ML18026B230
| ML18026B230 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Clinch River |
| Issue date: | 01/26/2018 |
| From: | State of TN, Wildlife Resources Agency |
| To: | Office of New Reactors |
| Fetter A | |
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| Download: ML18026B230 (73) | |
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Tennessee Winter Bat Population and White-nose Syndrome Monitoring Report for 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 Josh Campbell, Wildlife Diversity Coordinator Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Region 2 TWRA Wildlife Technical Report 16-4
Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is available to all persons without regard to their race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, or military service.
TWRA is also an equal opportunity/equal access employer. Questions should be directed to TWRA, Human Resources Office, P.O. Box 40747, Nashville, TN 37204, (615) 781-6594 (TDD 781-6691), or to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Human Resources, 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203.
Acknowledgements Activities detailed in this report were funded by a White-nose Syndrome grant from the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and additional funding was provided by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Contributors, partners and collaborators also provided funding through assistance in conducting surveys.
These surveys could not be conducted with such a high level of effort or as geographically widespread without the assistance of numerous volunteers. Because the majority of caves and winter sites occur on private lands in Tennessee, the number of surveys would be greatly reduced without the support, assistance, and willingness of private landowners. Without the volunteer and landowner support, we would not be able to understand the distribution of winter bat populations and effects of White-nose Syndrome in Tennessee.
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Acronyms AAFB..Arnold Airforce Base FORT.....Fort Campbell Army Installation NPS.....National Park Service TDEC.Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation TNC.The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee TVA..Tennessee Valley Authority TWRA..Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency USFWS..United States Fish and Wildlife Service UTKUniversity of Tennessee at Knoxville Species Codes CORA... Corynorhinus rafinesquii EPFU.. Eptesicus fuscus LANO.. Lasionycteris noctivagans MYAU... Myotis austroriparius MYGR.. Myotis grisescens MYLE... Myotis leibii MYLU.... Myotis lucifugus MYSE.... Myotis septentrionalis MYSO Myotis sodalis MYsp.....Unknown Myotis PESU... Perimyotis subflavus ii
Contributors AAFB...Shannon Allen and John Lamb FORT.Morgan Torres NPS....Tabby Cavendish and Ryan Williamson Other. Kristen Bobo and Phillip Pratt TDEC.Stuart Carroll, Damon Graham, Matt Garrison, Adam Neblett, and Jason Reynolds TNC....Cory Holliday TVA.Adam Dattilo, Liz Hamrick, Sara McLaughlin, and Clint Smith TWRA....Rick Brantley, Josh Campbell, Rob Colvin, Jeremy Dennison, Daniel Istvanko, Chris Ogle, Rick Reynolds, and Dustin Thames USFWS....Dave Pelren and Sara Sorenson UTK...Reilly Jackson and Mallory Tate iii
Executive Summary Histologic evidence of White-nose Syndrome (WNS) was confirmed in Coffee, Giles, and Marshall Counties and two other counties, Davidson and Sumner, were confirmed as suspect during the winter of 2014-2015. No new counties were confirmed or determined to be suspect during the 2015-2016 winter field season. Currently, 50 counties have been confirmed WNS positive and 2 counties remain suspect. WNS and its casual fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans can now be found in 52 of the 78 (66.7%) counties containing caves and is considered widespread in Tennessee.
During the 2015-2016 survey period, surveys were not performed at priority sites and these surveys will continue in 2016-2017 winter as cyclical surveys for endangered bat species resume.
No information for these species during this period is reported. Based on counts obtained during the 2014-2015 survey period, Myotis grisescens increased at two of three sites and slight declines were observed at the third priority sight. Myotis sodalis are trending downward despite an increase in the overall number of observations for this species. Major declines were observed at multiple priority sites during the winter of 2014-2015.
Since beginning intense surveys of non-threatened and endangered bats during the winter in 2009-2010, observations are declining at alarming rates. Although observations of P. subflavus increased slightly in 2016, declines between 90-98% have been observed at multiple sites within the state. The lack of observations of M. lucifugus and M. septentrionalis during 2016, 54 and 13 respectively, is just as alarming as the site declines for P. subflavus. Although roost preferences of M. septentrionalis may lend it to be under surveyed, the lack of winter observations and summer captures indicate this species is declining at alarming rates.
During the winter of 2015-2016, several observations were made that shed a somewhat optimistic light on potential recovery of bats in Tennessee. A single banded M. lucifugus was recovered at a site where it was originally banded four years prior. This bat survived at least 4 years at a site confirmed WNS positive while the population declined significantly during this same time. Also, recoveries made at a site where banding has occurred multiple times since 2009-2010, indicate P. subflavus has the ability to survive for multiple years despite the presence of WNS. While survivorship of bats is occurring in the state despite the presence of WNS, the presence of such few individuals will increase the potential difficulty of recovery efforts.
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Table of Contents Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................ ii Contributors ................................................................................................................................... iii Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Methods........................................................................................................................................... 3 WNS Surveillance ....................................................................................................................... 3 WNS Mortality Monitoring......................................................................................................... 4 Bat Population Monitoring .......................................................................................................... 4 2015 Statewide Results ................................................................................................................... 4 Myotis grisescens ........................................................................................................................ 5 Myotis sodalis.............................................................................................................................. 5 Whiteoak Blowhole ................................................................................................................. 6 2016 Statewide Results ................................................................................................................... 7 Overall ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Corynorhinus rafinesquii......................................................................................................... 9 Eptesicus fuscus ....................................................................................................................... 9 Myotis leibii ............................................................................................................................. 9 Myotis septentrionalis.............................................................................................................. 9 Myotis lucifugus ..................................................................................................................... 10 Perimyotis subflavus .............................................................................................................. 10 WNS Mortality / Bat Population Monitoring............................................................................ 10 Camps Gulf Cave................................................................................................................... 12 Marble Bluff Cave ................................................................................................................. 12 Cooper Creek Cave ................................................................................................................ 12 Great Expectations Cave ....................................................................................................... 12 Morrell/Worleys Cave .......................................................................................................... 13 Norris Dam Cave ................................................................................................................... 13 Whiteside Cave ...................................................................................................................... 13 Grindstaff Cave...................................................................................................................... 13 v
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 14 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 15 Appendix A - Maps detailing the annual progression of WNS through Tennessee since 2009-2010............................................................................................................................................. A-1 Appendix B - A list of all WNS confirmed, suspect, or negative counties in Tennessee ........... B-1 Appendix C - 2014-2015 Winter survey results ......................................................................... C-1 Appendix D - 2014-2015 Diagnostic service reports ................................................................. D-1 Appendix E - 2015-2016 Winter survey results ..........................................................................E-1 Appendix F - 2015-2016 Diagnostic service report .................................................................... F-1 Appendix G - Trend analysis by species across all survey years ............................................... G-1 Appendix H - Trend analysis of species at selected sites across all survey years ...................... H-1 vi
List of Figures Figure 1. Documented occurrences of WNS in Tennessee during the 2009-2010 winter. .......................... 2 Figure 2. Winter trends of M. grisescens in Tennessee. .............................................................................. 5 Figure 3. Results of winter monitoring of White Oak Blowhole. ................................................................ 6 Figure 4. Trends of bat non-threatened and endangered bat species and the now threatened M.
septentrionalis since 2009 - 2010................................................................................................................. 8 List of Tables Table 1. Trends of M. sodalis at selected winter sites in Tennessee. ........................................................... 6 Table 2. Percent increase or decrease for species observed between 2010 and 2016. ................................. 7 Table 3. Trends of wintering bats by individual sites monitored a minimum of 4 years. .......................... 11 vii
Introduction This report summarizes data collected by all cooperating agencies in Tennessee during the winters of 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. The results of independent research projects are not included.
