North American bats face unprecedented threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, white-nose syndrome, wind energy development, and climate change. However, it is difficult to evaluate the impacts of these threats due to a lack of basic information about the distribution and abundance of bats across the continent. Although bat monitoring has long been conducted in individual areas and for individual projects, until now, there has been no statistically robust and standardized monitoring program to assess the status and trends of bat populations across North America. The North American Bat Monitoring Program, or NABat, provides information to a broad constituency garnered from a continental-scale, long-term program, and allows them to better document changes in bat populations, estimate extinction risk, set conservation priorities, and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation actions.
What is NABat?
-
The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is an international interagency program designed to monitor bat distributions and abundances on public and private lands, and provide trend data at the state, provincial, tribal, regional (e.g., Landscape Conservation Cooperatives), and range-wide scales.
-
The goal of NABat is to provide natural resource managers with information required to manage bat populations effectively, detect early warning signs of population decline, and estimate extinction risk.
-
NABat will allow state, provincial, and federal agencies to better prioritize limited resources and engage in cross-agency collaboration. Over time, NABat will involve the public in monitoring and conservation activities.
Scope of NABat
Currently, NABat concentrates on the 47 species of bats found in Canada and the U.S. Over time, NABat will integrate with an existing monitoring program in Mexico.
Methods and Approaches Used in NABat

A central component of NABat is the use of a master sample of grid cells, a spatially balanced list of sampling areas within a continental grid framework. Conducting standardized monitoring within this framework allows statistical inference to unsurveyed locations. The master sample provides operational flexibility to partners while allowing for regional and range-wide analyses.
NABat gathers monitoring data to assess changes in bat populations using:
-
Mobile acoustic surveys along driving transects
-
Acoustic surveys at stationary points
-
Internal colony counts (winter and summer)
-
External colony counts
-
Capture data
Anticipated Products and Outcomes
-
Status and Trends of North American Bats: Summer Occupancy Analysis (2022)
-
Spatially-explicit data on bat populations (e.g., improved range maps, density estimates) that will allow natural resource managers to identify areas and species of conservation concern
-
Long-term distribution data for addressing cross-boundary issues related to bat management and conservation
Accomplishments to Date
-
Release of third-party data sharing platform with automated notifications and user approval which allows NABat partners to request and share data with other registered users
-
Establishment of regional hubs which facilitate implementation of NABat and guide local efforts — to date, regional hubs have been established in the following areas:
-
Northwest
-
Mid-Atlantic
-
Midwest
-
PacWest
-
Southwest
-
Atlantic Canada
-
-
Release of an annual schedule for training webinars covering topics like data processing, field methods, and contributing data to NABat
-
Development of a new offshore sample frame to support ongoing monitoring efforts related to offshore wind energy development
-
Release of the NABat R package
-
Expanded database structure to facilitate upload of bat capture records (for example, mist netting, harp trapping, and more)
-
Developed an open-source machine learning algorithm for assigning bat species IDs to acoustic recordings
-
Developed standard operating procedures for stationary acoustic and mobile transect surveys
-
More than 650 registered projects in 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and Puerto Rico
-
More than 3,000 NABat GRTS cells claimed for survey
-
More than 7,000 GRTS cells with survey data uploaded
-
More than 65 million acoustic files uploaded to NABat database
-
Release of nabatmonitoring.org, a website to support and disseminate information, user resources, and training materials
-
Publication of a spatially‐enabled database to house NABat data and metadata
-
Release of data visualization tools based on the NABat sample design, including mapping features to explore project data (private) and a public data map to identify current monitoring efforts and project details
-
Release of a new cell selection tool with numerous data layers, mapping features, and functionality to upload spatial objects and user-generated layers
-
Development of an automated project reporting feature for stationary acoustic and winter hibernacula data
-
Publication of the NABat Attributed Master Sample: a spatially balanced ordered list of sample units for each U.S. state and Canadian province
-
Interagency partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to utilize the NABat database as part of the Species Status Assessment for three North American bat species
-
Statewide volunteer mobile transect survey program implemented in North Carolina
-
Active engagement by U.S. and Canadian coordinators, state management agencies, and private conservation agencies
-
Four workshops and a technical report: A Plan for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat). The report describes rationale, need, sampling design, sampling framework, guidelines for data collection, data management capabilities, and analytical approaches
-
Establishment of four NABat working groups to refine survey methods and collaboratively address research needs and emerging conservation issues
-
Partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to merge the BatAMP database with NABat
-
Partnership with the National Parks Service to merge bat acoustic data collected at National Parks across North America with the NABat database
Training dataset for NABat Machine Learning V1.0
Status and Trends of North American Bats Summer Occupancy Analysis 2010-2019 Data Release
North American Grid-Based Offshore Sampling Frames
Rangewide summertime model predictions for three bat species (Myotis lucifigus, Myotis septentrionalis, and Perimyotis subflavus) from acoustic and mist net data 2010 to 2019
In Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Winter Colony Count Analysis
In Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Predicted Wind Take Allocated To Hibernacula Each Year Under Current and Future Scenarios
In Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Summer Mobile Acoustic Transect Analysis
In Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Wind Energy Influence
Bat Occupancy Model Predictions for Colorado, acoustic data from 2016-2017
North American Grid-Based Sampling Frame
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Master Sample and Grid-Based Sampling Frame
Attributed North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Master Sample and Grid-Based Sampling Frame
Introduction to NABat
Introduction to the North American Bat Monitoring Program, including a short history of the program, a review of key program components, and highlights of program outcomes and products.

