The new jersey department of environmental protections fish and wildlife and state parks forests and historic sites are working together to propose a draft BAT habitat conservation plan for new jersey…

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $1,333,000 Project Grant under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.615) to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). The grant will fund the development of the first draft of a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) for four bat species impacted by white-nose syndrome: the Indiana bat, northern long-eared bat, little brown bat, and tricolored bat. The HCP will provide guidance for forest management activities on state, municipal, and private lands in New Jersey, including prescribed burning, tree harvesting, and other practices intended to improve bat foraging and roosting habitat. The grant period runs from May 30, 2024 to May 30, 2027.

The new jersey department of environmental protections fish and wildlife and state parks forests and historic sites are working together to propose a draft BAT habitat conservation plan for new jersey in preparation to submit an application for an incidental take permit in accordance with the endangered species act. If awarded this grant will fund the development of the first draft of the HCP.four species will be covered under the HCP the indiana BAT northern long eared BAT little brown BAT and tricolored BAT. These four BAT species have been decimated by white nose syndrome a disease caused by the introduction and spread of the fungus pseudogymnoascus destructans. The projects purpose is to address the potential for forest management activities to cause incidental take of two federally listed BAT species and two additional BAT species that are in decline and may become listed in the future. Both forestry and fish and wildlife in NJ have the common objectives of using forest management activities such as tree harvesting and prescribed burning to improve the health and resilience of forests increase structural diversity and improve forest habitats for wildlife especially for the species of greatest conservation need identified in the NJ state wildlife action plan. The covered activities include a suite of common forest management practices which numerous research studies have shown to improve the amount and quality of BAT foraging and roosting habitat in the long termthe future NJ BAT HCP that will provide guidance for state municipal and private forested lands with respect to the following management activities prescribed burning firebreak and or fuelbreak construction site preparation stand improvement thinning tree harvesting via silvicultural prescriptions with the intention of tree regeneration planting salvage cutting firewood cutting hazard tree removal fencing roads and trails and using equipment for tree felling skidding landing chipping and processing.