Historical survey work within the state of Tennessee was conducted to monitor the success of endangered bats in Tennessee. This was accomplished by state and federal agencies and non-governmental groups conducting winter bat hibernaculum censuses. This work has been either on a bi-annual basis or staggered every three years depending on the species involved and the availability of personnel. At one point, selected sites were monitored annually to establish a dataset that would allow trend analysis of populations. These efforts were disbanded in 2015 because of potential negative impacts as a result of repeated visitation. Historical surveys have generally focused on the two of three endangered species of bat found in Tennessee, Myotis sodalis (Indiana bats) and Myotis grisescens (gray bats). No winter occurrences of the third species of endangered bat, Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus (Virginia big-eared bat), are known from Tennessee.
Beginning in 2009 with the concern of bat population decline due to White-nose Syndrome (WNS), there was an increased awareness of the need to not only continue monitoring the status of endangered species, but to also assess the numbers and health of the common species of cave hibernating bats. Prior to the occurrence of WNS, there was very limited information available on bat hibernacula and winter population trends for once common species of cave hibernating bats, that include: Myotis lucifugus, (little brown bat), Myotis septentrionalis (Northern long-eared bat1), Myotis leibii (Eastern small-footed bat), Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat), Perimyotis subflavus (tri-colored bat), and Corynorhinus rafinesquii (Rafinesques big-eared bat). Because of the paucity of data for these species, assessing trends of winter populations of bats and WNS caused mortality has been difficult.
Initially, a tiered monitoring approach was developed and implemented during initial monitoring efforts with each tier having varying levels of effort for surveys. This approach allowed for survey effort to be adjusted to each cave minimizing potential impacts to hibernating bats, while allowing for the objectives of winter monitoring to be met. A description of the tiered monitoring system can be found in Lamb and Wyckoff (2010) and Flock (2014). As the need to gather data for all species increased, complete surveys of bat populations found within all sites surveyed was implemented in lieu of the tiered monitoring approach.
WNS and its causal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) fungus were first recorded in Tennessee in the winter of 2010. The fungus was found on three species of bats, M. lucifugus, M. septentrionalis, and P. subflavus, in six different counties (Figure 1). The documented 1
Myotis septentrionalis was listed as threatened by the USFWS April 2, 2015 because of severe declines attributed to WNS (USFWS 2015).
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Figure 1. Documented occurrences of WNS in Tennessee during the 2009-2010 winter.
occurrences included two histological confirmations of fungal infections within tissues, and four suspect sites2. Since 2010, Pd has been confirmed in 50 counties throughout the state. Over sixty-six percent of the counties having caves (78) in Tennessee have been confirmed WNS positive or suspect. A progression of WNS by county and year can be found in Appendix A.
Appendix B lists all confirmed or suspect sites and the species from which samples were collected in Tennessee. A list of all species in which Pd has been diagnostically confirmed or detected can be found at https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/about/bats-affected-wns.
With over 10,000 caves in Tennessee and 20% of the known caves in the United States (The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee n.d.), conducting annual surveys of all caves or of all winter bat populations in Tennessee is not a realistic and feasible approach, and not one considered by 2
During monitoring efforts, a site cannot be confirmed positive for the presence of WNS until histologic investigations reveal Pd has infected the tissues of bats. Suspect sites through 2014 are sites which test PCR positive for the presence of Pd and this designation is not removed until histology reports reveal tissue infections.
Since 2014, the criteria used to classify WNS suspect sites has changed to minimize the need to euthanize bats and can be found at https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/resource/revised-case-definitions-white-nose-syndrome-11252014.
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the WNS Advisory Council of Tennessee. A significant effort is made each year by all state and federal agencies, non-governmental groups and individuals to perform as many winter surveys as possible. Because of the density of caves throughout the state, less than 1% of the caves are visited each year. As result of this, any conclusions or predictions concerning the spread of WNS across Tennessee and its effect on the bat population should take survey effort into consideration.
The winter of 2014-2015 was a count year for priority caves harboring endangered species. This would be the last year for this type of count until the winter of 2016-2017 as it was agreed among all partners to minimize visitation at these sites and begin the cyclical monitoring once again. Surveys were also conducted at sites monitored in previous years to assess impacts from WNS and efforts were made to locate potentially new winter sites.
During the winter surveys of 2015-2016, no winter counts were performed at priority M. sodalis and M. grisescens sites. The focus of surveys during this period was to locate new sites harboring winter populations of bats and to revisit sites in which monitoring had previously occurred to assess impacts to these populations. Surveys also occurred at sites previously monitored to continue assessing the impact of WNS.
In all years, surveys are conducted in a manner allowing strict adherence to the USFWS WNS Decontamination protocols (https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/topics/decontamination).
Decontamination has been a high priority in all years to minimize the potential of surveys aiding the spread of Pd across the state. As a result of this priority, the number of caves visited per day is limited based on geography, personnel, and maintaining adequate supplies of decontaminated equipment. Despite the large number of caves in Tennessee and issues surrounding decontamination, efforts have helped to identify new bat hibernacula and to allow changes of winter bat populations to be tracked.
Methods The 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 winter cave surveys were conducted between December 15, 2015 and April 1, 2016. Extending the survey effort through April 1, 2016, as this is typically later in the season for winter surveys, allows for further development of WNS symptoms as observed during 2009-2010 surveys (Holliday 2012). All surveys performed during this period were designed to monitor the state of WNS in Tennessee and to census non threatened and endangered bats because this was not a census year for listed species. Objectives of all surveys fell into the following three categories with considerable overlap.
WNS Surveillance Although a majority of the cavernous counties are WNS confirmed or suspect, surveys are still conducted to determine the presence of WNS at all sites. There are countless caves across the state that still appear to be WNS negative despite county WNS designations. Surveys are 3
implemented to gauge the presence of WNS on a site level because of the lack of uniformity of its progression across the state, and as a result of this lack of uniformity, to monitor impacts of WNS on winter bat populations on a site by site basis.
Because of the need to increase knowledge of wintering populations of bat species not listed, complete censuses of all bats observed in caves were conducted. This approach was different from the tiered monitoring approach used in previous years. In the event cooperators deemed presence within the cave was creating unnecessary disturbance to wintering bats, estimates of large clusters of bats were made to decrease the length of time surveyors were in the cave.
WNS Mortality Monitoring Selected caves previously confirmed or suspected to be WNS positive were visited to assess the level of mortality that may have occurred since prior visits (Samoray 2011). In order to collect the best data possible under survey conditions, a full census of all bats observed within the caves was conducted. Sites selected for mortality monitoring (Lamb and Wyckoff 2010) were visited again during the 2015-2016 field season to continue these efforts. Two methods have been used at these sites to assess mortality: repeated, annual visits to count all bats or banding of all bats to assess survivorship at sites previously determined to be WNS positive. It should be noted, of the sites previously selected for these efforts in Lamb and Wyckoff (2010), monitoring efforts have been reduced or not occurred annually as a result of manpower concerns, potential impacts from repeated disturbance, eliminating visitation at sites in which severe declines have occurred to the wintering bat populations, or the bat populations declining to critically low levels or levels too low to make these efforts a viable option.
Bat Population Monitoring Because historic survey efforts were focused on monitoring endangered M. sodalis and M.
grisescens, there is a paucity of data pertaining to other cave hibernating species in Tennessee.
A continued goal of the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 surveys were to identify new sites which serve as hibernacula for non-listed, but WNS affected bats. These species include: P. subflavus, M. septentrionalis, M. lucifugus, and M. leibii. Several of the sites visited during this period have been visited during previous survey years. Despite these repeated visits, full censuses of bats observed in the caves were performed. Several sites not previously surveyed, were visited during this period and, again, complete surveys of all bats were performed. Methods detailed by Holliday (2012) were used to select these new sites to determine if they harbor cave hibernating bats.
2015 Statewide Results Sixty-one (61) caves were visited across 29 counties during the winter of 2014-2015. WNS was confirmed through histologic analysis of bat tissues at sites in three counties, Coffee, Marshall, and Giles. Suspect sites were also confirmed in Davidson and Sumner Counties. The results of 4
all caves surveyed can be found in Appendix C. Details of the diagnostic services reports for each of these sites can be found in Appendix D.
Myotis grisescens During the 2014-2015 survey period, the last of the annual counts performed at priority sites harboring endangered species were conducted. The typical cyclical occurrence of these counts will begin again during the winter of 2016-2017. Observations of M. grisescens at the three priority sites increased from Figure 2. Winter trends of M. grisescens in Tennessee.
783,715 (2013-2014) to 1,059,524 in 2014-2015. It should be noted, the large increase can be attributed to a section of Pearsons Cave being included in this counting period traditionally not included in previous counts.
Despite the overall increase of M. grisescens statewide, concern should be given to the declining numbers observed at Hubbards Cave (Figure 2). Although declines attributed to WNS have not been documented for this species, it is unknown the reasons for the declines observed at this site.
One possible reason may be the result of repeated annual visitation this site has received since collaborators agreed to the USFWSs requests to perform annual counts at known M. grisescens sites.
Myotis sodalis The number of observed M. sodalis increased during this survey period from 4,067 (2013-2014) by more than one thousand to 5,077 in the 2014-2015 survey period. This increase can likely be attributed to the increase in the number of priority M. sodalis sites documented as a result of the survey and monitoring efforts. Assessing declines of M .sodalis at individual sites is challenging. The majority of sites with documented presence of M. sodalis harbor small populations during the winter, outside of White Oak Blowhole discussed below. The majority of sites are experiencing declines ranging from 15.3% to 100% (Table 1). While the observations for this species have increased statewide, widespread and devastating declines were observed for 5
this species at numerous sites within the state during 2014-2015 winter. Prior to the arrival of WNS, populations of M. sodalis were trending upward across much of the eastern portions of its range (Thogmartin et al. 2012), and it is evident WNS is reversing these trends.
Table 1. Trends of M. sodalis at selected winter sites in Tennessee.
Year of Year of Cave Estimate Estimate Trend Observation Observation Cornstarch Cave 2011 293 2015 13 -95.56%
East Fork Saltpeter Cave 2010 248 2015 210 -15.32%
Fox Hole Cave 2012 15 2016 0 -100.00%
Jaybird Cave 2012 14 2015 8 -42.86%
Kelly Ridge Cave 2011 1137 2015 188 -83.47%
Lost Creek Cave 2010 51 2015 29 -43.14%
New Mammoth Cave 2010 12 2015 76 533.33%
Rice Cave 2010 32 2015 0 -100.00%
Rose Cave 2010 75 2015 105 40.00%
Scott Gap Cave 2011 12 2015 0 -100.00%
Signature Cave 2011 18 2016 12 -33.33%
Wolf River Cave 2011 875 2015 1351 54.40%
Yggdrasil Cave 2013 60 2015 39 -35.00%
Zarathustras Cave 2011 53 2015 18 -66.04%
Whiteoak Blowhole - A case study This site exemplifies the impacts of WNS to wintering bats in Tennessee and the devastating impacts to an endangered species. Whiteoak Blowhole is the largest known winter site in Tennessee for M. sodalis.
NPS has performed Figure 3. Results of winter monitoring of White Oak Blowhole.
monitoring of Whiteoak Blowhole dating back to 1975 and winter visits have not been made annually, rather occurring cyclical to minimize disturbance from visitation.
The site was gated in 1997-1998. Prior to the gating of the cave, the winter population of M. sodalis peaked in 1981 at 11,287, but tremendous variation was observed between 1975 and 1999 (Figure 3). Three large declines of this population in excess of 4,000 individuals were observed, reaching its lowest level of 3,000 individuals in 1999. The variation observed prior to the gating 6
may likely be the result of undesired visitation. With the installation of the cave gate, the population slowly began to rebound.
With the approach of WNS, annual site visits were made between 2010 and 2015 to determine the presence of WNS and its likely impacts. Whiteoak Blowhole was categorized as suspect in 2010 and 2011, and final histologic confirmation of WNS was made in 2012. Despite the presence of WNS at the site, the winter population increased, as 7,495 individuals were observed in 2011, the last year it was deemed suspect, declining to 7,200 in 2012, the first year of confirmation. The population reached its peak in 2013 at 9,076, but a drastic decline has been observed since. During the winter of 2014-2015, the population estimate for this site was 1,117, an 87.7% decline in just two years. This was the lowest recorded winter population for this site.
It is evident this site is suffering major impacts as a result of WNS and it is likely these impacts have been more substantial as a result of the roosting behavior of M. sodalis. This species is highly gregarious, roosting in tight clusters during the winter, likely facilitating an increase in the transmission of WNS between bats (Langwig et al. 2012). Declines of the magnitude observed at Whiteoak Blowhole increase the difficulties of biologists and conservationists to implement successful recovery conservation actions.
2016 Statewide Results Eighty-five (85) caves and 1 non-traditional winter site were visited across 33 counties during the 2015-2016 winter survey period. WNS field signs were observed in 29 caves. No new counties were confirmed as WNS positive or suspect. The results of all caves surveyed can be found in Appendix E.
The carcasses of two bats were collected from a civil war bunker in Tipton County, Tennessee and submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study for WNS testing. Both bats tested negative for the presence of WNS and likely succumbed to injuries as the result of unknown trauma. The complete report can be viewed in Appendix F.
Overall Because of the lack of historic data for bat species not typically monitored, the 2009-2010 winter survey period was used as base for which comparisons of current bat numbers could be made.
Although this is not a preferred method for reasons that include equal survey effort between sites and across years, difficulty in Table 2. Percent increase or decrease for species observed between 2010 and observing cryptic species, 2016.
addition or discovery of CORA EPFU MYLE MYLU MYSE PESU significant bat sites, and 2010 (n) 313 28 5 2075 292 2159 movement of bats across 2016 (n) 331 171 1 54 13 2175 sites within and between % Decline 5.80% 5.10% -80.00% -97.40% -95.50% 0.74%
survey years, it is the best dataset to make comparisons for assessing potential declines of these bats as the result of WNS.
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Small increases have been observed in the numbers of C. rafinesquii and E. fuscus, but these increases are too small to draw conclusions from. Conversely, large population declines have been observed for both M. lucifugus and M. septentrionalis, 97.4% and 95.5%, respectively.
And although a very small increase was observed in P. subflavus, it appears populations of this species are continuing downward. When combining winter population numbers for M. lucifugus, M. septentrionalis, and P. subflavus with the increased difficulty of capturing these species on the landscape during the summer, the outlook for these three species is highly concerning.
The trends of all non-threatened and endangered species observed during winter surveys since the 2009-2010 field season are shown in Figure 4. Numbers for M. sodalis and M. grisescens were not included in this analysis because surveys for these species are cyclical. Myotis austroriparius (southeastern bat) and Lasionycteris noctivagans (silver-haired bat) were also excluded because of the low number of observation each year. It is evident when looking at all winter survey years, non-threatened and endangered bat species are declining across the state and these declining trends become more evident when assessing species trends by site. Observations greatly increased for several of these species in 2013 and have drastically and sharply declined since. A common observation within sites following the presence of WNS is the clustering or presence of higher numbers of bats at or near cave entrances. It is possible the spike observed in 2013 is an artifact of this likely behavioral response to WNS. As a result, bats left roosts traditionally used prior to WNS, typically not surveyed, moving to more open areas of the cave and near cave entrances where they were more easily observed. The high numbers observed in 2013 have never been previously documented and it is unlikely will be observed again.
Figure 4. Trends of bat non-threatened and endangered bat species and the now threatened M. septentrionalis since 2009 - 2010.
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Corynorhinus rafinesquii Occurrences of this species which roost in large numbers are limited to just a few localities in Tennessee. Numerous observations of single individuals are made annually at sites other than those harboring larger populations. It appears this species is stable (Appendix G-1), as numbers are slightly above those observed during the 2009-2010 season despite the presence of WNS at numerous winter sites. Presence of Pd has been detected on this species using real-time PCR methods at winter sites in Tennessee (Bernard et al. 2015). Survey effort for this species has not been equal across all years and this is because of the limited number of sites and the sensitivity of the species to repeated visitation.
Eptesicus fuscus It appears numbers for this species are trending upward during the winter, but due to the low number of observations it is difficult to determine if this is actually the case (Appendix G-2).
Observations for this species may be difficult to make because of roost preferences or selection during the winter. Many of the observations made during the winter are in plain sight or open areas of caves; however, if E. fuscus select roosts such as rock crevices, as observed by Neubaum et al. (2006), observations within caves may become problematic. Also, in other portions of the species range, the use of man-made structures during the winter (Whitaker Jr. and Gummer 2000) may indicate winter surveys should include nontraditional sites. Diagnostic symptoms of WNS have been documented in this species (Blehert et al. 2009).
Myotis leibii Observations of this species are extremely limited and have never exceeded 12 in any given year since 2009, making it difficult to ascertain whether populations of this species are stable, increasing or declining (Appendix G-3). Similar to E. fuscus, it is likely the roosting preferences of this species lead it to be under surveyed each winter. In contrast with other cave-roosting bats, M. leibii chooses roosts on the cave floor, under talus, or in cracks or crevices within the substrate (Erdle and Hobson 2001). Admittedly, these roosts are under surveyed during the winter, as assessing these areas would increase the time of surveys, visitation, and increase disturbance to other roosting bats. Despite the lack of survey effort for this species, there is still concern WNS may impact this species given diagnostic symptoms have been observed in M.
leibii (https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/about/bats-affected-wns).
Myotis septentrionalis This species was listed as threatened by the USFWS on April 2, 2015 because of populations declines attributed to WNS (USFWS 2015). Historically, observations of M. septentrionalis have been low as it was recorded anecdotally while conducting surveys for species with more significant designations. Unfortunately, the need to increase data collection efforts for this species was recognized just prior the discovery of WNS in Tennessee. Since 2009-2010, efforts have been made to record each observation of M. septentrionalis during all cave visits (Appendix G-4). Similar to other species, observations of M. septentrionalis peaked in 2013. It should be noted, this species displays roost preferences similar to those of E. fuscus and M. leibii, roosting 9
in cracks and crevices of the cave substrate likely leading to it be under surveyed across all years.
Since 2012, winter populations of M. septentrionalis have declined precipitously; 11 and 13 individuals were observed in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Although the lack of observations can be attributed to roosting preferences of the species, such a drastic decline in the number of observations the past two winters indicates WNS is having detrimental impacts to M.
septentrionalis. Given the decrease in observations and known WNS impacts, there is high cause of concern for this species in Tennessee.
Myotis lucifugus Numbers of M. lucifugus have mirrored the cyclical surveys conducted for M. sodalis, as these two species are often observed within the same hibernacula; however, there are sites within the state where the two species do not occur together. Numbers for this species peaked in 2013 and declines mirror those for M. septentrionalis (Appendix G-5). Only 54 individual M. lucifugus were observed at a total of 19 sites during the winter of 2015-2016. Although M. sodalis priority sites and sites known to harbor larger winter populations of M. lucifugus were not surveyed this past winter, the frequency of observations for this species declined. M. lucifugus is often observed roosting in the more open parts of caves, but it is possible it may go under surveyed as surveyors may not have access to all parts of caves where the bats may hibernate. Despite this species once occurring in large numbers at winter sites in northern portions of its range (Davis and Hitchcock 1965) and populations in Tennessee constituting a small portion of the overall population (Kunz and Reichard 2010), and decline of M. lucifugus within the state resemble those modeled by Frick et al. (2010), in which a 99% chance of regional extinction of the species was possible. Conservation and recovery efforts for M. lucifugus will prove both challenging and difficult given the declines observed in Tennessee.
