WBBWGG NEWSS Volume 2, Number 2 November 2006 Feature Section: Bats and Wiind Energy - Page 6 Wind farm in SW Alberta. See Erin Baerwald’s article on page 7 Western Bat Working Group Western Bat Working Group NEWSLETTER Volume 2, Number 2 November 2006 Table of Contents President’s Corner .......................................................................................................................... 3 Headliners........................................................................................................................................4 About This Newsletter.....................................................................................................................5 WBWG Elections ............................................................................................................................5 Feature Section: Bats and Wind Energy..........................................................................................6 A Tribute to Fred Stabler.................................................................................................................9 State/Provincial Updates..................................................................................................................9 Alaska ..........................................................................................................................................9 Alberta .......................................................................................................................................10 Arizona ......................................................................................................................................12 British Columbia........................................................................................................................13 California ...................................................................................................................................15 Colorado ....................................................................................................................................16 Idaho ..........................................................................................................................................17 Montana .....................................................................................................................................18 Nevada .......................................................................................................................................19 New Mexico ..............................................................................................................................20 North Dakota .............................................................................................................................23 Northern Mexico........................................................................................................................24 Northwest Territories .................................................................................................................26 Oregon .......................................................................................................................................26 Saskatchewan.............................................................................................................................27 South Dakota .............................................................................................................................27 Texas ..........................................................................................................................................27 Utah............................................................................................................................................30 Washington ................................................................................................................................32 Yukon.........................................................................................................................................32 News from BCI..............................................................................................................................33 Other WBWG News......................................................................................................................36 WBWG Education Committee ......................................................................................................36 NASBR Update .............................................................................................................................37 Bulletin Board................................................................................................................................38 Volunteer Opportunities.............................................................................................................38 Scholarships, Grants, Awards ....................................................................................................38 Other Bulletin Items ..................................................................................................................38 Upcoming Events ..........................................................................................................................39 WBWG Organization ....................................................................................................................40 WBWG Newsletter, November 2006 Page 2 PRESIDENT’S CORNER It's fall - how did it arrive so quickly? It's a sneaky season, predictably showing up at the end of summer every year, yet always a little surprisingly. For me, fall symbolizes a time to slow down, even if it's only a little bit, and to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going. This feels true for the WBWG as well, as we move towards electing new officers, planning our biennial meeting in Tucson for April 11-14, and reviewing our Work Plan to make sure we're on track to meet the expectations of our members. I'm thrilled with the members who have come forward to run as Officers of the Board for WBWG, I know whoever is elected will enjoy their time on the board and bring their own unique skills to the group so that we all benefit. While Toni and I would much prefer competition for the positions of Vice President and President, at the time of this writing it looks like we'll be running unopposed. This will be the last term either of us run, so please be thinking about who will be willing to run for these 2 positions in a couple of more years. For those of you in the U.S., if your mailbox and phone messages at home are anything like mine, you couldn't possibly forget to vote this year in the local and national elections - I even got a phone message from Bill Clinton reminding me to vote! Despite the deluge of voting propaganda many of you are getting for govern- mental elections, here's my plug to ask you to vote for the contenders of your choice that are running for the WBWG Officer positions. Your State or Provincial Representative will be asking for your vote soon, so please take the time to respond. Our 2007 conference will be in Tucson April 11-14 this year with a number of potential topics of focus, includ- ing a field trip to review the WBWG mines and caves survey protocol, The Bat Grid inventory and monitoring strategy, banding of migrant species bats, and wind energy issues. Tucson is a delightful town and I know Angie McIntire is working hard to insure we have a good session. Toni has finalized a letter that is going out to the States and Provinces requesting financial support for the conference, so please do what you can to encour- age your State or Province to contribute towards this important gathering. Many of the emerging issues that we'll be looking at during the conference have instigated a need to revisit and update our Work Plan, so that it and the Board of Officers can be responsive to these issues. The Board of Officers has agreed to update the Work Plan for review and approval by the State and Provincial Representatives. As usual, the highlight of my fall was the North American Symposium on Bat Research (NASBR) which was in Wilmington, NC this year. It was an international smorgasbord of information on bats from the work of stu- dents and professionals alike. The symposium was fun, stimulating, and overwhelmingly informative. There was a great field trip that included kayaking through the bottomland and a number of wonderful opportunities to network with new and old friends and colleagues. If you haven't attended one of these sessions I encourage you to do so as the rewards are numerous. Next year the symposium is in August in Mexico, in New York in 2008, and in 2009, Jan Zinck and I will be hosting the NASBR in Portland, OR and we hope WBWG also will be willing to help out to put on that session. In the mean- time, Have a great holiday season and I look forward to seeing you all in Tucson in April! Sincerely, Pat Barbara Ogaard of Bats Northwest, kayak- ing in the North Carolina bottomlands on the 2006 NASBR field trip. WBWG Newsletter, November 2006 Page 3 HEADLINERS By Cori Lausen and Pat Ormsbee Tucson WBWG Conference in April! Every 2 years the WBWG hosts a conference to bring bat management and research together. This year's conference is April 11-14, 2007. Check out the Upcoming Events section for more details. Upcoming Elections! Well, 2 years has gone by quickly! Be sure to check out the special section WBWG Election of Officers for a list