Bat study determines six species at Hanscom

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – The 66th Civil Engineering Division Environmental Office here recently received the results of a 90-day bat species survey that confirmed the presence of six types of bats on the installation.

The acoustic monitoring survey was part of a conservation compliance survey that took place to determine the presence of bats listed as federally threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.

“As natural resource managers, it's our job to know which species reside on our installation so that we can manage them in a way that affords them the special protection they require while preserving the flexibility needed to accomplish the mission,” said Scott Sheehan, Hanscom environmental engineer.

Confirmed species at Hanscom include the Big Brown Bat, Eastern Red Bat, Canyon Bat, Hoary Bat, Little Brown Bat and Silver Haired Bat, none that are federally endangered or threatened. However, the Little Brown Bat is a state-endangered or threatened species in Massachusetts.

According to the report, “the Big Brown Bat dominated species activity levels.”

The survey focused on research and sustainable management of natural and cultural resources.

“The Department of Defense manages more than 25 million acres of land and has some of the best, and often last remaining, habitats for hundreds of threatened and endangered species,” said Sheehan.

According to the data collected, the acoustic monitoring devices captured more than 179,000 bat passes in six survey locations across the installation during the three-month survey period. The data recorded eight species by Kaleidoscope Pro, a bat monitor system. Follow-on surveys manually confirmed the presence of six species.

Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, was among 47 other U.S. Air Force properties participating in the survey, including Sagamore Hill in Hamilton, Mass., Fourth Cliff Recreation Area in Humarock, Mass., Westover Air Force Reserve Base, Mass., Cape Cod Air Force Station in Flatrock Hill, Mass., and New Boston Air Force Station in New Hampshire.

Surveyors manually confirmed seven species at the 66th Force Support Squadron-run Fourth Cliff Recreation Area, with the Eastern Red Bat most prevalent.

Surveys at nearby Sagamore Hill manually confirmed the presence of the Northern Long-eared Bat, a federally-listed species, as well as four others.

Officials will analyze the data to develop a management strategy to work with federal and state fish and wildlife agencies.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bats are important to the ecology and economy because they eat insects at night, which provides a natural benefit for farmers and foresters.

The University of Montana’s Center for Integrated Research on the Environment, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District in Nebraska, conducted the survey on behalf of the Air Force Civil Engineering Center.

For further information on the acoustic monitoring survey, contact Sheehan at 781-225-6144.