Perimyotis subflavus P. subflavus was one of the most commonly encountered solitary roosters within caves during the winter. Sadly, this is species is no longer observed at historic densities and its numbers at sites have declined significantly over the past two years (Appendix G-6). As with other species, numbers peaked in 2013, but have declined at an alarming rate since. The slight increase observed during the winter of 2015-2016 can likely be attributed to the exclusion of priority bat sites, allowing a higher number of P. subflavus dominated sites to be surveyed. Although the winter observations are similar to those in 2009-2010, the steep, fast-paced decline has increased concerns surrounding this species. Declines associated with the summer capture rates of P.
subflavus (D. Thames and J. Lamb pers. comm.) are being observed across the state and appear to be mirroring winter declines, adding to the concern for the species.
WNS Mortality / Bat Population Monitoring Numerous sites across the state have been visited annually or multiple times since the widespread, multi-species focused survey efforts began in 2009-2010. Seventy-three caves have been visited at least 2 times during this period. Table 3 illustrates the observed declines at sites 10
visited a minimum of 4 times between 2009-2010 and 2015-2016. Declines of wintering bats at sites vary from minimal to 100 percent, whereas the numbers for some species at sites may be trending upward. Some bat researchers and biologists believe WNS is causing extirpation of species from sites. Although it can be argued roost switching of species between sites impacts observations annually, the drastic decline in species and, now, lack of observations for species at sites illustrates the impacts of WNS to winter cave bats in Tennessee.
Table 3. Trends of wintering bats by individual sites monitored a minimum of 4 years.
No. Years % Decrease or Increase by Species Cave Name Surveyed PESU MYLU MYSE EPFU Camps Gulf Cave 7 95.2% 99.0% - -
Marble Bluff Cave 7 54.3% - - -
Copper Creek Cave 6 98.0% 99.2% 100.0% 82.0%
Great Expectations Cave 6 +50.0% - - -
Worleys Cave 6 74.0% - 100.0% -
Norris Dam Cave 6 2.0% - - -
Whiteside Cave 6 91.0% - - -
East Fork SLP Cave 5 23.0% 93.0% 100.0% -
Lost Creek Cave 5 73.0% - - -
New Mammoth Cave 5 83.0% 80.0% 100.0% -
Red Bud Cave 5 90.0% 100.0% - -
Rice Cave 5 54.0% 83.0% - -
White Oak Blowhole 5 92.5% 97.0% 100.0% -
Alexander Cave 4 +1,238.6% - - -
Bridgewater Cave 4 69.0% +83.0% - -
Coleman Cave 4 77.0% +100.0% 100.0% -
Cornstarch Cave 4 35.5% 75.8% - -
Dunbar Cave 4 34.7% - - -
Eve's Cave 4 61.4% - - -
Grindstaff Cave 4 92.9% - 100.0% 77.8%
Indian Cave 4 40.5% - - -
Jaybird Cave 4 56.2% 93.7% 100.0% +100.0%
Measles Gulf Cave 4 +58.0% - - +133.0%
Oaks Cave 4 85.0% - - -
Rose Cave 4 - 99.0% - -
Tobaccoport SLP Cave 4 70.0% - - -
Percentages designated with + have observed increases when comparing 2010 observations to 2016 observations. All other percentages represent declines at respective sites.
11
Camps Gulf Cave Camps Gulf Cave site has been visited each year since 2009-2010. This site was deemed WNS suspect in 2010 and confirmed through histology in 2013. It is a highly diverse winter site as 7 species have been documented in the cave this time. Interestingly, single observations of L.
noctivagans have been made during the past two winters. The number of P. subflavus and M.
lucifugus has declined significantly, 95.2% and 99.0% respectively (Appendix H-1). The maximum number of observation recorded for P. subflavus was 555 in 2013 and 102 for M.
lucifugus in 2010. Observations have declined significantly as only 8 P. subflavus and 1. M.
lucifugus were observed in 2016.
Marble Bluff Cave This site has also been visited annually since the winter of 2009-2010. Although a maximum of 4 species have been observed at this site, it is predominately viewed as a P. subflavus winter site.
Observations of P. subflavus peaked at 356 in 2015, but drastically declined in 2016 to 42 (Appendix H-2). Overall the decline of this species at this site is 54.3%.
Cooper Creek Cave Visited 6 times since the implementation of winter WNS surveys, Cooper Creek Cave was once a diverse winter bat site. Six different species of bat have been observed in the cave during the winter, including one observation of L. noctivagans. Numbers of E. fuscus, M. lucifugus, M.
septentrionalis, and P. subflavus have declined substantially since 2011, the year the highest number of observations was recorded for each species (Appendix H-3). Recorded declines for species observed are as follows; P. subflavus - 98.0%, M. lucifugus - 99.2%, M. septentrionalis
- 100%, and E. fuscus - 82.0%. M. septentrionalis has not been observed at this site since 2012.
An optimistic, noteworthy observation was made in 2016. A banded male M. lucifugus was recorded during the visit. The band (TNC154) was originally placed on the bat during the winter of 2012 and was observed with field signs typical of WNS. During the 2016 visit, this M.
lucifugus was not observed with field signs typical of WNS, appearing clean and healthy. This observation indicates some bats have the ability to overcome the negative impacts of WNS, as this bat has survived at least four years after initially being observed with WNS.
Great Expectations Cave Another highly diverse winter site, 8 species of bat have been observed during the six years surveys have been performed. A single M. austroriparius was observed during the 2015 survey.
The majority of bats observed at Great Expectations Cave are P. subflavus, whose numbers peaked at 529 in 2013, and C. rafinesquii, the numbers of which also peaked in 2013 at 485.
Because no observations were recorded in 2016, trends for C. rafinesquii were not assessed (Appendix H-4). Since 2013, numbers of P. subflavus have declined; however, when comparing 2016 numbers to those recorded in 2010, this species has increased by 50% and are likely the result of the inclusion of a room not surveyed during previous years. Despite this increase, observations of P subflavus declined to a low of 68 in 2015. It is likely WNS is having impacts 12
to wintering P. subflavus at this site, but the chaotic observations between years make it difficult to determine how significant impacts might be.
Morrell/Worleys Cave WNS was confirmed at this site during the winter of 2009-2010 and monitoring has been performed in six of the 7 years surveys have taken place. Five species of bat have been observed at this site during this same time, but this cave is predominately used by P. subflavus (Appendix H-5). Numbers of other species were too low to infer any trends since WNS invasion. Although any decline of bats is alarming given the state of WNS, P. subflavus has only declined at this site 74%, not reaching the 90-100% mortality rates observed at sites within the species range having similar or longer periods of WNS presence.
Norris Dam Cave Only four species have been observed at this site across six surveys. It is predominately a P.
subflavus winter site, but small numbers of E. fuscus and M. lucifugus have been observed throughout the years. Observations of P. subflavus peaked in 2015, but were greatly reduced in 2016, 41 (Appendix H-6). When comparing 2016 numbers to those observed in 2010, it appears P. subflavus has declined 2%, but further monitoring of Norris Dam Cave will need to continue to determine what impacts WNS may be having on this species.
Whiteside Cave With the development of the WNS surveillance plan for Tennessee (Lamb and Wyckoff 2010),
Whiteside Cave was highlighted as a site where long-term monitoring would occur and banding of bats would be implemented to assess survivorship and mortality associated with WNS.
Whiteside cave has been visited 6 times since 2009-2010 and banding of P. subflavus took place during 4 of these visits. Attempts were made during each visit to band all bats observed and reachable, but personnel availability, equipment, and time impacted the number of bats banded.
P. subflavus observations peaked in 2014 at 1,342, one year following the confirmation of WNS, and declined to a low of 42 individuals in 2016 (Appendix H-7). A once common species, P.
subflavus at Whiteside cave have declined 91% since 2010.
Two-hundred forty-three P. subflavus have been banded at this site since 2010. Eighteen individuals (7.4%) have been recaptured at the site during this same span, and only one P.
subflavus has been recaptured twice. Of all individuals recovered, 72.2% were banded prior to the confirmation of WNS at Whiteside Cave and one individual (AAFB TN 4567) was recaptured 5 years after being given a band. Although the recovery is lower than preferred, these recoveries indicate some P. subflavus are surviving multiple years despite the presence of WNS at this site.
Grindstaff Cave Although this site has only been monitored four of the seven years it has occurred at these levels, it was included here because it was one of the first sites where WNS was documented. Four 13
species have been documented at this site since 2010 and large declines have been observed for each (Appendix H-8). It is likely M. lucifugus and M. septentrionalis have declined 100%, but it is difficult to assess trends for these species given observations are restricted single visits. No observations were made for these species in 2016. E. fuscus appears to have declined at this site by 78%, but the lack of observations throughout the years decreases confidence with this trend.
P. subflavus observations at Grindstaff Cave peaked in 2011 at 85 and the overall decline for this species at this site is 92.5%. These declines for these species are similar to those observed in other portions of the species range.
Conclusions With each year of survey effort, the impact of WNS to winter bats in Tennessee becomes clearer.
During the past two years, large declines of M. lucifugus, M. septentrionalis, and P. subflavus have been made, and these declines are even more apparent when assessing WNS impacts at individual winter sites. Unfortunately, the declines are magnified by the increased effort it now takes researchers, biologists and consultants to captures these species on the landscape during summer months. Despite the widespread declines being observed at many winter sites, there are winter bat populations stable or trending upward at some sites. Biologists are cautiously optimistic populations at these sites will maintain as such given similar increases have been observed at sites prior to declines..
Banding at selected sites has indicated some bats do have the ability to survive WNS post invasion and can survive for multiple years following individual infection. However, it should be noted the number of confirmed survivors only constitutes a very small portion of historic populations at these sites. Having only a few survivors will increase the difficulty of recovery efforts over the next decade.
14
Literature Cited 2015. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status for the Northern Long-eared Bat with 4(d) Rule; Final Rule and Interim Rule. 63 Federal Register 80 (2 April 2015), pp. 17974-18033.
Bernard, R.F., J.T. Foster, E.V. Willcox, K.L. Parise, and G.F. McCracken. 2015. Molecular detection of the causative agent of White-nose Syndrome on Rafinesques big-eared bats (Corynorhinus rafinesquii) and two species of migratory bats in the southeastern USA. J.
Wildlife Diseases, 51(2): 519-522.
Blehert, D.S., A.C. Hicks, M.J. Behr, C.U. Meteyer, B.M. Berlowski-Zier, E.L. Buckles, J.
Coleman T.H., S.R. Darling, A. Gargas, R. Niver, J.C. Okoniewski, R.J. Rudd, and W.B.
Stone. 2009. Bat White-nose Syndrome: an emerging fungal pathogen? Science, 323:227.
Davis, W.H. and H.B. Hitchcock. 1965. Biology and migration of the bat, Myotis lucifugus, in New England. J. Mammalogy, 46(2):296-313.
Erdle, S.Y. and C.S. Hobson. 2001. Current status and conservation for the eastern small-footed myotis (Myotis leibii). Natural Heritage Technical Report #00-19. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 17 pp +
appendices.
Flock, B. 2014. 2014 Bat population monitoring and White-nose Syndrome surveillance. Tech.
no. 14-07. Nashville: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, 2014. Print.
Frick, W.F., J. F. Pollock, A. C. Hicks, K. E. Langwig, D. S. Reynolds, G. G. Turner, C. M.
Butchkoski, and T. H. Kunz. 2010. An emerging disease causes regional population collapse of a common North American bat species. Science, 329:679-682.
Holliday, C. 2012. 2012 White-nose Syndrome disease surveillance and bat population monitoring report.
Kunz, T.H. and J.D. Reichard. 2010. Status review of the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and determination that immediate listing under the Endangered Species Act is scientifically and legally warranted. Boston University, Boston, MA.
Lamb, J.W. and G.R. Wyckoff, Eds. 2010. Cooperative White-nose Syndrome monitoring and surveillance plan for Tennessee.
Lanwig, K. E., W. F. Frick, J. T. Bried, A. C Hicks, T. H Kunz, and A. M. Kilpatrick. 2012.
Sociality, density-dependence and microclimates determine the persistence of populations suffering from a novel fungal disease, white-nose syndrome. Ecology Letters, 15:1050-1057.
15
Neubaum, D.J., T.J. OShea, and K.R. Wilson. 2006. Autumn migration and selection of rock crevices as hibernacula by big brown bats in Colorado. J. Mammalogy, 87(3):470-479.
Samoray, S. 2011. 2011 White-nose Syndrome monitoring and bat population survey of the hibernacula in Tennessee.
The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee. n.d. Tennessee Caves. 11 August 2016.
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/tennessee/placeswe protect/tennessee-caves.xml Thogmartin, W.E., R. A. King, P. C. McKann, J. A. Szymanski, and L. Pruitt. 2012.
Population-level impact of white-nose syndrome on the endangered Indiana bat. J.
Mammalogy, 93(4):1086-1098.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2015. Northern long-eared bat. 12 August 2016.
https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/nleb/pdf/NLEBFactSheet01April2015
.pdf Whitaker Jr., J.O. and S.L. Gummer. 2000. Population structure and dynamics of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) hibernating in buildings. A. Midland Naturalist. 143(2):389-396.
16
Appendix A Maps detailing the annual progression of WNS through Tennessee since 2009-2010.
A-1
Appendix A-1. WNS confirmations during the winter of 2009-2010.
A-2
Appendix A-2. WNS confirmations during the winter of 2010-2011.
A-3
Appendix A-3. WNS confirmations during the winter of 2011-2012.
A-4
Appendix A-4. WNS confirmations during the winter of 2012-2013.
A-5
Appendix A-5. WNS confirmations during the winter of 2013-2014.
A-6
Appendix A-6. WNS confirmations during the winter of 2014-2015.
A-7
Appendix A-7. All WNS confirmed or suspect counties in Tennessee through the 2015-2016 field season.
A-8
Appendix B A list of all WNS confirmed, suspect, or negative counties in Tennessee B-1
Diagnostic Report Species Cave Name or Structure County Year WNS Status Number PESUS, NWHC-22984 Camps Gulf Cave Van Buren 2010 Suspect MYSO1,N Dunbar Cave Montgomery 2010 Suspect MYSES NWHC Event 15950 S
East Fork SLP Cave Fentress 2010 Suspect MYLU, MYSE NWHC Event 15979 C C Grindstaff Cave Carter 2010 Confirmed MYSE , PESU NWHC N
Hubbards Cave Warren 2010 Negative MYGR NWHC White Oak Blowhole Blount 2010 Suspect N/A N/A Worleys Cave Sullivan 2010 Confirmed MYSE, PESU NWHC Event 15948 Bellamy Cave Montgomery 2011 Negative MYGRN NWHC-23532 Camps Gulf Cave Van Buren 2011 Suspect PESUS NWHC-23481 C
MYLU ,
Cooper Creek Cave Montgomery 2011 Confirmed NWHC-23444 MYSEC, PESUC East Fork SLP Cave Fentress 2011 Suspect MYLUS NWHC-23482 2
Under a House Polk 2011 Negative MYGR SCWDS CC11-188 N
White Oak Blowhole Blount 2011 Suspect MYLU NWHC-23466 Austin Peay State University Montgomery 2012 Suspect MYLUS SCWDS CC12-235 SCWDS WNS12-54, Bellamy Cave Montgomery 2012 Confirmed MYGR, PESUC WNS12-55 Bull Cave Blount 2012 Negative PESUN SCWDS WNS12-50 Camps Gulf Cave Van Buren 2012 Confirmed N/A N/A Cantwell Valley Cave Hancock 2012 Confirmed N/A N/A 1
Tapelift sample taken and the bat was not euthanized; 2Bat submitted was found dead at site; CWNS confirmed; SWNS suspect; NWNS Negative SW Only a swab sample was taken from the bat tested and was not euthanized; N/AReport not available.
B-1
Diagnostic Report Species Cave Name or Structure County Year WNS Status Number Carlton Cave Franklin 2012 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS12-56 Fort Campbell Nerd Hole Stewart 2012 Confirmed PESUC NWHC-23846 C
Grassy Cove SLP Cave Cumberland 2012 Confirmed MYLU SCWDS WNS12-064 A-B N
Gregory Cave Blount 2012 Negative PESU SCWDS WNS12-50 Hubbards Cave Warren 2012 Negative MYGRN SCWDS WNS12-067 PESUN, Hurricane Creek Cave Humphreys 2012 Negative NWHC-23848 MYSON Lookout Mtn. Battlefield Pit #1 Hamilton 2012 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS12-86 MYGRN,SW, SCWDS WNS12-41, Lost Creek Cave White 2012 Negative MYLUN, SW, WNS12-42, WNS12-43 PESUN,SW New Mammoth Cave Campbell 2012 Negative MYLUN SCWDS WNS12-068 Pearsons Cave Hawkins 2012 Confirmed MYGRC SCWDS WNS12-70 N
Rainbow Cave Blount 2012 Negative PESU SCWDS WNS12-50 C
Upstream Cave Hancock 2012 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS12-072 MYLUC, SCWDS WNS12-061, White Oak Blowhole Blount 2012 Confirmed PESUC WNS12-062 Afton Cave Greene 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-72 A-C Big Mouth Cave Grundy 2013 Confirmed MYLUC SCWDS WNS13-56 1
Tapelift sample taken and the bat was not euthanized; 2Bat submitted was found dead at site; CWNS confirmed; SWNS suspect; NWNS Negative SW Only a swab sample was taken from the bat tested and was not euthanized; N/AReport not available.
B-2
Diagnostic Report Species Cave Name or Structure County Year WNS Status Number MYLUC, SCWDS WNS13-38, Blowing Cave Hickman 2013 Confirmed MYSEC, PESUC WNS13-39, WNS13-40 Buggytop Cave Franklin 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-103 MYLUC SCWDS WNS13-74 A-B Buis SLP Cave Claiborne 2013 Confirmed MYLUC, SCWDS WNS13-10, Cornstarch Cave Fentress 2013 Confirmed PESUC WNS13-11 MYLUC, SCWDS WNS13-46, Depriest Branch Cave Lewis 2013 Confirmed MYSEC, PESUC WNS13-47, WNS48 SCWDS WNS13-98, Dunbar Cave Montgomery 2013 Confirmed PESUC WNS13-101 East Fork SLP Cave Fentress 2013 Confirmed MYLUC SCWDS WNS13-12 C
Espey Cave Cannon 2013 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS13-95 Eve's cave Meigs 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-76 Gunter's Cave Cannon 2013 Negative PESUN SCWDS WNS13-91 C
MYLU , SCWDS WNS13-70 A-B, Herd O' Coons Cave Union 2013 Confirmed PESUC WNS13-71 Hubbards Cave Warren 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-13 C
Hunt Cave Dickson 2013 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS13-49 A-C C
Jaybird Cave Perry 2013 Confirmed MYLU SCWDS WNS13-44 Knob Creek Cave Lawrence 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-54 1
Tapelift sample taken and the bat was not euthanized; 2Bat submitted was found dead at site; CWNS confirmed; SWNS suspect; NWNS Negative SW Only a swab sample was taken from the bat tested and was not euthanized; N/AReport not available.
B-3
Diagnostic Report Species Cave Name or Structure County Year WNS Status Number Lost Creek Cave White 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-53 A-B MYSEC, SCWDS WNS13-25 A-B, New Mammoth Cave Campbell 2013 Confirmed MYLUC WNS13-26 North Spivey Cave Jackson 2013 Confirmed MYLUC SCWDS WNS13-94 C
Private Residence Sequatchie 2013 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS13-99 2,N Pearsons Cave Hawkins 2013 Confirmed MYGR SCWDS WNS13-45 Richardson Cave Houston 2013 Confirmed MYLUC SCWDS WNS13-02 MYLUS SCWDS WNS13-14 Rose Cave White 2013 Suspect Sour Kraut Cave Claiborne 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-75 C
Three Forks Cave Overton 2013 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS13-90 C
Trussell Cave Grundy 2013 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS13-55 A-C Trussell Downstream Cave Grundy 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-55 A-C Virgin Falls Cave White 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-50 C
Welch-Blowing Cave Putnam 2013 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS13-64 Whiteside Cave Marion 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-63 Wolf River Cave Fentress 2013 Confirmed MYLUC SCWDS WNS13-9 Zarathustrus Cave Fentress 2013 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS13-27 Aunt Beck Simmons Cave Macon 2014 Confirmed N/A N/A Biffle Cave Wayne 2014 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS14-10 A-C 1
Tapelift sample taken and the bat was not euthanized; 2Bat submitted was found dead at site; CWNS confirmed; SWNS suspect; NWNS Negative SW Only a swab sample was taken from the bat tested and was not euthanized; N/AReport not available.
