The Past, Present, and Future of Bat Population Monitoring in Acadia National Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment
Blomberg EJ, Heilakka C, Wheeler B, Wilbur L, Ingalls M, Donlan M, LaGarry R. 2026. The Past, Present, and Future of Bat Population Monitoring in Acadia National Park: Natural Resource Condition Assessment. Science Report. NPS/SR—2026/514. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2319307
In eastern North America, populations of bats, particularly those in the genus Myotis, have experienced unprecedented large-scale declines resulting from the introduction of a fungal pathogen that causes the disease commonly referred to as White Nose Syndrome (WNS). This in turn has prompted management agencies to review information on historic trends in bat population data, changes that have occurred following WNS introduction, and approaches to most effectively monitor remaining populations given often significant reductions in bat abundance. In Acadia National Park, various research and monitoring efforts have been conducted on bats since the mid-1990s, including datasets from mist-netting and passive acoustic monitoring, that spanned the initial discovery of WNS on Mount Desert Island. We evaluated changes in bat populations following the introduction of WNS in Acadia National Park using these legacy datasets, finding that bat detections within the park declined sharply following the introduction of WNS, but have since begun to stabilize at lower levels. We also used these legacy datasets to determine methods to refine sampling and to make recommendations for long-term sampling design within Acadia.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Blomberg, Erik; Heilakka, Christopher; Wheeler, Bik; Wilbur, Lara; Ingalls, Morgan; Donlan, Molly; LaGarry, Ruhammah
- Date of Issue
- 2026-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2319307
- Units
- ACAD
- Keywords
- Bat Monitoring, Detection Probability, Mist Netting, Myotis leibii, Myotis lucifugus, Myotis septentrionalis, Occupancy Modeling, Passive Acoustic Monitoring, Perimyotis subflavus, White-nose Syndrome (WNS)
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals