Scientists will be monitoring bat activity in the Puntledge River Watershed this summer, using ultrasonic acoustic data to help determine the types of bat species that live there and gather information about them.
This project, led by the Comox Valley Land Trust with funding from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP), combines data collection with a number of technological interventions and on-the-ground actions to conserve and protect high-quality bat habitat.
The project includes installing permanent acoustic monitoring stations, conducting site-specific field investigations, and doing community outreach.
“This project takes a strategic approach to bat conservation,” says Julie Fournier, FWCP’s Coastal Region manager. “It aims to identify bats and bat habitat in the Puntledge, specifically maternal colonies and hibernacula, and do the long-term work of protecting them.”
This project is one of 31 fish and wildlife projects and $2.4 million approved by the FWCP Coastal Region board for 2021–2022. Other projects approved this year will benefit fish and wildlife in many ways, including restoring ecosystems for fish and wildlife, supporting endangered and at-risk species, conserving critical habitats, filling important data gaps, and addressing priority species such as sockeye, chinook, coho, pink, chum, northern spotted owls, Vancouver Island marmots, and whitebark pine.