Surveys for Northern Long-Eared Bat (Myotis Septentrionalis) in the Laramie Mountains, Wyoming

SURVEYS FOR NORTHERN LONG-EARED BAT (MYOTIS SEPTENTRIONALIS) IN THE LARAMIE MOUNTAINS, WYOMING

FINAL REPORT 2020

Prepared by: Ian Abernethy, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database Zoologist

Wyoming Natural Diversity Database University of Wyoming 1000 East University Avenue, Department 3381 Laramie, Wyoming 82071

Prepared for: Wyoming Governor’s Office Wyoming State Capitol 200 West 24th Street Cheyenne, WY 82002-0010 Suggested Citation: Abernethy, I.M. 2020. Surveys for Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis) in the Laramie Mountains, Wyoming. Report prepared for the Wyoming Governor’s Office by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming.

Cover photo by Michael Wickens.

Table of Contents Introduction ...... 1 Methods ...... 2 Results ...... 3 Discussion...... 3 Acknowledgements ...... 5 Literature Cited ...... 5 Tables ...... 7 Figures ...... 10

iii

Introduction Northern Long-eared Bat (NLEB; Myotis septentrionalis) occurs throughout Canada and the Midwestern and eastern United States (Figure 1). Wyoming marks the far southwestern edge of the species’ range. Within Wyoming, the currently accepted range of NLEB is limited to the northeast corner of the state in the vicinity of the Bear Lodge Mountains and Black Hills (Figure 2). Most biologists consider NLEB to be an eastern species and is generally thought to be uncommon in the western extent of its distribution.

Throughout its range, NLEB is described as a forest obligate and is found in a variety of forest types (Caceres and Barclay 2000). In Wyoming, the species is only known from areas dominated by ponderosa pine forest (Abernethy and Keinath 2015, Abernethy 2017, Abernethy et al. 2017). Basic knowledge of habitat use and associations of NLEB in Wyoming is limited. NLEB frequents a wide variety of day and night roosts during the summer. Trees are most frequently used as roosts, with tall, large diameter trees being preferred across the species range. Maternity colonies may also include roosts such as human- made structures and buildings (Caceres and Barclay 2000). Roost preference has only very recently been evaluated in Wyoming. Roost selection may vary with sex and reproductive status. Specifically, male NLEB have been observed roosting in almost any structure with a suitable cavity (Abernethy et al. 2017). Pregnant NLEB roosted in large, live ponderosa pine while lactating NLEB typically roosted in the largest snags available (Abernethy 2017). In winter, NLEB hibernate in caves and abandoned mines (Caceres and Barclay 2000). But there are no known hibernacula for the species in Wyoming to date.

The Northern Long-eared Bat was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2010. The petition cites the large impact of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) to the species throughout a large portion of its range in eastern North America as the primary threat. In 2011, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a positive 90-day finding indicating the petition presented substantial evidence that the species may face extinction. A 12-month status review was initiated in 2011 (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 2011). In 2013, USFWS published the results of this status review and proposed the species be listed as endangered under the ESA (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 2013). In April of 2015, USFWS determined the species warranted threatened species status. The threatened status indicates that the species in imminent danger of becoming endangered to the threat of extinction throughout a significant portion or its entire range. The USFWS also implemented a 4(d) rule for areas where WNS does not currently affect the species, which included all areas where the species occurs in Wyoming until the summer 2018 when WNS was detected in a Long-legged Myotis at Jewel Cave National Monument (Abernethy 2018). The 4(d) rule exempts lawful incidental take of the species in these areas and is intended to provide flexibility for activities that may affect the species in the area covered under this rule.

As specified in the original petition, WNS is the primary threat to the persistence of NLEB in North America. The disease is also an emerging issue for many bat species in North America. The disease is caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoacus destructans (Pd; formerly Geomyces destructans) and affects hibernating bats (Lorch et al. 2011). The disease was first noted in New York in 2006. Since that time, several million bats have died from WNS (Bat Conservation International 2013). In affected areas, mortality rates of up to 100% have been documented (Frick et al. 2010). The disease continues to spread

1 across North America and was documented in western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming in 2018 (Abernethy 2018). To date, seven bat species that occur in Wyoming have been affected by WNS while Pd has been documented on an additional four (White-nose Syndrome Response Team 2019) . However, it is still unknown if the disease will impact bats in Wyoming in the same manner it has in eastern North America. There are a large number of hibernating bat species in this region in which Pd or WNS has not been confirmed. Also, there are a number of behavioral differences in bat species in the region. Many aspects of winter ecology of bats are poorly understood, especially in the western United States (Johnson et al. 2017, Klug-Baerwald et al. 2017). In eastern North America, bats typically hibernate in large numbers within caves and abandoned mines (Perry 2013, Klug-Baerwald et al. 2017). As a result, researchers have traditionally assumed that bats across the continent use similar features for hibernacula. However, these features are not ubiquitous on the landscape, yet bat populations persist. In much of the Intermountain west, where caves and abandoned mines exist in areas with suitable geology and topography, surveys for hibernating bats rarely find congregations of bats larger than 50 individuals (Beard 2016). This suggests that bats are likely using some other landscape features for hibernacula. Indeed, recent studies have provided clear evidence that some bat species that occur in western North America hibernate in a number of different landscape features including rock crevices, talus fields, root wads of large trees, and within karst formations (Neubaum et al. 2006, Klug-Baerwald et al. 2017). This suggests that these features likely play an important role in population persistence for bat species that occur across the region. These differences in hibernation ecology may lead to different outcomes in terms of population level effects of WNS.

This report highlights activities carried out in 2016 and 2017 in the Northern Laramie Range in central Wyoming following the report of an NELB captured along Labonte Creek in 2015 (Figure 3). As noted above, the currently accepted range of the species in Wyoming is restricted to the northeastern corner of the state. However, predictive species distribution models indicate that suitable habitat occurs in other portions of Wyoming, including the Northern Laramie Range (Abernethy et al. 2015). In order to provide land and wildlife managers a better understanding of NLEB occurrence or lack thereof in this part Wyoming, we conducted an extensive inventory of bats, with an emphasis on following up on the reported NLEB observation, in the summers of 2016 and 2017. We accomplished this by implementing mist net surveys in the vicinity of the purported NLEB capture and in areas of predicted suitable habitat in the Northern Laramie Range.

Methods We captured bats using standard mist net protocols. At suitable mist net sites, 6m, 9m, and 12m mist nets1 were suspended over water between aluminum poles in 2.6m high arrangements to catch bats while feeding or drinking. Mist nets were opened at dusk unless nontarget taxa (e.g. birds) were active at the site. In this case, nets were opened as soon as bird activity ceased. Nets were checked for captures at least every 10 minutes and captures were removed from nets immediately to minimize injury or stress associated with being in the net. Surveyors removed bats from nets with great care to protect wing bones and patagia. All captures were removed from nets, processed and released within 30

1 Avinet bat-specific mist nets, 38mm mesh, black polyester, Dryden, NY, www.Avinet.com

2 minutes of capture. Nets were not set in high winds or temperatures below 40ºF to minimize bat stress and injury. Once removed from the net, captures were placed in a paper bag for transport and processing to minimize stress. Captured bats were measured (forearm length, ear length), weighed, sexed, aged, identified to species, and released on site. Additionally, the membranes of both wings and the uropatagium of each captured bat were inspected following the methods presented by Reichard and Kunz (2009). Our study area was outside of the Area of Influence for NLEB in Wyoming but all survey protocols followed the “2015 Range-wide Indiana Bat Survey Guidelines” (United States Fish and Wildlife Service 2015) and equipment was decontaminated following the “National White-Nose Syndrome Decontamination Protocol Version 04.12.2016”. Survey methods also conformed to recommended guidelines (e.g., Kunz and Parsons 2009, Sikes et al. 2011) and followed recommendations in Wyoming’s bat conservation plan (Hester and Grenier 2005) for documentation and followed WNS protocols presented in Wyoming’s WNS strategic plan (Abel and Grenier 2011).

