Annex 10 Bat Acoustic Study - Mason County, IllinoisAcoustic bat surveys were conducted at the...
Transcript of Annex 10 Bat Acoustic Study - Mason County, IllinoisAcoustic bat surveys were conducted at the...
Bat Summer Presence/Absence Survey Report
Glacier Sands Wind Project
Mason County, Illinois
July 13 – 15, 2017
Prepared for:
Swift Current Energy
745 Atlantic Avenue, Floor 8
Boston, Massachusetts 02111
Prepared by:
Travis Brown, Rebecca Schmitt, Kevin Murray, and Ashley Matteson
Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.
408 West Sixth Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47404
December 8, 2017
Confidential Business Information - Not For Distribution
Annex_10 Bat Acoustic Study
Glacier Sands Wind Project – Bat Summer Presence/Absence Surveys
WEST, Inc. i December 8, 2017
STUDY PARTICIPANTS
Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. Travis Brown Project Manager Kevin Murray Qualitative Acoustic Analyst Ashley Matteson Acoustic Analyst, Report Writer Rebecca Schmitt Project Coordinator Jolie Blevins Data Manager Wendy Bruso Technical Editing Manager Katie Michaels Technical Editing Coordinator Katie Michaels Technical Editor Michael Uffenbeck Acoustic Crew Leader Tanner Mazanec Acoustic Technician
REPORT REFERENCE
Brown, T. T., R. Schmitt, K. Murray, and A. Matteson. 2017. Glacier Sands Wind Project Bat Summer
Presence/Absence Survey Report, Mason County, Illinois. Draft Report: July 13 – July 15, 2017.
Prepared for Swift Current Energy, Boston, Massachusetts. Prepared by Western EcoSystems
Technology, Inc. (WEST), Bloomington, Indiana. October 3, 2017.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW ........................................................................... 1
METHODS ................................................................................................................................. 1
Desktop Habitat Assessment .................................................................................................. 1
Acoustic Surveys .................................................................................................................... 3
RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 3
DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................. 4
LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................. 6
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1A. Acoustic surveysite coordinates, descriptions, and results of acoustic
identification software during July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier Sands Wind Project
bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois. ........................ 5
Table 1B. Bat calls identified by Kaleidoscope Pro® Version 4.2.0 software from the Glacier
Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County,
Illinois. ............................................................................................................................ 5
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Location of the Glacier Sands Wind Project in Mason County, Illinois and bat
acoustic detector locations from 2017 summer presence/absence surveys. ................... 2
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A. Photographs of Detector Setups
Appendix B. Datasheets
Appendix C. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 Results
Appendix D. Acoustic Analyst Resume; Kevin Murray PhD
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BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW
Swift Current Energy (Swift Current) is developing the Glacier Sands Wind Project (Project) in
Mason County, Illinois. Swift Current contracted Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST)
to conduct bat surveys in the Project during summer 2017. The objective of the bat surveys was
to determine presence or probable absence of the federally endangered Indiana bat (MYSO;
Myotis sodalis) and federally threatened northern long-eared bat (MYSE; M. septentrionalis) in
the Project during the summer maternity season.
The surveys described in this report follow the study plan for bat summer presence/absence
surveys at the Project provided to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Illinois
Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) on June 20, 2017. Site-specific authorization for
surveys was provided by the USFWS in a letter dated July 3, 2017, and survey methodology
approval was provided by the IDNR in an e-mail dated June 23, 2017.
METHODS
The proposed surveys followed the 2017 Range-Wide Indiana Bat Summer Survey Guidelines
(USFWS 2017). USFWS guidance recommends the following phases: 1) desktop habitat
assessment; 2) acoustic surveys; and 3) follow-up mist-net, telemetry, and emergence surveys.
WEST conducted a desktop habitat assessment followed by acoustic surveys to determine
whether the Project was used by MYSO or MYSE during the summer maternity season.
Desktop Habitat Assessment
A desktop habitat assessment was conducted using the most recently available aerial images.
The Project boundary included approximately 24,941 acres (ac; 10,093 hectares [ha]). US
Geological Survey National Land Cover Database mapping indicated that the Project contained
approximately 97 ac (40 ha) of forest habitat. The USFWS Guidelines (2017) recommend one
acoustic survey site should be surveyed per 123 ac (50 ha) of suitable habitat on non-linear
projects. Two sampling locations (placed at least 200 meters [m; 656 feet [ft] apart) at each
survey site should then be surveyed for a minimum of two detector nights. Based on the
distribution of suitable habitat within the Project area, WEST proposed to survey one acoustic
site (two detector locations per survey site) for a total of four detector nights (Figure 1). This
acoustic site was selected by permitted biologist Travis Brown.
