1.
2016 Partners Meeting:
Zoology Update
Dan Bachen
Senior Zoologist
Montana Natural Heritage Program

2.
Zoology Personnel

3.
Zoology Core Duties
For all animals:
• Conservation Status Rank
• Distribution
• Life history
• Population indices
• Acquire Zoological Data
• Projects
• Submissions
• Provide these data and derived products to
Federal, State, Tribal, NGO, and general public

4.
~8,000 moth species in MT *
Animal Species in NHP Database

5.
Conservation Status Ranks

6.
Observations Surveys

7.
Species Data
• Range maps created for 180
invertebrate species
• Updated 203 range map
polygons
• 1,639 photos to field guide
• 941 invertebrate species now
have photos
• References
• 1,853 new references
• 12,930 updated to field guide
to 1,558 species
• Species accounts
• 30 bombus spp.
• 218 butterflies completed
soon
• 134 grasshopper (maps and
photos only)

8.
Status Lists Updates
BLM Sensitive/ Special
Status
• Amphibians: 1
removed
• Birds: 11 removed/ 5
added
• Fish: 2 removed
• Mammals: 4 removed
• Invertebrates: 1
removed/ 2 added
SOC review project 2017
• 100 species
• Populate online status
and rank reasons
Transparent Species Ranks

9.
Amphibian Inventory

10.
Proportion of wetland complexes where
breeding was detected = 0.62*, N = 74

11.
Bat Acoustic Surveillance

12.
Bat Acoustic Surveillance
= % of 𝑿 Hourly Temperatures
Available
= % of 𝑿 Hourly Temperatures
Used

13.
Acoustic Analysis
• Software upgrades
• Sonobat 4.0
• Kaleidoscope 4.0.1
• CART analysis
• Automate
• Remove noise
consistently
• Rapid identification
• Report generation
• Activity patterns
• Species presence
• Reduce costs

14.
WNS Risk Assessment
• Hibernacula use
• Roost conditions
• Human visitation
Hibernating Bat Counts
Estimated Annual Visitation
Mean Temp and Humidity
Caves and Mines

15.
Bat Activity
Total =96

16.
WNS Risk at Alternative
Hibernacula?
• Cliff
• Talus
• Badlands
• Others?

17.
2016 M. Septentrionalis Surveys
• 1 previous detection
• 21 mist net surveys along 5
drainages
• 2 individuals at 1 site
• 2 acoustic detectors deployed at
mine entrances

18.
Prairie Dog Inventory:
Colony Mapping 2015 NAIP
Active
Inactive

19.
2017 Priorities
• Update status of SOC/ priority species
• Continue bat acoustic and roost monitoring
• M. septentrionalis
• Eastern roost surveys
• Habitat use assessments to inform planning efforts
• WNS risk at talus, cliff, crevice roost, other alternative hibernacula
• Develop a template and automated report for highlighting
inventory and monitoring needs across all managed areas
• Pursue projects that inform statewide status assessments
• “Other” sagebrush dependent species
• Distribution and status of shrew species (eDNA?)
• Baseline inventories of alpine species
• Continue to build a information for important invertebrates
as time and funding and available information allow