Below are publications associated with this project.
U.S. Geological Survey science in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 3—Conducting mobile transect surveys
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Mobile Acoustic Transect Surveys Standard Operating Procedure 2—Field Season and Survey Preparation
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 1—Locating and establishing mobile transect routes
NABat ML: Utilizing deep learning to enable crowdsourced development of automated, scalable solutions for documenting North American bat populations
Status and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019
• We developed an analytical pipeline supported by web-based infrastructure for integrating continental scale bat monitoring data (stationary acoustic, mobile acoustic, and capture records) to estimate summer (May 1–Aug 31) occupancy probabilities and changes in occupancy over time for 12 North American bat species. This serves as one of multiple lines of evidence that inform the status and trends
Spatial Gaussian processes improve multi-species occupancy models when range boundaries are uncertain and nonoverlapping
The scope and severity of white-nose syndrome on hibernating bats in North America
NABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring
Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors
North American Bat Monitoring Program regional protocol for surveying with stationary deployments of echolocation recording devices: Narrative version 1.0, Pacific Northwestern US
Statistical power of dynamic occupancy models to identify temporal change: Informing the North American Bat Monitoring Program
Identifying occupancy model inadequacies: Can residuals separately assess detection and presence?
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Partner Portal
NABat is an international and interagency program that aims to conserve North American bat populations by providing standardized survey data from across the continent.
North American Bat Monitoring Program: NABat Acoustic ML, Version 1.0.1
North American Bat Monitoring Program: R Data Connection Package
Software Supplement to accompany 'Estimating Species-Environment Relationships with Non-ignorable Sampling Designs'
NABat is made possible through the participation of its many partners, including those listed below.
- Overview
North American bats face unprecedented threats including habitat loss and fragmentation, white-nose syndrome, wind energy development, and climate change. However, it is difficult to evaluate the impacts of these threats due to a lack of basic information about the distribution and abundance of bats across the continent. Although bat monitoring has long been conducted in individual areas and for individual projects, until now, there has been no statistically robust and standardized monitoring program to assess the status and trends of bat populations across North America. The North American Bat Monitoring Program, or NABat, provides information to a broad constituency garnered from a continental-scale, long-term program, and allows them to better document changes in bat populations, estimate extinction risk, set conservation priorities, and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation actions.
This spotted bat, native to western North America, is a hibernating insect-eating bat that may be at risk as the disease white-nose syndrome moves westward. Public domain What is NABat?
-
The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is an international interagency program designed to monitor bat distributions and abundances on public and private lands, and provide trend data at the state, provincial, tribal, regional (e.g., Landscape Conservation Cooperatives), and range-wide scales.
-
The goal of NABat is to provide natural resource managers with information required to manage bat populations effectively, detect early warning signs of population decline, and estimate extinction risk.
-
NABat will allow state, provincial, and federal agencies to better prioritize limited resources and engage in cross-agency collaboration. Over time, NABat will involve the public in monitoring and conservation activities.
