Glacier Park proving a safe haven for bats

Glacier National Park is a safe haven for a host of creatures — grizzly bears, wolverines, bighorn sheep and mountain goats, just to name a few. It’s also proving to be a haven for a creature few people see but most fear — bats.

After a second season of field work, biologists have found that nine species of bats live in the Park during the summer months, Park biologist Lisa Bate said. That’s an encouraging sign considering that bats in the eastern U.S. are in big trouble.

A disease called white-nose fungus has infected bats across the eastern U.S. with a mortality rate of 98 percent in some populations. It’s believed the fungus, which gives bats a white nose, was brought to the U.S. from Europe by cavers.

More than 6 million bats may have died from the disease in the East, but so far Glacier Park has proven to be fungus-free. The Park has clamped down on recreational use of caves. To avoid any possible spread of the disease, users now need a permit and a good reason just to enter a cave in the Park.

Officials have also closed off some mines that pre-date the Park, installing grates over the entrance with openings large enough for bats to pass through.

The most common bat in the Park is the little brown bat, which loves to roost on and in human structures. Bats also roost on Park bridges, which are favored because they hold heat through the night.

But the further away biologists got from human dwellings, the more diverse the bat population became, Bate noted. Working with noted bat biologist Cori Lausen, the two sampled the Park in 10-kilometer square grids using mist nets and a device called an Anabat that identifies bats by their ultrasonic calls.

The nights were long and the days were short. For nearly a month, they’d work all night capturing and examining bats. If they were lucky, the biologists got four to five hours of sleep before moving to a new location.

One spot along the Belly River resulted in a treasure trove of captures and may be one of the largest migratory routes of hoary bats in the western U.S.

All told, biologists caught 611 bats and identified nine species in the Park — five more than was previously known. Biologists took pains to make sure each bat was handled with disposable Latex gloves so no diseases or infections would be transmitted from bat to bat.

Bat research in Glacier Park was almost non-existent prior to the study, which will continue into 2013. Biologists still have unanswered questions. For one, they’re trying to determine if bats are hibernating in the Park.

Some Park caves are suitable habitat, but nearly impossible to manually survey in winter because of avalanches and their remoteness. Bate said they’ve installed detectors that record bat calls if they leave their dens. Bats don’t continually hibernate. They will awake and fly around even in winter months.

The study was made possible through a grant by the Glacier National Park Fund and included help from a host of cooperating agencies and volunteers.