RECOMMENDATIONS 



1) Due to limited time in the field during the 1994 and 1995 surveys, and the in-hand 

 examination of few bats, the status and distribution of bats on the Kootenai National Forest 

 reported here should not be considered definitive. Although several collections of bats have been 

 made in northwestern Montana over the years, most field efforts in the region have been brief 

 (less than one month) and not comprehensive; the Kootenai National Forest is notable for the 

 absence of data on its bat fauna, although the region is now better-known than many areas in the 

 state. Information fi-om the various surveys is beginning to reveal a more complete picture of the 

 bat fauna and its habitat associations in the region. Additional summer survey work should be 

 done on all Districts, with emphasis on studies designed to determine the importance of forest 

 structure and stand treatments to bats in the Northern Rocky Mountains. More survey work 

 should be conducted in June and July to determine if bat presence or use of each habitat type is 

 constant during summer. Currently, this kind of information is available only for sites in the 

 Cascades, although the survey data presented in this report are suggestive and consistent with 

 those studies. Use of mist-nets in conjunction with ultra-soimd detectors is encouraged. 



2) Kenelty Cave (see Campbell 1978) in the Fisher River District (T26N R29W S4) was not 

 surveyed in 1994 or 1995; it should be checked to determine if it is presently used by bats, either 

 as a summer roost or hibemaculum. Inspection should be done by experienced bat biologists in 

 order to minimize disturbance during summer and to avoid awakening bats and causing mortality 

 during hibernation in winter. If used by bats, restricted visitor access to this site may be 

 warranted to prevent abandonment. 



3) Additional abandoned mines and buildings on Forest Service land should also be checked for 

 hibernating and summer-roosting bats if possible. Underground mines can be checked for 

 summer bat activity by stretching mist-nets across adits at dusk and recording captures. Autumn 

 inspection of mines may reveal the presence of hibernating individuals. Records should be kept 

 of any hibernating or roosting bats found, including locality, species present, number, and date. 



4) Life history information and ecology is poorly known for most bat species in northwestern 

 Montana. Any specimens obtained should be preserved. Locality, date, and reproductive status 

 should be documented. This is especially true for the western small-footed myotis {Myotis 

 ciliolabrum) and fringed myotis {Myotis thysanodes). 



5) If Great Homed Owl or other owl roosts and nest sites are known, pellets could be routinely 

 collected and examined for bat remains. A number of nocturnal raptors prey on bats 

 opportimisticaiiy (e.g., see Mattson 1995), and sometimes systematically. American Kestrels 

 will also prey on bats, and their pellets could be examined as well. 



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