Scope of NABat
Currently, NABat concentrates on the 47 species of bats found in Canada and the U.S. Over time, NABat will integrate with an existing monitoring program in Mexico.
Methods and Approaches Used in NABat
Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Visit Media to see details.This southeastern bat (Myotis austroriparius) from Alabama shows signs of infection from the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats. (Credit: Dottie Brown, Ecological Solutions, Inc.. Ecological Solutions, Inc. has agreed to place this in the public domain) A central component of NABat is the use of a master sample of grid cells, a spatially balanced list of sampling areas within a continental grid framework. Conducting standardized monitoring within this framework allows statistical inference to unsurveyed locations. The master sample provides operational flexibility to partners while allowing for regional and range-wide analyses.
NABat gathers monitoring data to assess changes in bat populations using:
-
Mobile acoustic surveys along driving transects
-
Acoustic surveys at stationary points
-
Internal colony counts (winter and summer)
-
External colony counts
-
Capture data
Anticipated Products and Outcomes
-
Status and Trends of North American Bats: Summer Occupancy Analysis (2022)
-
Spatially-explicit data on bat populations (e.g., improved range maps, density estimates) that will allow natural resource managers to identify areas and species of conservation concern
-
Long-term distribution data for addressing cross-boundary issues related to bat management and conservation
Scientists enter abandoned mine where bats hibernate in New York. (Credit: Kim Miller, USGS. Public domain.) Accomplishments to Date
-
Release of third-party data sharing platform with automated notifications and user approval which allows NABat partners to request and share data with other registered users
-
Establishment of regional hubs which facilitate implementation of NABat and guide local efforts — to date, regional hubs have been established in the following areas:
-
Northwest
-
Mid-Atlantic
-
Midwest
-
PacWest
-
Southwest
-
Atlantic Canada
-
-
Release of an annual schedule for training webinars covering topics like data processing, field methods, and contributing data to NABat
-
Development of a new offshore sample frame to support ongoing monitoring efforts related to offshore wind energy development
-
Release of the NABat R package
-
Expanded database structure to facilitate upload of bat capture records (for example, mist netting, harp trapping, and more)
-
Developed an open-source machine learning algorithm for assigning bat species IDs to acoustic recordings
-
Developed standard operating procedures for stationary acoustic and mobile transect surveys
-
More than 650 registered projects in 50 states, 10 Canadian provinces, and Puerto Rico
-
More than 3,000 NABat GRTS cells claimed for survey
-
More than 7,000 GRTS cells with survey data uploaded
-
More than 65 million acoustic files uploaded to NABat database
-
Release of nabatmonitoring.org, a website to support and disseminate information, user resources, and training materials
-
Publication of a spatially‐enabled database to house NABat data and metadata
-
Release of data visualization tools based on the NABat sample design, including mapping features to explore project data (private) and a public data map to identify current monitoring efforts and project details
-
Release of a new cell selection tool with numerous data layers, mapping features, and functionality to upload spatial objects and user-generated layers
-
Development of an automated project reporting feature for stationary acoustic and winter hibernacula data
-
Publication of the NABat Attributed Master Sample: a spatially balanced ordered list of sample units for each U.S. state and Canadian province
-
Interagency partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to utilize the NABat database as part of the Species Status Assessment for three North American bat species
-
Statewide volunteer mobile transect survey program implemented in North Carolina
-
Active engagement by U.S. and Canadian coordinators, state management agencies, and private conservation agencies
-
Four workshops and a technical report: A Plan for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat). The report describes rationale, need, sampling design, sampling framework, guidelines for data collection, data management capabilities, and analytical approaches
-
Establishment of four NABat working groups to refine survey methods and collaboratively address research needs and emerging conservation issues
-
Partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to merge the BatAMP database with NABat
-
Partnership with the National Parks Service to merge bat acoustic data collected at National Parks across North America with the NABat database
-
- Data
Training dataset for NABat Machine Learning V1.0
Bats play crucial ecological roles and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet many populations face serious threats from various ecological disturbances. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to assess status and trends of bat populations while developing innovative and community-driven conservation solutions using its unique data and technology infrastructure. To support scalabStatus and Trends of North American Bats Summer Occupancy Analysis 2010-2019 Data Release
