The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Mississippi Valley Memphis District
(USACE-MVM) environmental program, part of the Regional Planning and
Environment Division, South (RPEDS), ensures U.S. Army civil works activities
are conducted in compliance with all applicable environmental laws, regulations,
and policies.
1.2 The purpose of this project is to determine the presence or likely absence of the
tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), proposed endangered under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, at the two project areas. If other threatened or endangered
(TE) bat species (i.e., Indiana Bat [Myotis sodalis] and northern long-eared bat
[Myotis septentrionalis]) are detected during capture efforts, however, they will be
subject to the appropriate similar guidance and deliverables as is outlined in in
Sections 3.3 and 9.3 of this Statement of Objectives (SOO).
1.3 This work requires an onsite support person located at USACE-MVM. The work
at the project areas shall be conducted by a Cooperator and will involve strategies
to determine if tricolored bats (TCB) are present or likely absent, and whether
roost trees are likely to be impacted due to planned tree clearing activities. This
work includes mist net surveys, and if TCB or other TE bats are captured, the
Cooperator will affix a radio transmitter on up to 3 of each species per survey site.
The Cooperator will then conduct the radio-tracking surveys to locate likely roost
trees within the project areas. Sampling methodologies will be in accordance with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Range-wide Indiana Bat & Northern LongEared Bat Survey Guidelines (2023), using northern long-eared bat level of effort,
and the requirements set forth in the Description of Objectives. The Cooperator
shall begin the survey on or as soon as possible after May 15, 2024, and end no
later than August 15, 2024 (weather delays may require a modification of this
timeframe). Cooperators will reside at lodging located near to the project areas and
commute daily to the survey sites.
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2.0 AUTHORITY
This study is being conducted to fulfill regulatory requirements stipulated under the provisions of
the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 and associated regulations. Sections 7(a)(1) and
7(a)(2) of the ESA requires Federal agencies to ensure that actions authorized, funded, or carried out
by them are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened species. In
addition, the ESA of 1973 establishes as Federal policy that “all Federal departments and agencies
shall seek to conserve endangered species and threatened species.”
2.1 This cooperative agreement will be awarded using the following authority:
• 33 USC § 2339(a) Conservation and recreation management. Delegation of
Authority under Section 213a of the Water Resources Development Act of 2000, dated
10 March 2015.
In agreement with the above stated goals, the recipient agrees to provide the necessary
personnel, equipment, and materials required to implement activities to support the
USACE’s commitment toward environmental stewardship to manage natural and cultural
resources in a responsible way that has the least impact on civil works and is beneficial to
the region. In addition, the activities performed by the recipient must be completed in a
manner conducive to guidelines outlined in the ESA (16 USC 1531 et seq.).
USACE-MVM agrees to provide substantial involvement to include, but not limited to, the
following:
• USACE-MVM is involved in development of the Performance Work
Statement/Scope of Work, and/or reviewing products provided by the
Cooperator.
• USACE-MVM actively participates and collaborates in carrying out the
project plan of work, reviews and approves activities, and coordinates
accordingly with the appropriate U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS) office.
• USACE-MVM incurs in-kind or direct expenditures in carrying out the
activities specified in the project agreement. Examples include, but are not
limited to, the following:
 Providing per diem for Cooperators
 Providing staff time to work on the project.
3.0 DESCRIPTION OF OBJECTIVES
3.1 Task 1: Field Work Coordination
The Cooperator will contact USACE MVM point of contact, Jennifer
Hiltonsmith (901-579-7473) as soon as the Cooperator has selected the sampling
days but no later than 2 weeks prior to any field work. This coordination will
help in assessing field conditions, water levels, and site access.
3.1.1 Additional Personnel
The Cooperator should anticipate 1-2 USFWS and/or USACE-MVM employees
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to participate in the field work as observers. The Cooperator should not expect the
observers to handle any live bats or be asked to carry out any duties outlined in
this Statement of Objectives. Observers may place acoustic equipment to assist in
building data sets. The Cooperator will not be responsible for set up or retrieval of
Government equipment at any time.
3.2 Task 2: Habitat Assessment (Day 1)
Suitable summer bat habitat has been determined to be present at several sites
within each proposed project area. Survey sites have been designated by USACEMVM biologists based on habitat, accessibility, and USFWS survey guidelines
(Exhibits 1 & 2). The Cooperator shall visually survey the preselected survey sites
to confirm they are appropriate for mist netting. The Belle Fountain area project
totals approximately 9 linear kilometers of potential habitat. The 15-Mile Bayou
project totals approximately 6.3 linear kilometers of potential habitat.
