Eight of the nine bat species in Connecticut are currently listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern due to severe population declines from white-nose syndrome. Only the big brown bat is not currently listed.
Bats are considered vital to the ecology because they consume vast quantities of small flying insects—a little brown bat eats up to 1,200 mosquito-size insects in an hour—controlling insect populations and helping to prevent the spread of diseases such as West Nile fever.
Despite their important ecological roles, however, little is known about which state-listed bat species are recovering or how they interact with different forest environments and conditions.
In an attempt to learn more, Great Mountain Forest is partnering with the University of Connecticut (UConn) and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to track bat activity across a range of habitats within the forest.
During the study, UConn faculty members will oversee undergraduate and master-degree level students using acoustic monitors and remote sensors to capture bat activity throughout the Great Mountain Forest. Dr. Devaughn Fraser, a wildlife biologist at DEEP, will lend additional expertise.
GMF forester Kate Regan-Loomis will work with the teams to refine maps of forest stands, wetlands and management histories, while three GMF summer forestry interns will conduct on-the-ground surveys, gathering data on forest tree species composition and structure.
Together with UConn and DEEP, they will create a dataset linking bat activity to habitat features across more than 1,000 acres. In addition to informing scientists about bat recovery and activity, the findings will be shared through K–12 science field trips and GMF Woodland Academy workshops for landowners and professionals.
Even those not working with the forest study can add to the DEEP’s understanding of bat recovery in the state. DEEP encourages reporting of summer bat colonies and sightings through their bat page.