Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for October–December 2025
JOEY WEBER/NCWRC
Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Katherine Etchison removes storm debris from a bat roost in Madison County.
2025 Post-Tropical Storm Helene Gray Bat Efforts Conclude
by Katherine Etchison, Bat Biologist
I n November 2025, NCWRC staff worked alongside U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) biologists to clear debris from an important Gray Bat bridge roost. NCDOT staff facilitated this effort by operating a hydra platform so biologists could access the crevices under the bridge that bats roost in, which are roughly 20 feet above the ground. Many of these crevices were blocked by storm debris, which reduced the roosting space for bats in the bridge. Now that the crevices are clear, bats will have greater roost space when they return in Spring. NCWRC biologists finished post-Helene Gray Bat roost sur- veys in October and removed post-Helene bat detectors from the field that were initially deployed in March 2025. All roost survey and acoustic survey data will be analyzed by collaborators to bet- ter understand the impact of Tropical Storm Helene on Gray Bats. Although North Carolina populations took a hit because of Hurri- cane Helene, Gray Bats, listed as federally endangered in 1976, have shown significant population increases because of cave hibernaculum protections. So much so, the most recent 5-year review by the USFWS recommended delisting the species.
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
Above: The Madison Coun- ty bridge roost in November 2024. Left: Wildlife Diversity Technician, Joey Weber, removes a post-Helene bat detector from the field in Haywood County.
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
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