COLORADO BAT CONSERVATION PLAN SECOND EDITION Prepared by: The Colorado Bat Working Group The Colorado Committee of the Western Bat Working Group By K.W. Navo, D.J. Neubaum, and M.A. Neubaum (Editors) March 2018 Colorado Bat Conservation Plan 11/17/2020 Western Bat Working Group, Colorado Committee Page i of 204 Suggested Citation: Navo, K.W., D. N. Neubaum, and M.A. Neubaum, eds., 2018. Colorado bat conservation plan. Second Edition. Colorado Committee of the Western Bat Working Group. Available at the Colorado Bat Working Group webpage (http://cnhp.colostate.edu/cbwg/consPlan.asp). Colorado Bat Conservation Plan 11/17/2020 Western Bat Working Group, Colorado Committee Page ii of 204 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................................................................. V INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 CONSERVATION STRATEGY........................................................................................................................................... 7 I. MINING IMPACTS ....................................................................................................................................................... 8 INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF BAT DEPENDENCE ON MINES ................................................................................................ 11 RENEWED AND ACTIVE MINING PRACTICES ....................................................................................................................... 12 CLOSURE OF ABANDONED/INACTIVE MINES...................................................................................................................... 13 II. CAVE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ........................................................................................................................... 17 INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF BAT DEPENDENCE ON CAVE HABITAT ...................................................................................... 21 SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ............................................................................................... 22 MANAGING RECREATION IMPACTS .................................................................................................................................. 25 INTENTIONAL DISTURBANCE AND VANDALISM ................................................................................................................... 28 III. ROCK CREVICE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ........................................................................................................... 33 INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF BAT DEPENDENCE ON ROCK CREVICE HABITAT.......................................................................... 36 SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ....................................................................................................... 37 MANAGING RECREATION IMPACTS .................................................................................................................................. 39 INTENTIONAL DISTURBANCE AND VANDALISM ................................................................................................................... 41 IV. FOREST AND WOODLAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ........................................................................................ 45 FOREST AND WOODLAND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS IN COLORADO ......................................................................................... 50 INSECT OUTBREAKS, TREE DISEASES, AND WILDFIRE ............................................................................................................. 52 FUEL REDUCTION, RANGELAND IMPROVEMENT, AND ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION ....................................................................... 54 V. RANGELAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ............................................................................................................... 58 LOSS AND DEGRADATION OF RIPARIAN HABITAT ................................................................................................................ 59 LOSS OF VEGETATIVE STRUCTURE IN PINYON-JUNIPER AND SAGEBRUSH RANGELANDS .............................................................. 61 IMPACTS FROM PESTICIDE SPRAYING ............................................................................................................................... 62 CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF DRINKING WATER SOURCES ..................................................................................... 63 VI. URBAN DEVELOPMENT.......................................................................................................................................... 70 URBAN HABITAT .......................................................................................................................................................... 71 URBAN ROOSTING ECOLOGY OF ANTHROPOGENIC STRUCTURES ............................................................................................ 72 URBAN FORAGING ....................................................................................................................................................... 74 POLLUTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 76 DISEASE RISK .............................................................................................................................................................. 77 VII. BATS AND DISEASE ............................................................................................................................................... 81 MONITORING OF WNS IN COLORADO ............................................................................................................................. 85 INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE OF BATS AND DISEASE IN COLORADO ............................................................................................ 85 VIII. ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 88 WIND ENERGY POTENTIAL AND TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 88 OIL AND GAS POTENTIAL AND TECHNOLOGY ..................................................................................................................... 91 SOLAR POTENTIAL AND TECHNOLOGY .............................................................................................................................. 98 IX. GUIDANCE FOR SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................................... 106 Colorado Bat Conservation Plan 11/17/2020 Western Bat Working Group, Colorado Committee Page iii of 204 RESEARCH, INVENTORY AND MONITORING ..................................................................................................................... 106 TRAPPING AND HANDLING ........................................................................................................................................... 107 MARKING ................................................................................................................................................................. 108 TELEMETRY ............................................................................................................................................................... 109 X. CONSIDERATIONS FOR BAT ROOST PROTECTION................................................................................................ 111 BAT-COMPATIBLE GATES ............................................................................................................................................. 112 BUFFER ZONES .......................................................................................................................................................... 113 SEASONAL CLOSURES .................................................................................................................................................. 113 EXCLUSIONS.............................................................................................................................................................. 114 XI. SPECIES STATUS, POPULATION TRENDS, AND MONITORING ............................................................................ 116 DISEASE ................................................................................................................................................................... 116 CAVES AND MINES ..................................................................................................................................................... 117 ROOSTS ................................................................................................................................................................... 117 SPECIES STATUS ......................................................................................................................................................... 118 ENERGY ................................................................................................................................................................... 119 MIGRATION .............................................................................................................................................................