Notice of Intent: Bats, people and properties: conservation and conflict

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Grand Teton National Park (GRTE) sits at the nexus of serious conservation concerns for little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and increases in bat-human conflicts. There are a large number of historical buildings that are occupied seasonally by several hundred employees and an unknown number of bats. This has led to increased bat-human contact and, thus conflicts, as well as a possible human-driven vector of white-nose syndrome (WNS). Wholesale removal and exclusion of bats is not a viable solution given conservation concerns as WNS in bat populations is rapidly moving west. Unfortunately, there is little information on bat species residing in/migrating to habitats within GRTE, either seasonally or annually. Also, any management actions to mitigate bat-human conflicts needs to accommodate the currently unknown habitat needs of the suite of bat species that roost in historic structures and help prepare for the projected arrival of WNS to northwestern Wyoming within the next 10 years. Thus, we are proposing to use acoustical surveys to acquire baseline data on bats and their habitats in GRTE and use these data to minimize bat-human conflicts and contact at select historical properties.

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