Wildlife Diversity Program Quarterly Report for January–March 2025
Post-Hurricane Helene Bat Surveys Begin by Katherine Etchison, Bat Biologist I n March, NCWRC began post-Helene bat surveys to under- stand the hurricane’s impact on bats. Four acoustic stations were established along streams in the French Broad River Basin that will record bat activity until October when bats head to their winter grounds. These acoustic data will be compared with pre-existing data to understand bat activity pre- and post-Helene.
We also began surveys of gray bat bridge and culvert roosts to compare with pre-Helene roost counts. We counted 82 gray bats at one bridge and one gray bat at another, which is on track with previous early season counts. This is a posi- tive sign because over half of NC’s gray bat roosts were sub- merged in Helene’s floodwaters and bats may have been pres- ent at the time. We will conduct frequent gray bat roost surveys throughout the year to compare with pre-Helene counts. These data, along with the acoustic data, will provide an understanding of the hurricane’s effect on NC’s gray bat population. The gray bat (Myotis grisescens) is a federally endangered species, so any losses are of great concern. NCWRC staff also worked alongside U.S. Fish and Wild- life Service biologists and NC Department of Transportation staff to clear debris from two important gray bat bridges. The crevices where bats roost in these bridges were blocked by storm debris, so clearing them before bats return from their winter grounds was essential.
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
Top: A gray bat observed roosting under a Haywood County bridge in late March. Bottom: Wildlife Diversity Technician, Joey Weber, surveys a bridge for gray bats in Madison County.
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
KATHERINE ETCHISON/NCWRC
Above left: Wildlife Diversity Technicians, Joey Weber and Ellen Pierce, deploy an acoustic detector along the Pigeon River in Haywood County. Above right: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist, Holland Youngman, Wildlife Diversity Technician, Joey Weber, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist, Mark Endries, clear debris from the crevices of a bridge used by gray bats as a roost site.
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