This data release contains the results from the North American Bat Monitoring Program's report titled 'Status and Trends of North American Bats Summer Occupancy Analysis 2010-2019'. Specifically, these data include tabular data and geospatial data for the species-specific results related to the status and trends of 12 bat species at multiple spatial scales including: 10 km x 10 km grid cells, statNorth American Grid-Based Offshore Sampling Frames
This sampling frame is a set of grid-based, finite-area frames spanning the offshore areas surrounding Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and is intended for use with the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat). NABat is a continental collaboration including state and provincial, federal, and local agencies intended to standardize the collection and storage of bat data. Alaskan and CanadRangewide summertime model predictions for three bat species (Myotis lucifigus, Myotis septentrionalis, and Perimyotis subflavus) from acoustic and mist net data 2010 to 2019
False positive occupancy analysis predictions with model uncertainty based on summertime data provided to support the three bat species status assessment (SSA) for Myotis lucifigus (MYLU), Myotis septentrionalis (MYSE), and Perimyotis subflavus (PESU). The objectives outlined by the Fish and Wildlife Service's SSA team were to estimate summertime distributions across the entire species range. StatIn Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Winter Colony Count Analysis
Through the North American Bat Monitoring Program, Bat Conservation International and U.S Geological Survey (USGS) provided technical and science support to assistance in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Species Status Assessment ("SSA") for the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), and tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). USGS facilitated the SSAIn Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Predicted Wind Take Allocated To Hibernacula Each Year Under Current and Future Scenarios
Through the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), United States Geological Survey (USGS) provided technical and science support to assist in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' (USFWS) Species Status Assessment ('SSA") for the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), and tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). USGS facilitated the SSA data call,In Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Summer Mobile Acoustic Transect Analysis
Through the North American Bat Monitoring Program, Bat Conservation International and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collaborated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provided technical and science support to assistance in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' Species Status Assessment ("SSA") for the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), and tri-coIn Support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-Bat Species Status Assessment: Wind Energy Influence
Through the North American Bat Monitoring Program, United States Geological Survey (USGS) provided technical and science support to assist in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' Species Status Assessment ("SSA") for the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), and tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus). USGS facilitated the SSA data call, provided data arBat Occupancy Model Predictions for Colorado, acoustic data from 2016-2017
We analyzed detection/non-detection data from acoustic surveys of bat species in Colorado during the summers of 2016 and 2017. The goal of this analysis is to create species distribution maps estimating the probability of occupancy across the state for each species. We fit a community occupancy model using both years of data from all the available species. Spatially explicit covariates were includNorth American Grid-Based Sampling Frame
This sampling frame is a set of grid-based finite-area frames spanning Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The grid for the United States is broken into individual grids for the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Alaska is combined with Canada into a single grid. Each country/state/territory extent consists of four nested sampling grids at 50x50km, 10x10km, 5x5km, and 1x1km resNorth American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Master Sample and Grid-Based Sampling Frame
The NABat sampling frame is a grid-based finite-area frame spanning Canada, the United States, and Mexico consisting of N total number of 10- by 10-km (100-km2) grid cell sample units for the continental United States, Canada, and Alaska and 5- by 5-km (25km2) for Hawaii and Puerto Rico. This grain size is biologically appropriate given the scale of movement of most bat species, which routinely trAttributed North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Master Sample and Grid-Based Sampling Frame
The NABat sampling frame is a grid-based finite-area frame spanning Canada, the United States, and Mexico consisting of N total number of 10- by 10-km (100-km2) grid cell sample units for the continental United States, Canada, and Alaska and 5- by 5-km (25km2) for Hawaii and Puerto Rico. This grain size is biologically appropriate given the scale of movement of most bat species, which routinely tr - Multimedia
Introduction to NABat
Introduction to the North American Bat Monitoring Program, including a short history of the program, a review of key program components, and highlights of program outcomes and products.
