| A unit of Lasting Forests
evolving since March 30, 1999 |
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A Total Forest Management Plan
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Bats are an important part of all Lasting Forests. We do not yet know how important. They are rarely surveyed and their roles are not well known. There are ______ species in Virginia, _____ species in the western Virginia hardwood and pine forest. [List]. To manage all bats as if they were one species is about as meaningful as to manage "all birds." They have different needs and occupy and feed at different levels in and over the forests. They are major predators of night-flying insects. Some are solitary and others live in groups. Some seek out cave-like places, others "hang-out" under tree bark plates. The bats are _____% of all mammal species of Virginia. Perhaps because they fly, are active only at night, and are rarely seen explains why they are so poorly known. We do not know their ranges or food habits (other that "insects") and have little knowledge about population numbers. Sex ratios, reproductive status and activity and migration periods are almost unknown. They are probably declining because their habitat amount or quality are declining, roosts are being lost, people are using insecticides on flying insects, people are killing them, and caves are disturbed, polluted, or openings destroyed.
If "ecosystem diversity" means species richness, and if such diversity is to be stabilized, then knowledge of each animal species, including bat species, is part of the order of the day --- and over 20 national laws.
The four basic requirements for bats are now believed to be (1) appropriate roosts for seasonal activities, (2) appropriate roosts for breeding, (3) suitable foraging areas, and (4) adequate water (ponds, waterholes, lakes, etc.). Foraging is closely related to air temperature and is high over water.
Roosts
Bats have few defenses against predators or the elements. Roosts are essential for rearing young, digesting food, having appropriate social interactions, and for hibernating. Roosts are classified as:
Water
Insect-eating bats get some water from their food but most need a supply of free water every night during which they feed. Water is taken from pond and streams. They fly above the water, skimming the surface, taking up water with their jaw or tongue. Riparian areas are important for water and food.
Food
Bats may be more abundant than people realize. Only a few species feed high above forest canopies. Even then, a small space is seen by observers with average eyesight. Bat feeding is highly seasonal and influenced both by temperature and moon conditions. Night vision equipment may be useful for recreational viewing or research.
A large amount of bat-food is moths. Foraging areas with updrafts can be created to improve bat areas and observation potentials. Riparian habitats in agricultural areas are key feeding areas. Getting food, roosts, and water together, perhaps more so with bats than other managed wild animals, is the task of management. Improving one of these will not work (unless the others are abundant). A simultaneous strategy is needed, then observations need to be made to assure the results - the bats are protected and their presence enjoyed. Their richness, insect consumption, and unique roost-site creations (guano communities) make them important components of most Eastern U.S. ecosystems.
The Down Side
Bats have been found with rabies. Handling them is out of the question, even with protection and vaccine.
Bats enter homes and create great frustration for many people because of their many connotations and attachments to mysteries and horror stories and association with vampire bats (which do not occur in the U.S.).
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This Web site is maintained by R. H.
Giles, Jr.
Last revision January 17, 2000.