RECOMMENDATIONS 



1) Due to limited time in the field during the 1994 survey and the lack of in-hand examination of 

 any bats, the status and distribution of bats on the Kootenai National Forest reported here should 

 not be considered defmitive. 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. Combined efforts of the various surveys are just beginning to reveal a more 

 complete picture of the bat fauna of the region. Additional summer survey work should be done 

 on all Districts, with special effort directed to under-represented Districts (Fisher River and 

 Rexford) and habitats (old growth cedar-hemlock and Douglas fir. and mesic ponderosa pine in 

 the Tobacco Plains area). Use of mist-nets in conjunction with ultra-sound detectors is 

 encouraged. 



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

 surveyed in 1994; it should be checked to detemiine if it is presently used by bats, either as a 

 summer roost or hibernaculum. Inspection should be done by experienced bat biologists in order 

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

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

 prevent abandonment. 



3) Any 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. 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 and Fringed 

 Myotis. 



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 

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

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



6) Large trees with natural cavities should not be removed. Besides providing nesting and 

 roosting sites for birds, some bats will use them for the same purposes. 



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