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Figure 1. Location of the Glacier Sands Wind Project in Mason County, Illinois and bat acoustic detector locations from
2017 summer presence/absence surveys.
Microphone
Orientation
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Acoustic Surveys
The objective of the acoustic surveys was to assess the potential for presence of MYSO and
MYSE within the Project area. One acoustic site was sampled, using two detectors deployed for
three consecutive nights each, for a total of six detector nights. Bats were surveyed using
Anabat SD2 detectors (Titley Scientific, Columbia Missouri; http://www.titley-scientific.com/).
Detectors were set to a sensitivity of seven with an audio and data division setting of 16.
Acoustic surveys were conducted from July 13 – 15, 2017. An additional night of surveys were
conducted due to a scheduling delay with field crews. Acoustic monitoring began before sunset
and continued for the entire night (approximately 9 hours / night). If weather conditions such as
persistent rain (for 30 or more minutes), strong sustained winds (greater than nine miles per
hour for 30 or more minutes), or cold temperature (below 10° Celsius [50° Fahrenheit] for 30 or
more minutes) occurred, then the site subject to those conditions was surveyed for an additional
night. Directional detector microphones were positioned at least three m (10 ft) off the ground,
encased within 45-degree pvc elbows, oriented horizontally, and placed at least five meters
away from vegetation (Appendix A). For each acoustic site, the date, start and end time, site
description, site coordinates, tree species composition, stand age, vegetation community type,
and weather data were recorded. Representative photographs of each site were also taken.
Proper functioning of detectors was verified by recording correct settings and conducting a
microphone and battery test during deployment and retrieval of equipment (Appendix B).
Bat calls were identified using a USFWS-approved quantitative identification software package
(Kalediscope Pro© version 4.2.0). The Bats of North America classifier 4.2.0 was used within
Kaleidoscope. The Kaleidoscope output generates a list of likelihood estimates for each species
with the potential to occur within the Project. The following species were included in the
Kaleidoscope model: big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris
noctivagans), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), little brown bat
(Myotis lucifugus), MYSO, MYSE, evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), and tri-colored bat
(Perimyotis subflavus).
All calls identified as MYSO or MYSE by automated identification software with high levels of
statistical confidence (p-value < 0.05) were examined and verified by a qualified biologist with
extensive acoustic identification experience. All calls from nights that Kaleidoscope considered
MYSO or MYSE presence likely (maximum likelihood estimator p-value < 0.05) were reviewed.
If call sequences were not characteristic of MYSO or MYSE, contained distinct calls produced
by species other than MYSO or MYSE, or were of insufficient quality, they were reclassified.
RESULTS
Locations and descriptions of acoustic survey sites are provided in Table 1. Photographs of
detector setups are included in Appendix A. Acoustic detectors were deployed for a total of
three nights (six detector-nights), all of which were valid (i.e., appropriate weather and properly-
functioning equipment).
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Kaleidoscope recognized a total of 1,282 calls and identified 743 of those calls (58.0%). Big
brown bats (268 calls; 20.9% of all bat calls) were the most commonly identified species,
followed by evening bats (205 calls; 16.0%), and eastern red bats (181 calls; 14.1%) (Table 1A
and 1B; Appendix C). Kaleidoscope identified one call as a MYSO and zero calls as MYSE. The
maximum likelihood estimator p-value was > 0.05 for MYSO and MYSE on all survey nights.
Therefore, no qualitative review was conducted. Acoustic survey data indicate that MYSO or
MYSE are likely absent from the Project; therefore, no follow-up mist-net surveys were
conducted.
DISCUSSION
Acoustic bat surveys were conducted at the Glacier Sands Wind Project according to USFWS
guidelines (USFWS 2017), and no MYSO or MYSE calls were confirmed by qualitative acoustic
analysis. Therefore, these species should be considered likely absent from the Project during
the summer maternity season.
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Table 1A. Acoustic surveysite coordinates, descriptions, and results of acoustic identification software during July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.
Site ID County Easting* Northing* Latitude Longitude
Acoustic Detector Site Description
Total Bat
Calls
Bat Calls Identified
**
Total Detector Nights
Hours per detector
night
Bat Calls per
Detector Night
GS – 1A Mason 266286 4459258 40.25117 -89.74790 Field Edge 951 501 3 9 317 GS – 1B Mason 266223 4459461 40.25297 -89.74872 Field Edge 331 242 3 9 110.3
Total 1282 743 6 *Zone 16 T; Coordinate system and datum: UTM NAD83. Accuracy +/- 5m
**Number of calls that were identified to species by the acoustic software
Table 1B. Bat calls identified by Kaleidoscope Pro® Version 4.2.0 software from the Glacier Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017
presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.
