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Brian Reichert, Ph.D.

Brian is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center, where he serves as Coordinator of the North American Bat Monitoring Program.

Brian is an ecologist at the Fort Collins Science Center. He serves as Coordinator of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) providing overall leadership and direction of NABat across international boundaries. Brian’s research interests have focused on using a combination of field methodologies and statistical modeling to improve our understanding of the spatial dynamics of wildlife populations in response to habitat loss and land-use change.

Education

  • Ph.D. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 2014
  • M.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 2009
  • B.S. Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, 2005

Professional Experiece

  • 2017-present: Ecologist and NABat Coordinator, USGS Fort Collins Science Center, Trust Species & Habitats, Fort Collins, CO
  • 2014-2016: Postdoctoral Associate, The Fletcher Landscape and Spatial Ecology Lab, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 
  • 2007-2014: Graduate Research Assistant, Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
  • 2006-2007: Supervisor/Field Biologist, Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Kenansville, FL 
  • 2003-2006: Field Biologist, Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: St. Paul and Milaca, MN; Nestor One Field Camp, Cape Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

Affiliations

  • The Wildlife Society
  • Ecological Society of America
  • International Association of Landscape Ecology

Science and Products

link
Tightly clustered roosting bats

A continental-scale study of acoustic phenology to improve population monitoring and inform management of hibernating bats

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Theodore Weller (U.S. Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Craig Willis (University of Winnipeg), and Brian Reichert (FORT)White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused severe declines in bat populations over the past 10 years and colony sizes at winter hibernacula have decreased on average by >90% for three species...
By
Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
link

A continental-scale study of acoustic phenology to improve population monitoring and inform management of hibernating bats

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Theodore Weller (U.S. Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Craig Willis (University of Winnipeg), and Brian Reichert (FORT)White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused severe declines in bat populations over the past 10 years and colony sizes at winter hibernacula have decreased on average by >90% for three species...
Learn More
link
Tri-colored bat with visible WNS symptom

Bat Research

White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. As Pd has spread across North America, infection dynamics and mortality from WNS have varied among species and across sites. The mechanisms behind vulnerability of species across the current and expanding...
By
Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
link

Bat Research

White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. As Pd has spread across North America, infection dynamics and mortality from WNS have varied among species and across sites. The mechanisms behind vulnerability of species across the current and expanding...
Learn More
link
Healthy hibernating little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)

Quantifying vulnerability of bat species to White-nose Syndrome across North America

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Brian Reichert (FORT), Theodore Weller (US Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC) and the North American Bat Colony Count ConsortiumWe quantify vulnerability of bat species in North America to target and prioritize management actions toward species and habitats that are most at risk from impacts from White-nose...
By
Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
link

Quantifying vulnerability of bat species to White-nose Syndrome across North America

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Brian Reichert (FORT), Theodore Weller (US Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC) and the North American Bat Colony Count ConsortiumWe quantify vulnerability of bat species in North America to target and prioritize management actions toward species and habitats that are most at risk from impacts from White-nose...
Learn More
link
Roosting northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis)

Integrating colony counts with NABat acoustic data to reveal the true impacts of White-Nose Syndrome on northern long-eared bats

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Tina Cheng (Bat Conservation International)The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) was listed as Threatened on the Endangered Species Act in 2014 due to rapid declines in numbers of observed hibernating bats at winter roosting sites after the arrival of...
By
National Wildlife Health Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
link

Integrating colony counts with NABat acoustic data to reveal the true impacts of White-Nose Syndrome on northern long-eared bats

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Tina Cheng (Bat Conservation International)The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) was listed as Threatened on the Endangered Species Act in 2014 due to rapid declines in numbers of observed hibernating bats at winter roosting sites after the arrival of...
Learn More
link
Small Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) colony

Developing online integrated data visualization tools for WNS and NABat

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Anne Ballmann (NWHC), Jeremy Coleman (USFWS), Paul Cryan (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), and Katherine Irvine (NOROCK)White-nose syndrome is caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. While diagnostic...
By
Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
link

Developing online integrated data visualization tools for WNS and NABat

Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Anne Ballmann (NWHC), Jeremy Coleman (USFWS), Paul Cryan (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), and Katherine Irvine (NOROCK)White-nose syndrome is caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. While diagnostic...
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

Developing APIs to support enterprise level monitoring using existing tools

In this age of rapidly developing technology, scientific information is constantly being gathered across large spatial scales. Yet, our ability to coordinate large-scale monitoring efforts depends on development of tools that leverage and integrate multiple sources of data. North American bats are experiencing unparalleled population declines. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

Developing APIs to support enterprise level monitoring using existing tools

In this age of rapidly developing technology, scientific information is constantly being gathered across large spatial scales. Yet, our ability to coordinate large-scale monitoring efforts depends on development of tools that leverage and integrate multiple sources of data. North American bats are experiencing unparalleled population declines. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a
Learn More
link
Image: Prairie Dog

Species Conservation

Large scale changes are occurring to our natural landscapes, often resulting in changes to the distribution and abundance of species living within these landscapes. Populations of many species affected by these natural or anthropogenic changes require focused management to ensure their conservation and sometimes recovery from the brink of extinction.
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

Species Conservation

Large scale changes are occurring to our natural landscapes, often resulting in changes to the distribution and abundance of species living within these landscapes. Populations of many species affected by these natural or anthropogenic changes require focused management to ensure their conservation and sometimes recovery from the brink of extinction.
Learn More
link
Bats benefit from maintaining a close-knit roosting group.

North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

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...
By
Energy & Wildlife, Invasive Species Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
link

North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

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...
Learn More
link
Image: Bat with White-nose Syndrome

WNS Data Management Coordination

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007 and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America.
By
Invasive Species Program, Fort Collins Science Center
link

WNS Data Management Coordination

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007 and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America.
Learn More

North 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 Canad
By
Fort Collins Science Center

In 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 facilitate
By
Fort Collins Science Center

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

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 t
By
Fort Collins Science Center

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-co
By
Fort Collins Science Center

In 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 ar
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Bat 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 includ
By
Fort Collins Science Center

North 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 res
By
Fort Collins Science Center

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
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Attributed 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
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Analytical assessments in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-bat species status assessment

Beginning in February of 2020, researchers and staff of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Bat Conservation International (BCI), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Montana State University associated with the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) collaborated with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to provide technical assistance in support o
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

The 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 to
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

NABat: 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. Collabor
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

The demographic contributions of connectivity versus local dynamics to population growth of an endangered bird

Conservation and management increasingly focus on connectivity, because connectivity driven by variation in immigration rates across landscapes is thought to be crucial for maintaining local population and metapopulation persistence. Yet, efforts to quantify the relative role of immigration on population growth across the entire range of species and over time have been lacking.We assessed whether
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Case Study 4: NABat acoustic monitoring allows inferences about bat populations at multiple scales

North American bats face unprecedented risks from continuing and emerging threats including white-nose syndrome, wind energy development, and habitat loss. Many species of bats are thought to be recently experiencing unparalleled population declines unlike any previously observed (O’Shea et al. 2016). The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) was conceived to better understand the true ec
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

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, or
By
Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Fort Collins Science Center

Community for Data Integration fiscal year 2017 funded project report

The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 11 projects funded in fiscal year 2017, outlining their goals, activities, and outputs.
By
Core Science Systems, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Community for Data Integration (CDI)

A guide to processing bat acoustic data for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to improve the state of conservation science for all species of bats shared by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. To accomplish this goal, NABat offers guidance and standardized protocols for acoustic monitoring of bats. In this document, “A Guide to Processing Bat Acoustic Data for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat),” we pr
By
Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Fort Collins Science Center

Urbanization may limit impacts of an invasive predator on native mammal diversity

AimOur understanding of the effects of invasive species on faunal diversity is limited in part because invasions often occur in modified landscapes where other drivers of community diversity can exacerbate or reduce the net impacts of an invader. Furthermore, rigorous assessments of the effects of invasive species on native communities that account for variation in sampling, species-specific detec
By
Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

Pre-USGS Publications

Reichert, B.E., A.R. Sovie, B.J. Udell, K.M. Hart, R.R. Borkhataria, M. Bonneau, R. Reed, R. McCleery. 2017. Urbanization may limit impacts of an invasive predator on native mammal diversity. Diversity and Distributions. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.12531/full
Reichert, B.E., W.L. Kendall, R.J. Fletcher, and W.E. Kitchens. 2016. Spatio-temporal variation in age structure and abundance of the endangered snail kite: pooling across regions masks a declining and aging population. PLoS ONE. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162690
Fletcher, R.J., N. Burrell, B.E. Reichert, D. Visudev. 2016. The effects of landscape connectivity: evidence, challenges, and opportunities. Current Landscape Ecology Reports 1(2), 67-79.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40823-016-0009-6
Tsai, J-S., B.E. Reichert, P.C. Frederick, and K.D. Meyer. 2016. Breeding site longevity and site characteristics have intrinsic value for predicting persistence of colonies of an endangered bird. Wetlands 1-9.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13157-016-0774-3
Reichert, B.E., R.J. Fletcher, Jr., C.E. Cattau, and W.M. Kitchens. 2016. Consistent scaling of population structure across landscapes despite intraspecific variation in movement and connectivity. Journal of Animal Ecology.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12571/full
Cattau, C.E., R.J. Fletcher, Jr., B.E. Reichert, and W.E. Kitchens. 2016. Counteracting effects of a non-native prey on the demography of a native predator culminate in positive population growth. Ecological Applications.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/15-1020.1/full
Fletcher, R.J. Jr., E.P. Robertson, R. Wilcox, B.E. Reichert, J.D. Austin, and W.M. Kitchens. 2015. Preference for natal-like habitats by dispersers explains spatial structure and maladaptive breeding in a highly mobile, endangered bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1814).
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1814/20151545
Acevedo, M., J. Sefair, J. Smith, B.E. Reichert, and R.J. Fletcher, Jr. 2015. Conservation with uncertainty: optimal network protection under worst-case disturbance events. Journal of Applied Ecology.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12532/full
Reichert, B.E., C.E. Cattau, and R.J. Fletcher, Jr. 2015. Snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; doi:10.2173/bna.171
https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/snakit/introduction
Fletcher, R.J., Jr., A. Revell, B.E. Reichert, W.M. Kitchens, J.D. Dixon, and J.D. Austin. 2013. Network modularity reveals critical scales for connectivity in ecology and evolution. Nature Communications 4.
http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3572
Reichert, B.E., C.E. Cattau, R.J. Fletcher, Jr., W.L. Kendall, and W.E. Kitchens. 2012. Extreme weather and experience influence reproduction in an endangered bird. Ecology 93:2580-2589.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41739616?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Fletcher, R.J. Jr., M.A. Acevedo, B.E. Reichert, K.E. Pias, and W.M. Kitchens. 2011. Social network models predict movement and connectivity in ecological landscapes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(48):19282-19287.
http://www.pnas.org/content/108/48/19282.abstract
Zweig, C.L., B.E. Reichert, and W.M. Kitchens. 2011. Implications of discontinuous elevation gradients on fragmentation and restoration in patterned wetlands. Ecosphere 2(8):972-979.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/ES11-00119.1/full
Reichert, B.E., J. Martin, W.L. Kendall, C.E. Cattau, and W.M. Kitchens. 2010. Interactive effects of senescence and natural disturbance on the annual survival probabilities of snail kites. Oikos 119:972-979.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18366.x/abstract
link

White-Nose Syndrome Killed Over 90% of Three North American Bat Species

New Study Unveils the Impacts of the Disease on Native Bat Populations

Read Article
link

Trick or Treat? The Frightening Threats to Bats

  

Read Article

Science and Products

  • Science
    link
    Tightly clustered roosting bats

    A continental-scale study of acoustic phenology to improve population monitoring and inform management of hibernating bats

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Theodore Weller (U.S. Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Craig Willis (University of Winnipeg), and Brian Reichert (FORT)White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused severe declines in bat populations over the past 10 years and colony sizes at winter hibernacula have decreased on average by >90% for three species...
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
    link

    A continental-scale study of acoustic phenology to improve population monitoring and inform management of hibernating bats

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Theodore Weller (U.S. Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Craig Willis (University of Winnipeg), and Brian Reichert (FORT)White-nose Syndrome (WNS) has caused severe declines in bat populations over the past 10 years and colony sizes at winter hibernacula have decreased on average by >90% for three species...
    Learn More
    link
    Tri-colored bat with visible WNS symptom

    Bat Research

    White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. As Pd has spread across North America, infection dynamics and mortality from WNS have varied among species and across sites. The mechanisms behind vulnerability of species across the current and expanding...
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
    link

    Bat Research

    White-nose syndrome (WNS) caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. As Pd has spread across North America, infection dynamics and mortality from WNS have varied among species and across sites. The mechanisms behind vulnerability of species across the current and expanding...
    Learn More
    link
    Healthy hibernating little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus)

    Quantifying vulnerability of bat species to White-nose Syndrome across North America

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Brian Reichert (FORT), Theodore Weller (US Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC) and the North American Bat Colony Count ConsortiumWe quantify vulnerability of bat species in North America to target and prioritize management actions toward species and habitats that are most at risk from impacts from White-nose...
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
    link

    Quantifying vulnerability of bat species to White-nose Syndrome across North America

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Brian Reichert (FORT), Theodore Weller (US Forest Service), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC) and the North American Bat Colony Count ConsortiumWe quantify vulnerability of bat species in North America to target and prioritize management actions toward species and habitats that are most at risk from impacts from White-nose...
    Learn More
    link
    Roosting northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis)

    Integrating colony counts with NABat acoustic data to reveal the true impacts of White-Nose Syndrome on northern long-eared bats

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Tina Cheng (Bat Conservation International)The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) was listed as Threatened on the Endangered Species Act in 2014 due to rapid declines in numbers of observed hibernating bats at winter roosting sites after the arrival of...
    By
    National Wildlife Health Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
    link

    Integrating colony counts with NABat acoustic data to reveal the true impacts of White-Nose Syndrome on northern long-eared bats

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), Winifred Frick (Bat Conservation International), Tina Cheng (Bat Conservation International)The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) was listed as Threatened on the Endangered Species Act in 2014 due to rapid declines in numbers of observed hibernating bats at winter roosting sites after the arrival of...
    Learn More
    link
    Small Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii) colony

    Developing online integrated data visualization tools for WNS and NABat

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Anne Ballmann (NWHC), Jeremy Coleman (USFWS), Paul Cryan (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), and Katherine Irvine (NOROCK)White-nose syndrome is caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. While diagnostic...
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center
    link

    Developing online integrated data visualization tools for WNS and NABat

    Bat ResearchResearch collaboration: Brian Reichert (FORT), Anne Ballmann (NWHC), Jeremy Coleman (USFWS), Paul Cryan (FORT), Wayne Thogmartin (UMESC), and Katherine Irvine (NOROCK)White-nose syndrome is caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which has decimated hibernating bat populations across North America since it emerged 10 years ago in New York. While diagnostic...
    Learn More
    link
    USGS science for a changing world logo

    Developing APIs to support enterprise level monitoring using existing tools

    In this age of rapidly developing technology, scientific information is constantly being gathered across large spatial scales. Yet, our ability to coordinate large-scale monitoring efforts depends on development of tools that leverage and integrate multiple sources of data. North American bats are experiencing unparalleled population declines. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a
    By
    Community for Data Integration (CDI)
    link

    Developing APIs to support enterprise level monitoring using existing tools

    In this age of rapidly developing technology, scientific information is constantly being gathered across large spatial scales. Yet, our ability to coordinate large-scale monitoring efforts depends on development of tools that leverage and integrate multiple sources of data. North American bats are experiencing unparalleled population declines. The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), a
    Learn More
    link
    Image: Prairie Dog

    Species Conservation

    Large scale changes are occurring to our natural landscapes, often resulting in changes to the distribution and abundance of species living within these landscapes. Populations of many species affected by these natural or anthropogenic changes require focused management to ensure their conservation and sometimes recovery from the brink of extinction.
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center
    link

    Species Conservation

    Large scale changes are occurring to our natural landscapes, often resulting in changes to the distribution and abundance of species living within these landscapes. Populations of many species affected by these natural or anthropogenic changes require focused management to ensure their conservation and sometimes recovery from the brink of extinction.
    Learn More
    link
    Bats benefit from maintaining a close-knit roosting group.

    North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

    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...
    By
    Energy & Wildlife, Invasive Species Program, Fort Collins Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
    link

    North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

    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...
    Learn More
    link
    Image: Bat with White-nose Syndrome

    WNS Data Management Coordination

    White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007 and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America.
    By
    Invasive Species Program, Fort Collins Science Center
    link

    WNS Data Management Coordination

    White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007 and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America.
    Learn More
  • Data

    North 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 Canad
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    In 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 facilitate
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    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

    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 t
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    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-co
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    In 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 ar
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    Bat 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 includ
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    North 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 res
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    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
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center

    Attributed 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
    By
    Fort Collins Science Center
  • Publications

    Analytical assessments in support of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 3-bat species status assessment

    Beginning in February of 2020, researchers and staff of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Bat Conservation International (BCI), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and Montana State University associated with the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) collaborated with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to provide technical assistance in support o
    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

    The 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 to
    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

    NABat: 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. Collabor
    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

    The demographic contributions of connectivity versus local dynamics to population growth of an endangered bird

    Conservation and management increasingly focus on connectivity, because connectivity driven by variation in immigration rates across landscapes is thought to be crucial for maintaining local population and metapopulation persistence. Yet, efforts to quantify the relative role of immigration on population growth across the entire range of species and over time have been lacking.We assessed whether
    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

    Case Study 4: NABat acoustic monitoring allows inferences about bat populations at multiple scales

    North American bats face unprecedented risks from continuing and emerging threats including white-nose syndrome, wind energy development, and habitat loss. Many species of bats are thought to be recently experiencing unparalleled population declines unlike any previously observed (O’Shea et al. 2016). The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) was conceived to better understand the true ec
    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

    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, or
    By
    Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Fort Collins Science Center

    Community for Data Integration fiscal year 2017 funded project report

    The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 11 projects funded in fiscal year 2017, outlining their goals, activities, and outputs.
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    Core Science Systems, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Community for Data Integration (CDI)

    A guide to processing bat acoustic data for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)

    The North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) aims to improve the state of conservation science for all species of bats shared by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. To accomplish this goal, NABat offers guidance and standardized protocols for acoustic monitoring of bats. In this document, “A Guide to Processing Bat Acoustic Data for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat),” we pr
    By
    Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Fort Collins Science Center

    Urbanization may limit impacts of an invasive predator on native mammal diversity

    AimOur understanding of the effects of invasive species on faunal diversity is limited in part because invasions often occur in modified landscapes where other drivers of community diversity can exacerbate or reduce the net impacts of an invader. Furthermore, rigorous assessments of the effects of invasive species on native communities that account for variation in sampling, species-specific detec
    By
    Ecosystems, Fort Collins Science Center

    Pre-USGS Publications

    Reichert, B.E., A.R. Sovie, B.J. Udell, K.M. Hart, R.R. Borkhataria, M. Bonneau, R. Reed, R. McCleery. 2017. Urbanization may limit impacts of an invasive predator on native mammal diversity. Diversity and Distributions. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ddi.12531/full
    Reichert, B.E., W.L. Kendall, R.J. Fletcher, and W.E. Kitchens. 2016. Spatio-temporal variation in age structure and abundance of the endangered snail kite: pooling across regions masks a declining and aging population. PLoS ONE. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162690
    Fletcher, R.J., N. Burrell, B.E. Reichert, D. Visudev. 2016. The effects of landscape connectivity: evidence, challenges, and opportunities. Current Landscape Ecology Reports 1(2), 67-79.
    http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40823-016-0009-6
    Tsai, J-S., B.E. Reichert, P.C. Frederick, and K.D. Meyer. 2016. Breeding site longevity and site characteristics have intrinsic value for predicting persistence of colonies of an endangered bird. Wetlands 1-9.
    http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13157-016-0774-3
    Reichert, B.E., R.J. Fletcher, Jr., C.E. Cattau, and W.M. Kitchens. 2016. Consistent scaling of population structure across landscapes despite intraspecific variation in movement and connectivity. Journal of Animal Ecology.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12571/full
    Cattau, C.E., R.J. Fletcher, Jr., B.E. Reichert, and W.E. Kitchens. 2016. Counteracting effects of a non-native prey on the demography of a native predator culminate in positive population growth. Ecological Applications.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/15-1020.1/full
    Fletcher, R.J. Jr., E.P. Robertson, R. Wilcox, B.E. Reichert, J.D. Austin, and W.M. Kitchens. 2015. Preference for natal-like habitats by dispersers explains spatial structure and maladaptive breeding in a highly mobile, endangered bird. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282(1814).
    http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/282/1814/20151545
    Acevedo, M., J. Sefair, J. Smith, B.E. Reichert, and R.J. Fletcher, Jr. 2015. Conservation with uncertainty: optimal network protection under worst-case disturbance events. Journal of Applied Ecology.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2664.12532/full
    Reichert, B.E., C.E. Cattau, and R.J. Fletcher, Jr. 2015. Snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; doi:10.2173/bna.171
    https://birdsna.org/Species-Account/bna/species/snakit/introduction
    Fletcher, R.J., Jr., A. Revell, B.E. Reichert, W.M. Kitchens, J.D. Dixon, and J.D. Austin. 2013. Network modularity reveals critical scales for connectivity in ecology and evolution. Nature Communications 4.
    http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3572
    Reichert, B.E., C.E. Cattau, R.J. Fletcher, Jr., W.L. Kendall, and W.E. Kitchens. 2012. Extreme weather and experience influence reproduction in an endangered bird. Ecology 93:2580-2589.
    https://www.jstor.org/stable/41739616?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
    Fletcher, R.J. Jr., M.A. Acevedo, B.E. Reichert, K.E. Pias, and W.M. Kitchens. 2011. Social network models predict movement and connectivity in ecological landscapes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 108(48):19282-19287.
    http://www.pnas.org/content/108/48/19282.abstract
    Zweig, C.L., B.E. Reichert, and W.M. Kitchens. 2011. Implications of discontinuous elevation gradients on fragmentation and restoration in patterned wetlands. Ecosphere 2(8):972-979.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/ES11-00119.1/full
    Reichert, B.E., J. Martin, W.L. Kendall, C.E. Cattau, and W.M. Kitchens. 2010. Interactive effects of senescence and natural disturbance on the annual survival probabilities of snail kites. Oikos 119:972-979.
    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2010.18366.x/abstract
  • News
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    White-Nose Syndrome Killed Over 90% of Three North American Bat Species

    New Study Unveils the Impacts of the Disease on Native Bat Populations

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    Trick or Treat? The Frightening Threats to Bats

      

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