Suitable TCB summer habitat consists of a wide variety of forested/wooded areas
where they roost, forage, and travel and may include some adjacent and
interspersed non-forested areas such as emergent wetlands and adjacent edges of
agricultural fields, old fields, and pastures. This includes forests and woodlots
containing trees with potential roost substrate (i.e., live, and dead leaf clusters of
live and recently dead deciduous trees, Spanish moss [Tillandsia usneoides], and
beard lichen [Usnea trichodea]), as well as linear features such as fencerows,
riparian forests, and other wooded corridors. TCB will roost in a variety of tree
species, especially oaks (Quercus spp.), and often select roosts in tall, large
diameter trees, but will roost in smaller diameter trees (e.g., 4-inch [10-
centimeter] diameter at breast height [DBH]) when potential roost substrate is
present. TCB commonly roost in the mid- to upper canopy of trees although males
will occasionally roost in dead leaves at lower heights (e.g., <16 feet [5 meters]
from the ground) and females will occasionally roost in Spanish moss of
understory trees. TCB seem to prefer foraging along forested edges of larger
forest openings, along edges of riparian areas, and over water and avoid foraging
in dense, unbroken forests, and narrow road cuts through forests. TCB may roost
and forage in forested areas near anthropogenic structures and buildings (e.g.,
suburban neighborhoods, parks, etc.) (USFWS 2023).
Information gained in the habitat assessments shall assist the Cooperator to
determine sites for mist netting surveys (Section 3.3). The Cooperator shall
include a description of the areas and their potential TCB habitat in the final
reports. The Cooperator shall use professional judgment to determine if an area has
suitable habitat for mist netting sites.
3.3 Task 3: Mist netting for presence/absence determination
Immediately following each habitat assessment, the Cooperator shall confirm
survey sites for netting locations or contact the Technical Manager (Jennifer
Hiltonsmith) to discuss altering net placement. The Cooperator will follow the
northern long-eared bat recovery unit-based protocols for the amount of time (i.e.,
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netting nights) deemed appropriate from habitat surveys for TCB. Mist net surveys
should be conducted in the best suitable habitat possible in each kilometer.
3.3.1 Equipment - Mist nets to be used for TCB surveys should be the finest,
lowest visibility mesh commercially available. Currently, the finest net on
the market is 75 denier, 2 ply, denoted 75/2 (Arndt and Schaetz 2009);
however, the 50 denier nets are still acceptable for use. The finest mesh size
available is approximately 38 millimeter (~1 1/2 inch). Nets should be
cleaned and disinfected following approved protocols
(http://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/) and any additional federal or state
requirements to minimize disease transmission (USFWS 2023).
3.3.2 Minimum Effort – An effective mist-netting effort should be used at
locations best suited for capturing TCB. A minimum of 4 net nights per
kilometer of suitable habitat is required by USFWS. Therefore, it is
recommended that sites are placed approximately 1 kilometer apart, but
selection of the best mist-net habitat is the priority.
Once the Cooperator determines the appropriate sample site locations, each
sample site shall be photographed (during daylight hours) and recorded
using a global positioning system (GPS) unit. The Cooperator shall record
all GPS data in Universal Transverse Mercator, North American Datum -
1983, Zone 16N. Recorded GPS and color photographs shall be included in
the report.
3.3.3 Net Placement – Potential travel corridors (e.g., streams) typically are the
most effective places to net (although other sites may also be productive;
see Carroll et al. 2002). Place nets approximately perpendicular across the
corridor. Nets should fill the corridor from side to side and from stream
(or ground) level up to the overhanging canopy. Nets of varying widths
and heights may be used as the situation dictates. If netting over water,
ensure there is enough space between the net and the water so that the bat
will not get wet upon capture. Mist netting shall begin at sunset and end 6
hours after the nets are in place. See Kunz and Kurta (1988) for additional
discussion of net placement.
3.3.4 Checking Nets – Each net should be checked approximately every 10
minutes, never exceeding 15 minutes between checks. Capture and
handling are stressful for bats. Emphasis should be on minimizing
handling and holding bats for as short a time as possible to achieve
research objectives. TCB, or any other TE bat should be they captured,
should not be held for more than 30 minutes after capture. Federal and
state permits usually specify maximum holding times (e.g., Recovery
Permits issued by Regions 3 and 4 of the USFWS specify a maximum
holding time of 30 minutes for most projects).
