Site Selection 



As funding was only available for a few nights of surveys, 

 sites were selected that appeared to have the greatest 

 chance of finding good bat concentrations. These were all 

 located near watering sources adjacent to habitat that had 

 riparian areas, mature hardwoods, older age-class Douglas 

 fir, and limestone outcrops, all habitat components found to 

 be associated with high bat activity during studies on the 

 adjacent Deerlodge National Forest (Butts 1993a, Butts 

 1993b. ). 



Once a general area was selected, the specific site was 

 chosen that appeared to have potential roosting sites 

 nearby, such as older trees, fractured rock, old buildings, 

 or known caves or adits. If water was nearby, specific 

 sites to set up mist nets were generally selected that 

 crossed the slowest moving stretches of streams or pools. 



When a specific site was selected, from two to six mist nets 

 were set up in the evening across trails, or across and 

 adjacent to streams or ponds. Nets were not raised into 

 final position until about one-half hour after sunset to 

 avoid catching birds. Depending on the site, the height of 

 the bottom of the net above ground or water varied from less 

 than a foot to 6 feet. Nets were checked at least every 

 hour until after midnight, then again between one hour, and 



