3-SOP for Bats.pdf
PDF 154 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Manoomin (Wild Rice) Access Project
- Solicitation number
- RFP 20260609
- Issued by
- Gladwin County, Michigan
About this file
This is a Standard Operating Procedure document prepared by the U.S. Forest Service Eastern and Southern Regions addressing protocols for bat discovery during project implementation, operations, and maintenance activities. The SOP is intended for Forest Service employees, timber sale administrators, fire personnel, contract administrators, and other personnel providing direct oversight of Forest Service projects, contracts, permits, and agreements that may affect bats in Michigan and other jurisdictions. The procedures establish a clear discovery and reporting protocol requiring immediate notification to the Forest Service Point of Contact (POC) when any living or recently dead bat is discovered, with the FS POC required to record contact information of the discoverer, GPS location, photograph, and report to the local forest or district wildlife biologist within 12 hours. The unit biologist must then notify the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field office within 24 hours to arrange for proper identification and collection of the specimen by a permitted individual.
The SOP differentiates between injured or dead bats, requiring recovery and care by licensed veterinarians or qualified persons in accordance with state requirements and direction from Forest Service and USFWS officials, and uninjured bats. Dead specimens must be preserved in resealable plastic bags with collection data including discovery date, time, GPS coordinates, discoverer name, and collector name, then frozen pending disposition instructions. The procedure mandates that the unit biologist, in coordination with the USFWS and state offices as necessary, determine what additional protections or mitigations are required to comply with Endangered Species Act consultation requirements and applicable forest plan direction before project operations can resume, with notification to the FS POC regarding these requirements or clearance to proceed. This SOP directly applies to the Manoomin Access Project in Michigan, which involves ground-disturbing activities including tree cutting, trail construction, and site preparation on USFS federal lands where bat encounters may occur.
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Other files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| 2-Manoomin RFP.PDF | ||
| 1-Manoomin Access Points.pdf |
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Text version
Prepared by: Eastern Region, Renewable Resources Southern Region, Biological and Physical Resources March 7, 2025
Standard Operating Procedures for Discovery of a Bat during Project Implementation, Operations, and Maintenance Activities
Intended Audiences:
Timber sale administrators, fire personnel, contract administrators, special uses administrators, and other Forest Service POCs providing direct oversight for the implementation of any Forest Service projects, contracts, permits, agreements, and operations and maintenance activities that may affect bats.
Purpose:
This SOP provides instructions for Forest Service employees (POCs) directly overseeing contracts, burn operations, permit administration, and operational tasks on the steps that should be taken if a bat is discovered during implementation of project or program activities.
Standard Operation:
1. If any living or recently dead bat is discovered, or if any bat is observed flying out of a tree or structure while conducting project management activities, any activities that would further disturb the bat or the tree/structure and immediate surrounding area where it was discovered shall be deferred until the discovery has been reviewed by a biologist to avoid additional impacts. Ongoing management activities that would not further disturb the bat or the tree/structure and immediate surrounding area where it was discovered can proceed. The FS POC shall be promptly notified of the discovery. Individuals without a current federal and/or state collection permit (as appropriate) or without specific authorization shall not attempt to collect the specimen.
Bats are most likely to be discovered when cutting trees or tree limbs (for any purpose) or during the maintenance, repair, replacement, and demolition of a bridge, culvert, building, or other structure. However, operators should maintain awareness of the risks of encountering bats under other circumstances as well.
2. The Forest Service POC shall record the contact information of the individual that discovered the bat, the GPS location of the bat, take a picture of the bat if a camera/phone camera is available, and report the discovery to the local forest or district wildlife biologist at the first opportunity but no later than 12 hours after being notified by the contractor or operator.
3. The unit biologist shall notify the local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) field office as soon as possible but no more than 24 hours after discovery. They shall then proceed as instructed by the field office to arrange for the identification and collection of the bat (if injured or dead) at the first opportunity by a permitted or authorized individual.
If the bat appears to be injured or dead, proceed to Step 4
If the bat appears to be uninjured, proceed to Step 5
Prepared by: Eastern Region, Renewable Resources Southern Region, Biological and Physical Resources March 7, 2025
4. For an injured or dead bat that is discovered:
Injured individuals shall be recovered and cared for by a licensed veterinarian or other qualified persons in accordance with any state requirements and direction from the Forest Service biologist and USFWS field office, as appropriate. The Forest Service will notify the appropriate USFWS field office/state office to recover injured individuals for testing and/or rehabilitation as soon as possible after discovery.
Dead individuals must be preserved and provided to the USFWS or state for further examination, if requested (i.e. federally-listed species would be turned over to the USFWS unless otherwise instructed; any bats would be turned over to the state as instructed). Dead individuals shall be sealed in a resealable plastic bag and include the date and time when the animal was found, the location where it was found (GPS coordinates or other detailed location description if coordinates are not available), the name of the person who found it, and the name of the person that collected it. The specimen will then be frozen with the collection information in a secure location until instructions are received regarding the disposition of the specimen.
Proceed to Step 5
Resuming Operations
5. The discovery of a bat may require additional protections or mitigations to comply with Endangered Species Act consultation requirements, forest plan direction, or other applicable direction. The unit biologist (in coordination with the FWS field office or state office as necessary) shall determine what additional protections or mitigations may be necessary to comply with applicable regulations. Those protections and mitigations shall be applied before project operations can resume.
The unit biologist shall notify the FS POC at the first opportunity of any additional protections or mitigations that may be required for operations to proceed to avoid further delay. If no additional protections or mitigations are required, the unit biologist shall notify the FS POC at the first opportunity that operations may proceed immediately.
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