Pacific Northwest Bat Identification and White-Nose Syndrome Surveillance

Project ID: P17AC01656

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Oregon State University

Fiscal Year: 2017

Initial Funding: $79,333

Total Funding: $360,835

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Biological

National Park: Pacific West Region Washington and Oregon

Principal Investigator: Levi, Taal

Principal Investigator: Shinderman, Matt

Agreement Technical Representative: Lofgren, Rebecca

Abstract: White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease of hibernating bats that has caused unprecedented mortality across eastern North America and threatens some species with regional extinction. The fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) infects bats during hibernation when they go into prolonged periods of torpor to save energy over winter. To date, WNS has been confirmed in seven bat species, all of which are obligate hibernators. Since the disease was first discovered in New York in 2006, it has spread across 28 states and 5 Canadian provinces and has been found in 11 NPS units.

The first case of WNS in the west was confirmed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) on March 31, 2016 in a Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) found 30 miles east of Seattle. Detection of WNS in WA represents a significant and unexpected jump in the spread of this disease. The nearest known occurrence of WNS or the fungus is about 1,500 miles east. WNS is primarily spread through contact between bats or with contaminated environments such as caves or mines used by bats for hibernation. Spread of the fungus on gear or clothing transported by humans is also possible, and is suspected in the recent detection of WNS in WA. The current distribution of WNS in the region and species affected is unknown.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is providing national and regional-level leadership on WNS response by coordinating activities and information sharing, facilitating development of national-level response and surveillance plans, and supporting the development of local WNS response plans and activities among state and federal agencies. Washington State has assembled a WNS Response Planning Team that includes members of WDFW (lead), FWS, US Geological Survey, US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and NPS.

The NPS has some unique opportunities to contribute to the national-level response to WNS through providing education and outreach for visitors, engaging the public in passive surveillance for WNS-affected bats, conducting research and monitoring of bats, and participating in disease surveillance to better understand the spread and impacts of WNS on bat populations. Many parks have been dealing with WNS for years, and as the disease spreads, more parks will be impacted.

The WNS Response Plan for the NPS Pacific West Region (PWR) contains several sections, including: Evaluating risks, Passive Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Active surveillance, and Population Monitoring. This project focuses on surveillance and population monitoring. The approach to these is outlined below.

Passive Surveillance and Reconnaissance
● Monitor for unusual bat activity (day flights during winter, unable to fly, increased activity of bats during winter) or field signs of WNS (wing damage, visible white fungus on hibernating bats in roosts, sick or dead bats)
● Survey locations of known or suspected bat activity (e.g. bridges, caves/mines, talus slopes, or other structures that support bats during early spring). Visual or acoustic surveys may be used to assess bat presence and activity. This information may be used to guide subsequent surveillance activities.

Active surveillance
● To investigate the distribution of WNS in the PWR, a coordinated bat sampling effort is being planned across parks within the following NPS networks: North Coast and Cascades (NCCN), Upper Columbia Basin (UCBN), and Klamath (KLMN), with initial efforts in 2016 focused in Mount Rainier National Park (MORA) where hibernacula exist.

Population Monitoring
• The focused monitoring of bat populations over many years is an important component of the PWR WNS response strategy. Monitoring allows for determination of estimates of status and trends in the distributions and abundances of bat populations. These estimates can help answer questions about the net impacts of WNS and other stressors (e.g., expanding wind power) on bats. Monitoring of bat populations in PWR parks will occur through multiple pathways, for example with NPS participation in regional and national summer acoustic survey programs like the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) and with repeated winter cave hibernacula counts in selected parks that have established hibernacula monitoring protocols.
Parks within the NCCN have been identified as the highest priority (category 1) for initial response efforts based on close proximity to the location where WNS was detected in WA. Parks within Oregon, Idaho and Northern California are also of high priority (category 2) given their proximity to WA, followed by other parks that have bats and susceptible species in the PWR. Category 3 parks are those with significant bat species richness and with underground habitat features (caves and mines) that may harbor wintering bat populations.

This project is a collaborative effort between NPS and OSU to support surveillance and population monitoring of bats in the Pacific Northwest. Expected products include a final reports on bats and the fungus Pd distribution, and management recommendations, and a scientific manuscript suitable for submittal to a peer-reviewed journal