You can help us monitor Southeast Alaska's bat populations by driving an established survey route (transect) with a bat detector and an ultrasonic microphone mounted on the roof of your car. Driving transects have been used for many years to monitor bats in parts of the East and Midwest and have been important for detecting population declines in bat species affected by white nose syndrome. They cover a much larger area than a stationary detector, providing important information on species presence and distribution, as well as habitat use.
Location
There are currently driving survey programs in several communities in Alaska: Cordova, Haines, Petersburg, Wrangell, Juneau, and Sitka.
Partners
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Get Involved
Accepting Participants
This project is ongoing. To learn more, send a message to dfg.dwc.bats@alaska.gov.
Participant Tasks
Participants must have a vehicle and the ability to stay up late the summer months.
At the site, the participant will drive 20 mph after sunset on a 30 mile route (45 minutes). A speaker will be attached to the roof and a bat detector placed in the car so the participant can listen to bat calls as they happen. Participants will fill out a data sheet with weather observations (temperature, cloud cover, wind).
Other Contacts
Below are contacts for this project across the state of Alaska.Cordova
Charlotte Westing
Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game
401 Railroad Avenue
Cordova, AK
99574-0669
(907) 424-3216
charlotte.westing@alaska.gov
Haines
Zephyr Sincerny
Education and Cultural Coordinator
Haines Borough Public Library
111 3rd Ave
Haines, AK 99827
(907) 766-3830
education@haineslibrary.org
Juneau
Pete Schneider
U.S. Forest Service
(907) 789-6639
pschneider@fs.fed.us
or
Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
(907) 789-0097
Ketchikan
Ben Limle
U.S. Forest Service
(907) 228-4139
bllimle@fs.fed.us
Petersburg
Chris Weiss
Petersburg Public Library
14 S. Seconds Street
Petersburg, AK 99833
(907)772-3349
cweiss@petersburgak.gov
Sitka
Janet Clarke
Sitka Sound Science Center
834 Lincoln Street, Suite 200
Sitka, Alaska 99835
907-747-8878
jclarke@sitkascience.org
Wrangell
Corree Delabrue, US Forest Service
District Interpreter
Tongass NF, Wrangell RD
525 Bennett St.
Wrangell, AK 99929
907-874-7550
csdelabrue@fs.fed.us
Related Links
Read the Story:
Monitoring Alaskan Bats in the Tongass National Forest
Learn more about this project:
Alaska Department of Fish & Game
Visit: