This two-year study evaluates the distribution, roosting and foraging ecology, migratory movements, and winter habits of gray bats (Myotis grisescens) in the French Broad River Basin of western North Carolina. The results will inform the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on how gray bats may be affected by multiple large scale projects and a range of smaller projects and maintenance activities in NCDOT Divisions 13 and 14.
The research team captured bats, mainly at known roost sites, used various radio telemetry techniques to track bats, searched structures (bridges and culverts), measured roost temperatures, conducted winter surveys in NC, and used acoustics to listen for bats year round. Gray bat presence should be considered for projects close to large streams in the French Broad River basin and possibly other parts of western NC.