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3.3.5 Weather and Light Conditions - Severe weather adversely affects capture
of bats. Negative results combined with any of the following weather
conditions throughout all or most of a sampling period is likely to need
additional netting effort: (a) temperatures that fall below 10°C (50°F);
(b) precipitation, including rain and/or fog, that exceeds 30 minutes or
continues intermittently during the survey period; and (c) sustained wind
speeds greater than 4 meters/second (9 miles/hour). It is typically best to
set nets under the canopy where they are out of moonlight, particularly
when the moon is ½-full or greater.
3.3.6 If, at the conclusion of each mist netting, no TCB or any other TE bats,
have been captured, fieldwork is complete and that particular survey is
finished.
At each project area (Belle Fountain and 15 Mile Bayou), if one or more
TCB or other TE bats are captured (up to 3 TCB, northern long-eared bat,
or Indiana bat per site), Phase II radio-tracking surveys will be conducted
by the Cooperator. The emergence survey protocol should not be used for
radio-tracked TCB given the variability in roosting locations typically used
by the species (e.g., roosting in dead leaf clusters in the canopy of live trees)
and difficulty observing bats emerging. An emergence count may be
attempted on the rare occasion that the surveyor is able to discover the exact
roosting location of a transmitted TCB and believes he/she can observe the
bat(s) emerging.
Transmitter Attachment - A qualified and permitted biologist who is
experienced in handling TCB and other TE bats and attaching radio
transmitters must perform transmitter attachments. Attachment guidelines
and protocols are outlined in the 2024 USFWS Range-wide Indiana Bat &
Northern Long-Eared Bat Survey Guidelines.
For each captured TCB (or other threatened or endangered bats should they
be captured), the Cooperator shall attach radio transmitters to all female,
juvenile, and adult male TCB or others captured at each site. Surveyors
should be prepared to place transmitters on bats when they are captured to
minimize holding times.
The radio transmitter, adhesive, and any other markings ideally should
weigh less than 5% of the bat’s pre-attachment body weight but must not
weigh more than 10% of its total body weight (Kurta and Murray 2002). In
all cases, the lightest transmitters capable of the required task should be
used, particularly with pregnant females and volant juveniles.
Bats carrying transmitters must be monitored daily for at least seven days,
or until the transmitter falls off, whichever occurs first.
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The purpose of radio tracking TCB and other TE bats is to determine their
roosting locations. If radio tracking determines specific summer roosting or
maternal colony sites (trees or other structures), the Cooperator shall use a
GPS unit to record the specific locations. The Cooperator shall describe the
sites and nearby surroundings in each survey report.
3.3.7 Radio Telemetry Equipment - Proposed radio telemetry equipment (e.g.,
receivers, antennas, and transmitters) and frequencies should be
coordinated with the appropriate state natural resource agency and the
USFWS – Missouri Ecological Services Field Office, Columbia, MO
(Kris Budd, 573-507-8924 when conducting surveys in Missouri), or
Arkansas Ecological Services Field Office, Conway, AR
(Pedro Ardapple-Kindberg, 501-513-4470 when conducting surveys in
Arkansas) after any night a bat is fitted with a transmitter.
3.4 Task 4: Post-Fieldwork Coordination with USACE-MVM
The cooperator shall call the Technical Manager of this project (Jennifer
Hiltonsmith, 901-579-7473) within 24 hours of the conclusion of field work
conducted at each project location (Belle Fountain and 15 Mile Bayou) with
all netting and transmitter information. Each project area will have its own
draft report. Each draft report will document all capture results,
photographs, maps, etc. performed at each location; and each draft report
will be provided to the Technical Manager no later than one month after
field work has been concluded at that specific area. More information about
report submittals are provided in Section 9.2.
4.0 QUALIFICATIONS
4.1 The Cooperator shall possess a current USFWS threatened or endangered species
recovery permit and both a State of Missouri collector’s permit and a State of Arkansas
collector’s permit prior to starting the field work at each specific site. The Principal
Investigator (PI) conducting the surveys should have a thorough understanding of the
USFWS Range-Wide Indiana Bat and Northern Long-Eared Bat Survey Guidelines,
should be familiar with the 2024 updates and the inclusion of Tricolored bat efforts.
The Cooperator should have at least 3 years’ experience with mist-netting, handling,
and identifying bat species including threatened and endangered species. Survey
experience, academic background, and examples of prior reports should be submitted
with your proposal.