Instructions for Electronic Submittal of Bat Survey Data

In an effort to reduce redundancy, increase efficiency, and minimize data entry errors, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Ecological Services Field Offices in Region 3 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) collaborated to create a single standardized spreadsheet1 for electronic submittal of bat survey data by federal permittees to the Service. Recently issued permit terms and conditions require submission of data in the format provided by Service Field Offices (i.e., information identified in the standardized reporting spreadsheet). In addition to a traditional narrative report, permittees receiving Region 3 issued permits will be required to report their survey data using the “standard” format provided in the standardized permit reporting spreadsheet (i.e., provision of all spreadsheet information) to fulfill the annual reporting requirements of a section 10(a)(1)(A) Recovery Permit (Please note: Other Regions and/or Field Offices may require the same spreadsheet). Permittees are encouraged to submit their survey data via the standardized permit reporting spreadsheet not only to facilitate determination of reporting compliance, but also to facilitate improved assemblage of data to determine impacts on the species. If permittees intend to collect additional data that does not fit within the format of this spreadsheet, they should coordinate with the Service Field Office for the study area regarding how to report the additional data2 . If multiple Federal permittees are contracted and/or subcontracted to conduct bat surveys as part of a single large project, each permittee is required to separately report the bat captures made under their permit so that the permittee responsible for each bat capture can be clearly identified. Due to reductions in bat populations, primarily from white-nose syndrome (WNS), the Service is requesting that information on all bat observations (i.e., captures, roost counts, and acoustic detections) of all bat species be submitted, regardless of current Federal status.