link
Florida Bonneted Bat Data Submission Workshop (Part 2 - Creating an NABat Project and Species List) - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
U.S. Geological Survey science in support of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Bats make up one-fifth of all mammalian species worldwide and are found on every continent except Antarctica. They contribute to overall ecosystem health by suppressing pest insects and pollinating plants and spreading seeds. Eight North American bat species are listed as federally endangered or threatened, and more than one-half are of current conservation concern in the United States, Canada, orAuthorsBrian Reichert, Suzanna C. SoileauFilter Total Items: 21North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 3—Conducting mobile transect surveys
This standard operating procedure (SOP) provides instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This report discusses measures for ensuring the safety of surveyors and efficiency of mobile transect surveys. This guidance is intended to aiAuthorsJaclyn Martin, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Han Li, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian ReichertNorth American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Mobile Acoustic Transect Surveys Standard Operating Procedure 2—Field Season and Survey Preparation
This document is the second of three standard operating procedures providing instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This standard operating procedure focuses specifically on considerations for establishing the field survey seasonAuthorsJaclyn Martin, Jason Rae, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Han Li, Bethany Straw, Brian ReichertNorth American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) mobile acoustic transect surveys standard operating procedure 1—Locating and establishing mobile transect routes
This document is the first of three standard operating procedures (SOPs) providing instructions and considerations for conducting mobile acoustic surveys along road transects to collect bat acoustic data following the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) protocol and sample design. This SOP focuses specifically on selecting NABat grid cells and establishing mobile transect survey routes uAuthorsJaclyn Martin, Dane Smith, Han Li, MacKenzie Hall, Emily Ferrall, Jason Rae, Bethany Straw, Brian ReichertNABat ML: Utilizing deep learning to enable crowdsourced development of automated, scalable solutions for documenting North American bat populations
Bats play crucial ecological roles and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet many populations face serious threats from various ecological disturbances. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to use its technology infrastructure to assess status and trends of bat populations, while developing innovative and community-driven conservation solutions.Here, we present NABat ML, an auAuthorsAli Khalighifar, Benjamin S. Gotthold, Erin Adams, Jenny K. Barnett, Laura O. Beard, Eric R. Britzke, Paul A. Burger, Kimberly Chase, Zackary Cordes, Paul M. Cryan, Emily Ferrall, Christopher T. Fill, Scott E. Gibson, G. Scott Haulton, Kathryn Irvine, Lara S. Katz, William L. Kendall, Christen A. Long, Oisin Mac Aodha, Tessa McBurney, Sarah McCarthy-Neumann, Matthew W. McKown, Joy O’Keefe, Lucy D. Patterson, Kristopher A. Pitcher, Matthew Rustand, Jordi L. Segers, Kyle Seppanen, Jeremy L. Siemers, Christian Stratton, Bethany Straw, Theodore J. Weller, Brian ReichertStatus and trends of North American bats: Summer occupancy analysis 2010-2019
• We developed an analytical pipeline supported by web-based infrastructure for integrating continental scale bat monitoring data (stationary acoustic, mobile acoustic, and capture records) to estimate summer (May 1–Aug 31) occupancy probabilities and changes in occupancy over time for 12 North American bat species. This serves as one of multiple lines of evidence that inform the status and trends
AuthorsBradley James Udell, Bethany Straw, Tina L. Cheng, Kyle Enns, Winifred F. Frick, Benjamin Gotthold, Kathryn Irvine, Cori Lausen, Susan Loeb, Jonathan D. Reichard, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Dane Smith, Christian Stratton, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Brian ReichertSpatial Gaussian processes improve multi-species occupancy models when range boundaries are uncertain and nonoverlapping
Species distribution models enable practitioners to analyze large datasets of encounter records and make predictions about species occurrence at unsurveyed locations. In omnibus surveys that record data on multiple species simultaneously, species ranges are often nonoverlapping and misaligned with the administrative unit defining the spatial domain of interest (e.g., a state or province). ConsequeAuthorsWilson Wright, Kathryn M. Irvine, Tom Rodhouse, Andrea R. LittThe scope and severity of white-nose syndrome on hibernating bats in North America