In addition to field surveys, we queried all mapped observations of bats contained within the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (WYNDD) species observation database that fell within the Northern Laramie Range (Figure 4).

Results We conducted a total of 12 nights of mist-net surveys during the summers of 2016 and 2017 (Table 1). We captured a total of 47 bats representing 8 species (Table 2). We did not capture any NLEB. The most commonly captured species was the Hoary Bat, followed by the Silver-haired Bat. Overall we observed a male sex bias, with 29 and 18 captures of males and females respectively. We observed evidence of reproduction (pregnant, lactating, or post-lactating females) in four species: Big Brown Bat, Hoary Bat, Silver-haired Bat, and Long-legged Myotis. We observed juvenile bats of Big Brown Bat, Silver-haired Bat, Western Long-eared Myotis, Little Brown Myotis, and Long-legged Myotis. No captures showed any evidence of WNS infection.

The WYNDD database contained 825 mapped bat observations within the area we defined as the Northern Laramie Range. A total of 15 species were represented among these observations. Observation dates ranged from 1864 to 2016 (Table 3). The only NLEB observation included within the query area was the reported capture in Labonte Creek in 2015.

Discussion Mist-net surveys and evaluation of available data did not reveal any additional evidence of NLEB in the Northern Laramie Range. The statistical mantra “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence” applies to wildlife surveys (Altman and Bland 1995). Considerable time and effort was devoted to following up on the reported NLEB capture, yet uncertainty in the presence or absence of the species in this area remains. We recommend bat surveyors document captures outside of the currently accepted range of the species. Documentation should include photographs of key morphological features (e.g. ear and tragus in the case of NLEB), and if possible, collection of guano or tissue (e.g. wing biopsy) for genetic confirmation. These types of documentation are especially important when the species in question has an Endangered Species Act nexus. If the Northern Laramie Range does support NLEB, this

3 would mark a considerable expansion in the accepted range of the species in Wyoming. This would also carry conservation, management, and regulatory considerations.

While considerable effort has been devoted to increasing our understanding of bat distribution in Wyoming over the past decade or more, the full extent of many species’ range is not known. This is particularly true during spring and fall when many bat species under migrations to and from hibernation sites. These movements range from tens of kilometers to hundreds of kilometers (Pettit and O'Keefe 2017, Adams 2018, Krauel et al. 2018). Timing of migration is also poorly understood. The reported NLEB capture occurred in August of 2016. Some bat biologists assume that bats begin fall migrations around August 15, though this assumption has not been thoroughly tested in Wyoming. The timing of the suspected NLEB capture overlaps with the potential migratory period when bats may travel beyond their known range and may occur for only short periods of time as they travel to hibernation sites.

Many bat species are difficult to identify, even in hand, because they demonstrate limited morphological differences. This is particularly true of bats in the genus Myotis. Because of similarities among Myotis bats present in the Northern Laramie Range, it is conceivable that the reported NLEB was misidentified and was actually another species in this genus. As noted above, researchers should document captured bats when they occur outside of the accepted range of the species or when identification of bats in hand are uncertain.

While the primary goal of this project was to follow up on the reported capture of an NLEB in the Northern Laramie Range, the work also served as a general bat inventory. Capture results indicate that this region of Wyoming comprises important habitat for many bat species. Overall, we observed a male sex bias. Bats segregate by sex across an elevational gradient with males typically occupying higher elevation sites and females occurring in lower elevation areas (Cryan et al. 2000). In general, capture locations were in montane forest habitats associated with higher elevations.

Despite the overall male sex-bias, we did note evidence of reproduction in four species: Big Brown Bat, Hoary Bat, Silver-haired Bat, and Long-legged Myotis. We observed juvenile bats of Big Brown Bat, Silver-haired Bat, Western Long-eared Myotis, Little Brown Myotis, and Long-legged Myotis. Taken together, this suggests that our study area provides critical habitat for these species. All North American bat species display slow life-history characteristics, with most species only giving birth to one pup each year. Areas that support successful reproduction are key for maintaining local bat populations.

There were clear discrepancies in the mist-net captures reported by this study and mapped bat observations housed in the WYNDD database (WyBis). First, total species richness of mapped observations within the Northern Laramie Range area was much higher than our observed species richness from mist-net captures in 2016 and 2017. There are several explanations for this. First, the area for which mapped bat observations were queried included a wide variety of habitat types. Our surveys were limited to forested habitats potentially suitable for NLEB. Second, the observations contained within WyBis cover a much greater temporal frame and represent a total of 248 survey nights across 42 years while our surveys covered only 12 survey nights over 2 years. Finally, WyBis includes multiple

4 survey types including acoustic recording, mist-net surveys, and hibernacula surveys. Acoustic recordings often detect higher species richness than mist net surveys.

Acknowledgements Funding was provided by the State of Wyoming’s Governor’s Endangered Species Act Fund. Field work in 2016 was carried out with the assistance of Amanda Beven and Ellen Whittle and in 2017 by Caitlin Gorden and Ellen Whittle.

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Johnson, J. S., J. J. Treanor, M. J. Lacki, M. D. Baker, G. A. Falxa, L. E. Dodd, A. G. Waag, and E. H. Lee. 2017. Migratory and winter activity of bats in Yellowstone National Park. Journal of Mammalogy 98:211-221. Klug-Baerwald, B. J., C. L. Lausen, C. K. R. Willis, and R. M. Brigham. 2017. Home is where you hang your bat: winter roost selection by prairie-living big brown bats. Journal of Mammalogy 98:752-760. Krauel, J. J., L. P. McGuire, and J. G. Boyles. 2018. Testing traditional assumptions about regional migration in bats. Mammal Research 63:115-123. Kunz, T. H., and S. Parsons. 2009. Ecological and behavioral methods for the study of bats. Second Edition edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. Lorch, J. M., C. U. Meteyer, M. J. Behr, J. G. Boyles, P. M. Cryan, A. C. Hicks, A. E. Ballmann, J. T. H. Coleman, D. N. Redell, D. M. Reeder, and D. S. Blehert. 2011. Experimental infection of bats with Geomyces destructans causes white-nose syndrome. Nature 480:376-U129. Neubaum, D. J., T. J. O'Shea, and K. R. Wilson. 2006. Autumn migration and selection of rock crevices as hibernacula by big brown bats in Colorado. Journal of Mammalogy 87:470-479. Patterson, B. D., G. Ceballos, W. Sechrest, M. F. Tognelli, T. Brooks, L. Luna, P. Ortega, I. Salazar, and B. E. Young. 2007. Digital Distribution Maps of the Mammals of the Western Hemisphere, version 3.0. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Perry, R. W. 2013. A review of factors affecting cave climates for hibernating bats in temperate North America. Environmental Reviews 21:28-39. Pettit, J. L., and J. M. O'Keefe. 2017. Day of year, temperature, wind, and precipitation predict timing of bat migration. Journal of Mammalogy 98:1236-1248. Reichard, J. D., and T. H. Kunz. 2009. White-nose syndrome inflicts lasting injuries to the wings of little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus). Acta Chiropterologica 11:457-464. Sikes, R. S., W. L. Gannon, and M. Amer Soc. 2011. Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the use of wild mammals in research. Journal of Mammalogy 92:235-253. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2011. Endangerd and Threatened wildlife and plants; 90-day finding on a petition to list the Eastern Small-footed Bat and Northern Long-eared Bat as Threatend or Endangered. Federal Register 76:38095 - 38106. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2013. Endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; 12-month finding on a petition to list the eastern small-footed bat and the northern long-eared bat as endangered or threatened species; listing the northern long-eared bat as an endangered species. Federal Register. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 2015. 2015 Range-wide Indiana Bat summer survey guidelines. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Midwest Region, http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/inbasummersurveyguidance.html. White-nose Syndrome Response Team. 2019. White-nose Syndrome.org A coordinated response to the devastating bat disease. http://whitenosesyndrome.org/.

Tables Table 1. Survey dates and locations of sites surveyed in the Northern Laramie Range in 2016 and 2017.

