Download Wisconsin Bat Festival Science Symposium 2014 Program Agenda

Wisconsin Bat Festival Science Symposium 2014
Program Agenda
1:00 - 1:45 pm
“Live radio interview” with Jeanna Giese, rabies survivor
hosted by Judith Siers-Poisson of WPR’s “Larry Mieller Show”.
1:45 - 2:30 pm Health of Bats and Bat Populations
Development of Oral Vaccine Vectors to Protect Bats Against Rabies and other Important
Transmissible Diseases
Ben Stading, UW- Madison School of Veterinary Medicine
Summary - Bats have become increasingly linked with infectious diseases, both as carriers of
important zoonotic diseases (those that can be transmitted to humans), and as victims of
introduced pathogens (i.e. White-nose Syndrome). Despite this fact, little work has been done
towards mitigating these diseases in their bat hosts. Wildlife vaccines, when delivered orally,
have proven successful at reducing disease in free-ranging mammalian hosts. My project aims
to determine the feasibility of topical vaccination of bats using recombinant viral vaccine vectors.
This technology would be directly applicable toward the control of rabies in certain bat
populations, and may be used to develop other vaccines against important diseases of bats.
It’s no Joke: White-nose Syndrome Threatens Wisconsin’s bats
Michelle Verant, UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and USGS National Wildlife
Health Center
Summary - White-nose syndrome is a deadly fungal disease of bats that first appeared in New
York in 2006. It affects bats when they are hibernating during winter and has resulted in millions
of bat deaths across eastern North America. In March 2014, it was diagnosed in bats in
Wisconsin, making it one of the most important threats to bat conservation in the state. Come
learn about this mysterious disease and what is being done to protect bats from Batman’s
greatest villian.
A changing batting average? Bat mist-net surveys in Grant County, WI prior to the
occurence of white-nose syndrome.
Jeff Huebschman, Erin Holmes, Molly Lingel, UW- Platteville Biology
Summary – Bat mist-net surveys have occurred annually in Grant County in southwest
Wisconsin since 2004. We will discuss our long-term results, including species composition and
general life history characteristics of bats surveyed. The presence of white-nose syndrome in
the state and in the broader region is predicted to result in a dramatic change in relative bat
species abundance in the years ahead. Our long-term data set will allow such a change in bat
species abundance to be detectable in our region.
2:30 - 2:45 pm Q & A Panel
2:45 - 3:45 pm Finding Bats In Wisconsin- What Does The Bat Say?
Seven Years in Wisconsin: What the Wisconsin Bat Program has learned since the
creation of a citizen-based bat monitoring program.
Paul White, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Summary - In 2007, the Wisconsin Bat Program cast the bat signal high above the dairy state.
The signal requested the help of volunteers, citizen scientists and biologists alike to collect data
on where bats were found in Wisconsin. Learn about the information collected thus far and how
Wisconsinites responded to this “call to action”.
Adventures of the Bat Squad: Acoustic Bat Monitoring at the Urban Ecology Center
Anne Reis, Urban Ecology Center
Summary - The Urban Ecology Center has been conducting acoustic bat monitoring since 2008
thanks to generous support from the Wisconsin DNR’s Bat Program and Citizen-based
Monitoring Partnership Program and Verne Read, one of the founders of Bat Conservation
International. The Center’s team of staff and volunteers have been using ANABAT detectors to
monitor local green spaces and waterways for the last five years, and have seen volunteer
participation grow from a handful of people to over 150. This Urban “Bat Squad” has
documented 5 of the 7 native Wisconsin bats at all three of the Center’s branches. Anne Reis,
the Center’s GIS and Field Data Management Specialist, coordinates this program and will talk
about her experiences and the importance of the citizen science program to the Center and the
community.
The Bioacoustics Analysis Team (BAT) at UWSP: Keeping an ear on bats since 2008
Christopher Yahnke, UW– Stevens Point
Summary - The Bioacoustics Analysis Team (BAT) is a group of students at the University of
Wisconsin – Stevens Point that are engaged in questions regarding bat biology and ecological
soundscapes. We will present some of our data from WDNR bat monitoring stations located on
Lake Tomahawk in northern Wisconsin, Schmeekle Reserve in central Wisconsin, and the
Urban Ecology Center in southeastern Wisconsin. These data include nocturnal activity
patterns, relative species abundance, and annual variation in species activity that can be an
indicator of population health. We also looked at lunarphobia, a phenomenon where small
mammals are less active during the full moon. This phenomenon has been observed in some
New World tropical fruit bats, but few studies exist for temperate insectivorous bats.
Fox Valley Bat Detectives: Where Bat Research and Citizen Science Meet
Lindsay Browne and Jodi Sedlock, Lawrence University
Summary - Fox Valley Bat Detectives represents a citizen-science collaboration project between
Lawrence University bat researchers and six northeast Wisconsin nature centers. Over the past
three summers, the Bat Detectives program has upheld its dual mission of collecting data on
local bat populations and educating the public about these elusive mammals through the
involvement of over 200 volunteers during 119 acoustic bat monitoring surveys. Led by the light
of headlamps and a trained Lawrence student, the Fox Valley Bat Detectives have a first-hand
listen to local bats while facilitating important bat research for region.
3:45 - 4:00 pm Q & A Panel
4:00 - 4:45 pm Bat and Cave Adventures in Wisconsin and Abroad
Little Globin Bat, White-shoulder bat and other Crazy Cool Cuban Bats
Lainet Garcia-Rivera, Menomonee Valley Community
Summary - Cuba is an island just two-thirds the size of Wisconsin, but it has more than three
times as many kinds of bats! There are 26 species, all of which have different fascinating
adaptations. More than half of them live in caves, others in trees, and different species eat
everything from fruit to pollen to nectar to fish! The natural history of some of them is well
known, but we are still learning more every day about these incredible creatures. This talk will
include an overview of Cuban bats, an update on bat research in Cuba, and a discussion of why
it is so important to protect these amazing animals and their habitats.
What makes a comfy home: Summer bat roosts in Wisconsin
Heather Kaarakka, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Summary - Summer day roosts are critical for survival of bats in North America and some have
argued that the availability of summer roosts can limit bat populations. Appropriate day roosts
provide protection and offer a safe place to raise young. Where do bats roost? How do they
choose where to spend their summer? The WI Bat Program has spent the last 4 years learning
about summer roosts- from where each species spend their days, to what makes a good bat
house, and still much to investigate in between.
Door County’s Horseshoe Bay Cave: inventory and monitoring bats and other resources
Jennifer Redell, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Summary - One of Wisconsin’s longest natural caves, and home to the largest congregation of
hibernating bats in any natural WI cave, Horseshoe Bay Cave is a critical bat resource of
regional importance. In partnership with Door County Parks and others, the WDNR has worked
to learn more about bats and other unique animals that call this cave ecosystem home by
inventorying cave resources and monitoring bats and cave environmental conditions. In
response to requests for public access to the cave a management plan was been developed
that outlines goals for management of cave resources, public access, research access, white-
nose syndrome prevention, and safety. Join this talk to take a virtual journey into the far secret
reaches of Horseshoe Bay Cave.
4:45 - 5:00 pm Q & A Panel
Thank you for your attention and questions. We hoped you learned some cool facts about one
of our world’s coolest animals, the only flying mammal in fact! Most of the information shared
with you today is collected by volunteers across the state. If you are interested in learning more
about these activities and how you can contribute to our knowledge of bats in Wisconsin, please
visit the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Wisconsin Bat Program webpage.