Bat Research Unlike in the eastern US, very little is known about bats in western North America especially in the northern climates. Our knowledge about the bats in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is nearly nonexistent because no formal studies on bats have ever been conducted in Glacier and only one has been conducted in Waterton. However, due to the study design in Waterton, the species identifications were inconclusive. Currently there are six bat species listed on the Mammals Field Check List of Glacier National Park:

• Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)
• Long-eared bat (M. evotis)
• Long-legged bat (M. volans)
• Big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
• Silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)
• Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus)

Of these, we currently only have records of four in the GNP wildlife database. The lone record of the big brown bat was reported as road kill. Only one species, the little brown bat, exceeds a count of four. Yet as protected areas, Waterton-Glacier may provide some of the best bat habitat in a northern climate in western North America.

More than ever before, there is a critical need to learn as much as possible about bats, their status and distribution and habitat use in the west because there are currently significant threats to their populations. The most critical threat is the white-nose syndrome fungus. White-nose syndrome was discovered in a New York cave in 2006. Since then it has spread to nine other states. This disease is killing entire populations of bats in the east as they hibernate in caves and mines. The name comes from a white fungus found on the noses of infected bats. Mortality of bats exposed to the fungus in certain areas has neared 100 percent. White-nose syndrome is not well understood. It is thought that the fungus which thrives in cold habitats (5 to 15 degrees Celsius) - the same range of temperatures for bat hibernacula - is irritating to the bats. This arouses them from hibernation in an attempt to deal with the fungus: thus, causing them to starve to death. Bats have little fat reserves to survive the winter and waking from hibernation more than a couple times can lead to starvation.

Baseline distribution and status information for bats in Waterton-Glacier National Park is currently lacking. This project would fill gaps in our knowledge on the distribution and status of bats in Montana and ties into other bat surveys being conducted outside the park across western Montana by other entities, including Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, Montana Natural Heritage Program and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. Wildlife information from Waterton-Glacier National Park is also critical because it would allow for comparisons with wildlife populations in managed landscapes outside of the park. Finally, the investment in training and equipment from this project would allow park biologists to monitor any changes over time in the status and distribution of bats. This information is especially critical as concerns about white-nose syndrome and wind energy threaten many of our bat populations.