Bat Ecology and Field Techniques Workshop

Hastings Natural History Reservation
September 17 - 19, 2004
Instructors: Dave Johnston, Ph.D., Santa Clara University and Joe Szewczak, Ph.D., Humboldt State University

Sponsored by: The Wildlife Society - Western Section and Helen Johnson

Description: Workshop participants will be introduced to the ecology of California's bats through lectures and demonstrations on physiology, species accounts, anatomy, foraging behavior & diet. Field techniques of mist-netting, assessing food habits, & acoustic monitoring will be demonstrated with participants assisting in set-up and analysis. An evening field trip to Pinnacles National Monument should allow capture of several Myotis spp. Due to the handling component of the workshop, participants must furnish proof of rabies vaccination to participate in mist-netting. Space is limited to 24 participants and limited scholarship funds are available to successful applicants. Contact Cynthia Perrine at csgperrine@yahoo.com or 530-570-7036 for more information.

Registration - Pre-registration required* Use the registration form available via the Meetings/Workshops page of the Western Section TWS web site at http://www.tws-west.org.

(Price includes meals from Friday dinner through Sunday lunch, lodging, and field trip transportation):
$400 Western Section Members and Students
$435 Others
* The maximum enrollment is 24 after which, a waiting list will be kept. A minimum of 10 participants must register or the workshop will be postponed. Refunds, less a processing fee of $50 will be provided for cancellations received up to 14 days prior to the first day of the workshop. Thereafter, registration fees are non-refundable regardless of medical, work, or personal emergency.

Scholarships: Individuals requesting scholarship funds should submit a brief resume including educational background, along with a paragraph explaining why the workshop is of professional value to them and why they require financial assistance. The sponsor will review and select a limited number of applicants to receive scholarship funds. The deadline to apply for scholarship funds is August 27th, 2004 and applicants will be notified of their status within one week of the deadline. Send applications to The Western Section of The Wildlife Society, attn: Bat Workshop, Post Office Box 3275, Oakland, CA 94609.

Draft Itinerary

Friday

12:00 p.m. Introduction to California Bat Natural History
life history
challenges to life as a bat and the special solutions bats have developed, anatomy
bat physiological ecology relevant to their habitat needs
threats to bat survival; why are they so threatened?
ecological value of bats
foraging behavior and considerations

2:00 p.m. Identifying California bats
overall diversity and distribution
introduction to species identification and handling bats
using keys
tips on differentiating similar species
species accounts (5 minutes each participant*)

*Species Accounts: One species will be assigned to each participant upon registration. Instructors will provide a photograph and range map for each presentation. Each species account presentation should cover the following for his / her species:
Physical description and identifying characters
Geographic range and habitat associations
Status (e.g., California species of special concern)
Reproduction and develop.m.ent
Ecology --
a. roosting
b. foraging
c. other aspects of natural history
Conservation issues (threats to California populations)
5:30 p.m. Intro to acoustic monitoring & Intro to food habit analysis

6:30 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. evening demonstration: Acoustic Monitoring & Food Habits

Saturday

7:00 a.m. coffee

7:30 a.m. breakfast

8:00 a.m. Conservation and Management

Public Issues - Anthropogenic Impacts, Mitigation Myths & Realities
Conservation Strategies
Survey methods

11:30 Lunch & Pack your own dinner

12:00 to 2:30 BREAK (Go take a nap)

2:30 p.m. Group up for field trip & load vans

3:00 p.m. Depart for Pinnacles

5:00 p.m. Arrive at Pinnacles

5:30 p.m. Evening Demonstration & Setting mist nets

10:30 p.m. Pack up Vans

11:00 p.m. On the road back to Hastings - slowly...

Sunday

8:30 a.m. coffee

9:00 a.m. breakfast

10:00 a.m. Group analysis of data collected at Pinnacles: food habits, acoustic monitoring, captures

1:00 lunch

2:00 workshop ends