RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 



A total of 54 sites were checked for nocturnal bat activity in 1994: four sites in July, 18 in 

 August, and 32 in September. Only tliree sites on the Fisher River District, and one on the 

 Rexford District, were surveyed. The remaining four Districts were surveyed at a minimum of 

 12 sites each (Appendix 2). All sites were sampled with ANABAT II ultrasonic bat detectors. 

 Bats were detected at 40 (74%) of the sites; a mean of 3.1 + 1.3 species were detected at sites 

 where bats were present. The maximum number of bat species at a single site (5) was detected in 

 the Cabinet (2 sites), Fortine (1 site), Libby (1 site), and Three Rivers Districts (1 site); four of 

 the five sites were immediately adjacent to water ( the fifth site was in a mixed-conifer stand 

 with some overstory removal). 



Five species of vespertilionid bat (common names usually follow Jones et al. 1986) were 

 identified during 1994 field surveys (see Appendix 3): Long-eared Myofis {Myotis evotis - 16 

 sites). Silver-haired Bat {Lasionycteris noctivagans - 17 sites). Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus - 

 16 sites). Hoary Bat {Lasiiirus cinereus - 8 sites), Townsend's Big-eared Bat {Plecotiis 

 townsendii - 17 sites). In addition, Myotis sp. was detected at 26 sites. 



Field surveys in 1993 (Roemer 1994) identified six bat species on the Kootenai National 

 Forest (M californicus, M. ciliolabrum, M. evotis, M. lucifugus, M. volans, Lasionycteris 

 noctivagans), bringing to nine the number of species identified on the Forest during the two 

 years (see Appendix 4). Of the species detected by Roemer (1994) but missed in the 1994 field 

 survey, all were species oi Myotis (all but M. evotis) and were probably overlooked due to the 

 difficulty of using vocalizations as the sole means of identificafion. 



The 1994 field survey (see Appendix 4) detected the presence of at least four bat species from 

 the Cabinet District, three species from the Fisher River District, four species from the Fortine 

 District, four species from the Libby District, three species from the Rexford District, and five 

 species from the Three Rivers District. Species ricliness values for each District, using the 

 combined 1993-1994 resuUs, are 8, 6, 6, 7, 8, and 7 species, respectively. No District included 

 all species (9) known to occur on Kootenai National Forest lands, but four species (Af. evotis, M. 

 lucifugus. Lasionycteris noctivagans, and Eptesicus fuscus) were found in all six Districts of the 

 Kootenai National Forest. All other species were detected on at least tliree of the six Districts. 



Ten species (Myotis yumanensis, M. evotis, M. lucifugus, M. californicus, M. ciliolabrum, M. 

 volans, Lasionycteris noctivagans, Eptesicus fuscus, Lasiurus cinereus, and Plecotus townsendii) 

 are likely to breed on the Kootenai National Forest. Each species is known to breed in Canada 

 to the north, or in western Montana to the east and south (Hoffmann and Pattie 1968, Hoffmann 

 et al. 1969, van Zyll de Jong 1985); all but M. yumanensis were idenfified in mid- to late- 

 summer during the 1993 and 1994 surveys (see above). Lactating females of M californicus, M. 

 ciliolabrum, M. evotis, and M volans were captured on the Kootenai National Forest during 

 summer in 1993 (Roemer 1994). Which species overwinter on the Kootenai Nafional Forest is 

 unknown. 



The Fringed Myotis {Myotis thysanodes) may also occur on the Kootenai National Forest, but 

 is considered a rare breeder in western Montana (Hoffmann and Pattie 1968, Hoffmann et al. 

 1969). The Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum) and the Pallid Bat {Antrozous pallidus) are found 

 about 230 km to the west in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia (van Zyll de Jong 1985), 



