Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with the Pacific Northwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU partner for research in bat distribution, activity, and disease status on two US Navy properties.Bats are key components of Pacific Northwest ecosystems and provide many essential ecosystem services, yet their activity patterns and dynamics remain relatively unknown in the West. Bats are of particular concern due to the spread of the fungal pathogen Psuedogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which causes the disease white-nose syndrome (WNS) and has caused devastating population declines in other parts of the country. The US Navy is working with the USGS to assess the presence, activity, and disease status of the bat community on two Naval properties in Washington (Jim Creek Naval Radio Station) and Idaho (Bayview Acoustic Research Detachment) to better understand their use of these habitats and enhance regional understanding of bat status. The USGS is offering a funding opportunity to CESU partners for assistance with analyses of these data.