Locality Survey X Y Date Curtis Gulch Campground 8/12/2016 -105.623 42.4073 Bear Canyon Trailhead 8/13/2016 -105.632 42.4046 Lower LaBonte 8/13/2016 -105.609 42.4096 South Fork LaBonte Creek 8/14/2016 -105.635 42.402 LaBonte Creek 8/15/2016 -105.654 42.3962 Friend Park 8/16/2016 -105.488 42.2482 Lower Horseshoe Creek 8/21/2016 -105.309 42.4027 Upper Horseshoe Creek 8/22/2016 -105.329 42.3853 LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 -105.817 42.4843 LaBonte Canyon 6/6/2017 -105.679 42.3921 Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 -105.632 42.4048 LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 -105.643 42.4002

Table 2. Bats captured during mist-net surveys in the Northern Laramie Range in 2016 and 2017.

Common Name Scientific Name Locality Date Sex Age Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans Curtis Gulch Campground 8/12/2016 Female Juvenile Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus Bear Canyon Trailhead 8/13/2016 Female Juvenile Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus Bear Canyon Trailhead 8/13/2016 Female Adult Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Bear Canyon Trailhead 8/13/2016 Female Adult Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Bear Canyon Trailhead 8/13/2016 Female Adult Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus South Fork LaBonte Creek 8/14/2016 Male Adult Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis South Fork LaBonte Creek 8/14/2016 Male Juvenile Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus South Fork LaBonte Creek 8/14/2016 Female Juvenile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans South Fork LaBonte Creek 8/14/2016 Male Juvenile Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus LaBonte Creek 8/15/2016 Male Adult Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis LaBonte Creek 8/15/2016 Female Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Friend Park 8/16/2016 Male Adult Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis Lower Horseshoe Creek 8/21/2016 Female Juvenile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Lower Horseshoe Creek 8/21/2016 Male Juvenile Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis Lower Horseshoe Creek 8/21/2016 Female Juvenile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Lower Horseshoe Creek 8/21/2016 Female Juvenile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Upper Horseshoe Creek 8/22/2016 Female Juvenile Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Upper Horseshoe Creek 8/22/2016 Male Adult Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus Upper Horseshoe Creek 8/22/2016 Male Adult Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Upper Horseshoe Creek 8/22/2016 Male Juvenile Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Upper Horseshoe Creek 8/22/2016 Male Adult Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Male Juvenile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Male Adult Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Female Adult Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Female Adult Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Male Juvenile Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Female Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus LaPrele Creek 8/24/2016 Female Adult Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Female Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Female Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult

Common Name Scientific Name Locality Date Sex Age Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus Bear Canyon Trailhead 6/8/2017 Female Adult Fringed Myotis Myotis thysanodes LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 Male Adult Western Small- Myotis ciliolabrum LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 Male Adult footed Myotis Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 Male Adult Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus LaBonte Creek 6/9/2017 Male Adult

Table 3. Bat observations from the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database’s WyBis Database within the Northern Laramie Range between 1864 to 2016.

Common Name Scientific Name Number of Observations Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus 119 California Myotis Myotis californicus 5 Eastern Red Bat Lasiurus borealis 5 Fringed Myotis Myotis thysanodes 10 Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus 57 Little Brown Myotis Myotis lucifugus 154 Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis 78 Long-legged Myotis Myotis volans 104 Northern Long-eared Myotis Myotis septentrionalis 1 Pallid Bat Antrozous pallidus 16 Silver-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans 116 Spotted Bat Euderma maculatum 2 Townsend's Big-eared Bat Corynorhinus townsendii 40 Western Small-footed Myotis Myotis ciliolabrum 116 Yuma Myotis Myotis yumanensis 2 Grand Total 825

Figures

Figure 1. North American distribution of Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis). Map modified from Patterson et al. (2007).

Figure 2. Predicted summer distribution of Northern Long-eared Bat in Wyoming (Abernethy et al. 2015). While difficult to see in this figure, areas of occurrence were predicted on the eastern slope of the Bighorn Mountains in northcentral Wyoming and in the Northern Laramie Range.

Figure 3. General study area and mist net survey locations sampled in 2016 and 2017 in search of Northern Long-eared Bat.

Figure 4. General study area and mist net survey locations sampled in 2016 and 2017 in search of Northern Long-eared Bat.