies-negative bat carcasses from the ADRDL @ SDSU. Most of these specimens are Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) collected by Animal control officers in the Sioux Falls area. These carcasses provide a very unique (albiet macabre) opportunity to study a very large population of bats and gather a tremendous wealth of information concerning bat biology and anatomical structure. We have begun the process of identifying reproductive patterns in Big Brown bats in eastern South Dakota by documenting several life-history events based upon these DOH vouchers: (1) Lactating females first appeared on June 19th and were collected through July 14th; (2) Neonates and juveniles were first noted on June 23rd; (3) Scrotal males made their first appearance on August 8th and were submitted for testing through September. These dates reflect the day the animals were actually turned in for testing, as such, they lag behind the actual date of appearance by a week or more. At the present time, the skeletons/carcasses have all been stripped and are currently being cleaned by dermestid beetles for future analysis. Contact: Scott_Pedersen@SDSTATE.edu
Return to SD-BWG Home Page Report all dead links/images to Scott_Pedersen@SDSTATE.edu