Site ID EPFU LABO LACI LANO MYLU MYSE MYSO NYHU PESU UNKN
GS – 1A 188 135 30 10 8 0 1 127 2 450 GS – 1B 80 46 26 2 7 0 0 78 3 89
Total 268
(20.9%) 181
(14.1%) 56
(4.4%) 12
(0.9%) 15
(1.2%) 0
(0.0%) 1
(0.1%) 205
(16.0%) 5
(0.4%) 539
(42.0%) EPFU = big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); LABO = eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); LACI = hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); LANO = silver-haired bat
(Lasionycteris noctivagans); MYLU = little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); MYSE = northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); MYSO = Indiana bat (Myotis
sodalis); NYHU = evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis); PESU = tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus); UNKN = unknown.
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LITERATURE CITED
ESRI. 2017. World Imagery and Aerial Photos. ArcGIS Resource Center. ESRI, producers of ArcGIS
software. Redlands, California.
North American Datum (NAD). 1983. NAD83 Geodetic Datum.
US Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2015. Imagery Programs - National Agriculture Imagery Program
(NAIP). USDA - Farm Service Agency (FSA). Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO), Salt Lake
City, Utah. Data accessed September 2015. Information available online:
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/aerial-photography/imagery-programs/index
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2017. 2017 Range-Wide Indiana Bat Summer Survey Guidelines.
May 9, 2017. Available online:
https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/surveys/pdf/2017INBASummerSurveyG
uidelines9May2017.pdf
US Geological Survey (USGS). 2017. USGS Topographic Maps. Last updated January 17, 2017.
Homepage available at: https://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/index.html
Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. 2016. Kaleidoscope Pro®. Version 4.2.0 (Acoustic Analysis computer software).
Wildlife Acoustics, Concord, Massachusetts. Information available online at:
www.wildlifeacoustics.com
Appendix A. Photographs of Detector Setups
Appendix A1. Acoustic survey location GS – 1A. Top photo: cone of detection; middle photo:
microphone orientation; bottom photo: detector placement.
Appendix A2. Acoustic survey location GS – 1B. Top photo: cone of detection; middle photo:
microphone orientation; bottom photo: detector placement.
Appendix B. Datasheets
Appendix C. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 Results
Appendix C-1. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 identification during acoustic surveys from July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier
Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.
EPFU LABO LACI LANO MYLU MYSE MYSO NYHU PESU NOID NOISE
GS-1A 188 135 30 10 8 1 127 2 188 135
713 16 60 12 5 1 46 1 16 60
714 17 30 2 3 1 23 17 30
715 155 45 16 7 2 58 1 155 45
GS-1B 80 46 26 2 7 78 3 80 46
713 9 5 8 5 9 5
714 20 20 8 4 41 1 20 20
715 51 21 10 2 3 32 2 51 21
TOTAL 268 181 56 12 15 1 205 5 539 623
EPFU = big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); LABO = eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); LACI = hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); LANO = silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris
noctivagans); MYLU = little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); MYSE = northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); MYSO = Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis); NYHU = evening
bat (Nycticeius humeralis); PESU = tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus); UNKN = unknown.
Appendix C-2. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 presence P-values during acoustic surveys from July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier
Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.
EPFU LABO LACI LANO MYLU MYSE MYSO NYHU PESU
GS-1A 0 0 1.8E-05 1 1 1 1 0 1
713 0 0 1E-07 1 1 1 0.50665 0.003084 1
714 0 0 0.70819 1 1 1 1 0.03727 1
715 0 0 0.07404 1 1 1 1 0 1
GS-1B 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0.900161
713 5E-07 1E-06 3.4E-06 1 1 1 1 0.288526 1
714 0 0 0.00036 1 0.99863 1 1 0 1
715 0 0 0.00562 1 1 1 1 8.8E-06 0.684642
TOTAL 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1
EPFU = big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); LABO = eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); LACI = hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); LANO = silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris
noctivagans); MYLU = little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); MYSE = northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); MYSO = Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis); NYHU = evening bat
(Nycticeius humeralis); PESU = tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus); UNKN = unknown.
Appendix D. Acoustic Analyst Resume; Kevin Murray PhD