Assessing the scope and severity of threats is necessary for evaluating impacts on populations to inform conservation planning. Quantitative threat assessment often requires monitoring programs that provide reliable data over relevant spatial and temporal scales, yet such programs can be difficult to justify until there is an apparent stressor. Leveraging efforts of wildlife management agencies toAuthorsTina L. Cheng, Jonathan D. Reichard, Jeremy TH Coleman, Ted Weller, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Brian Reichert, Alyssa Bennett, Hugh G. Broders, Joshua Campbell, Katherine Etchison, Daniel J. Feller, Richard Geboy, Traci Hemberger, Carl Herzog, Alan C. Hicks, Sandra Houghton, Jessica Humber, Joseph A. Kath, Andrew L. King, Susan C. Loeb, Ariane Masse, Katrina M. Morris, Holly Niederriter, Gerd E. Nordquist, Roger W. Perry, Rick Reynolds, David Blake Sasse, Michael R. Scafini, Richard C. Stark, Craig W. Stihler, Steven C. Thomas, Gregory G. Turner, Shevenell Webb, Bradley Westrich, Winifred F. FrickNABat: A top-down, bottom-up solution to collaborative continental-scale monitoring
Collaborative monitoring over broad scales and levels of ecological organization can inform conservation efforts necessary to address the contemporary biodiversity crisis. An important challenge to collaborative monitoring is motivating local engagement with enough buy-in from stakeholders while providing adequate top-down direction for scientific rigor, quality control, and coordination. CollaborAuthorsBrian Reichert, Mylea L. Bayless, Tina L. Cheng, Jeremy T.H. Coleman, Charles M. Francis, Winifred F. Frick, Benjamin Gotthold, Kathryn Irvine, Cori Lausen, Han Li, Susan C. Loeb, Jonathan D. Reichard, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Jordi L. Segers, Jeremy Siemers, Wayne E. Thogmartin, Theodore WellerEvidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors
Strategic conservation efforts for cryptic species, especially bats, are hindered by limited understanding of distribution and population trends. Integrating long‐term encounter surveys with multi‐season occupancy models provides a solution whereby inferences about changing occupancy probabilities and latent changes in abundance can be supported. When harnessed to a Bayesian inferential paradigm,AuthorsThomas J. Rodhouse, Rogelio M. Rodriguez, Katharine M. Banner, Patricia C. Ormsbee, Jenny Barnett, Kathryn IrvineNorth American Bat Monitoring Program regional protocol for surveying with stationary deployments of echolocation recording devices: Narrative version 1.0, Pacific Northwestern US
The outbreak of white-nose syndrome (WNS) and the growing awareness of the risks to bats from wind power generating facilities have driven radical changes to North American bat conservation. Over the last decade, formerly common species such as the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) have experienced unprecedented mortality rates and are now facing non-trivialAuthorsRogelio M. Rodriguez, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Jenny Barnett, Kathryn Irvine, Katharine M. Banner, Jeff Lonneker, Patricia C. OrmsbeeStatistical power of dynamic occupancy models to identify temporal change: Informing the North American Bat Monitoring Program
Dynamic occupancy models provide a flexible framework for estimating and mapping species occupancy patterns over space and time for large-scale monitoring programs (e.g., the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), the Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative). Challenges for designing surveys using the dynamic occupancy modeling framework include defining appropriate derived trend paraAuthorsKatherine Banner, Kathryn M. Irvine, Tom J Rodhouse, Deahn M. Donner, Andrea R. LittIdentifying occupancy model inadequacies: Can residuals separately assess detection and presence?
Occupancy models are widely applied to estimate species distributions, but few methods exist for model checking. Thorough model assessments can uncover inadequacies and allow for deeper ecological insight by exploring structure in the observed data not accounted for by a model. We introduce occupancy model residual definitions that utilize the posterior distribution of the partially latent occupanAuthorsWilson Wright, Kathryn M. Irvine, Megan D. Higgs - Web Tools
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Partner Portal
NABat is an international and interagency program that aims to conserve North American bat populations by providing standardized survey data from across the continent.
- Software
North American Bat Monitoring Program: NABat Acoustic ML, Version 1.0.1
Bats play crucial ecological roles, and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet many populations face serious threats from various ecological disturbances. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to assess status and trends of bat populations, while developing innovative and community-driven conservation solutions using its unique data and technology infrastructure. To support scalNorth American Bat Monitoring Program: R Data Connection Package
The North American Bat Monitoring Program: R Data Connection Package can be used to extract and upload data to the NABat Monitoring Program through the GQL API. This software is written as a wrapper around the NABat GQL API. Documentation for the database and API can be found at https://sciencebase.usgs.gov/. This code includes the ability to reformat NABat data, upload NABat data, create reports,Software Supplement to accompany 'Estimating Species-Environment Relationships with Non-ignorable Sampling Designs'
R code to fit models with and without sample weights and simulation code - Partners
NABat is made possible through the participation of its many partners, including those listed below.