B-4
Diagnostic Report Species Cave Name or Structure County Year WNS Status Number PESUC, SCWDS WNS14-32, Big Jordan Cave Pickett 2014 Confirmed MYLUC WNS14-33 Bridgewater Cave Smith 2014 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS14-20 A-B C
Cave Creek Cave Roane 2014 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS14-31 A-B C
PESU , SCWDS WNS14-29, Corner Store Cave Hamblen 2014 Confirmed MYLUC WNS 14-30 Cripps Mill Cave Dekalb 2014 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS14-9 SCWDS WNS14-13, Dunbar Cave area Montgomery 2014 Confirmed PESUC WNS14-14, WNS14-16, WNS14-16 Gee Cave Polk 2014 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS14-53 Hubbards Cave Warren 2014 Confirmed MYGR2,N SCWDS WNS14-7 Hurricane Creek Cave Humphreys 2014 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS WNS14-12 SCWDS WNS14-128, Indian Cave Grainger 2014 Confirmed PESUC WNS14-129 SCWDS WNS14-130, Leonard Cave Clay 2014 Confirmed PESUC WNS14-131, WNS14-132 Mason Cave Sumner 2014 Suspect PESUS SCWDS WNS14-52 A-B C
Rummage Cave Maury 2014 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS14-11 A-C C
Springhill SLP Cave Anderson 2014 Confirmed MYLU SCWDS WNS14-8 A C
Ward Cave Bedford 2014 Confirmed PESU SCWDS WNS14-51 A-C 1
Tapelift sample taken and the bat was not euthanized; 2Bat submitted was found dead at site; CWNS confirmed; SWNS suspect; NWNS Negative SW Only a swab sample was taken from the bat tested and was not euthanized; N/AReport not available.
B-5
Diagnostic Report Species Cave Name or Structure County Year WNS Status Number Crumpton Creek SLP Cave Coffee 2015 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS CC15-124 Field Signs Observed, UV Hardin's Junkyard Cave Davidson 2015 Suspect MYLUS positive, Photos Taken Magnussen Cave Giles 2015 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS CC15-26 Field Signs Observed, UV Mason Cave Sumner 2015 Suspect N/A positive Petty Cave Marshall 2015 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS CC15-123 A-C N
Silvertooth Cave Moore 2015 Negative PESU SCWDS CC15-125 Stark Cave Robertson 2015 Confirmed PESUC SCWDS CC15-127 Civil War Bunker Tipton 2016 Negative EPFUN, PESUN SCWDS 16-92 A-B 1
Tapelift sample taken and the bat was not euthanized; 2Bat submitted was found dead at site; CWNS confirmed; SWNS suspect; NWNS Negative SW Only a swab sample was taken from the bat tested and was not euthanized; N/AReport not available.
B-6
Appendix C 2014-2015 Winter Survey Results C-1
Total County Survey Date Cave Name CORA EPFU LANO MYAU MYGR MYLE MYLU MYSE MYSO Mysp PESU Surveyors Bats Blount 02/11/15 Gregorys Cave 0 0 0 0 33 33 NPS Blount 02/20/15 Kelly Ridge Cave 67 1 16 188 17 289 NPS Blount 02/19/15 Scott Gap Cave 3 0 3 0 18 24 NPS Blount 02/12/15 Whiteoak Blowhole Cave 0 0 20 1,117 18 1,155 NPS Blount 02/19/15 WhiteOak Saltpeter Cave 0 0 0 0 6 6 NPS Campbell 01/21/15 New Mammoth Cave 4 1 3 64 76 13 161 TNC, TWRA Campbell 01/21/15 Norris Dam Cave 4 1 176 181 TVA Crumpton Creek Coffee 03/20/15 2 7 5 14 TNC, TWRA, TVA Saltpeter Cave Cumberland 03/02/15 Grassy Cove Saltpeter 3 42 2 7 54 TWRA, UTK Cumberland 01/09/15 Lost Waterfall 0 TWRA, TNC Cumberland 01/09/15 Oscar Pit 2 2 TWRA, TNC Cumberland 01/30/15 Run to the Mill Cave 1 1 18 18 38 TNC, TWRA Cumberland 01/09/15 Spouting Dome 2 2 2 6 TWRA, TNC Davidson 01/29/15 Hardins Junkyard Cave 7 36 43 TNC Dekalb 02/05/15 Cripps Mill Cave 6 21 8 263 298 TNC Fentress 01/23/15 Cornstarch Cave 123 1 13 20 157 TNC, TWRA Fentress 02/11/15 Dragons Breath Cave 103 40 123 266 TNC, TWRA Fentress 01/14/15 East Fork Saltpeter Cave 1 6 32 210 49 298 TNC, TWRA Fentress 01/23/15 Little Jack Creek Cave 29 3 1 8 3 44 TNC, TWRA Fentress 03/14/15 Mountain Eye System 18 3 92 2 13 128 TNC, TWRA Fentress 01/23/15 Redbud Cave 1 6 7 TNC, TWRA Fentress 03/14/15 Smoking Slope? 0 TWRA Fentress 01/20/15 Wolf River Cave 1 7 796 3 1,351 84 2,242 TNC, TWRA, USFWS Fentress 02/09/15 Ygdrasils Cave 1 39 7 47 TWRA, UTK Fentress 02/09/15 Zarathustras Cave 1 6 18 25 50 TWRA, UTK Franklin 03/31/15 Above Signature Cave 0 TWRA, COHD Franklin 03/31/15 Siganture Cave 1 1 14 16 TWRA, COHD Giles 03/24/15 Magnusson Cave 29 29 TNC Grundy 03/12/15 Trussell Cave 2 16 25 43 TNC, TWRA Hawkins 01/22/15 Pearsons Cave 5 431,020 431,025 TNC, TWRA Jackson 03/06/15 North Spivey Cave 6 31 37 TNC C-2
Total County Survey Date Cave Name CORA EPFU LANO MYAU MYGR MYLE MYLU MYSE MYSO Mysp PESU Surveyors Bats Lewis 02/04/15 Depriest Branch Cave 8 34 42 TNC, TWRA Marion 03/11/15 Whiteside Cave 138 138 TNC, TVA Marshall 03/17/15 Petty Cave 118 118 TNC Meigs 01/28/15 Blythe Ferry Cave 10 10 TVA Meigs 01/28/15 Eves Cave 2 22 24 TVA Meigs 03/12/15 Sensabaugh Cave 7 2 9 TVA Montgomery 01/28/15 Bellamy Cave 11 381,475 1 11 381,498 TNC, TWRA Montgomery 01/28/15 Cooper Creek Cave 6 6 12 TDEC, TNC, TWRA Moore 03/16/15 Silvertooth Cave 4 56 60 TNC, TWRA Overton 01/16/15 Xana 2 Cave 257 2 3 1 1 265 TNC Perry 02/03/15 Jaybird Cave 2 12 8 134 156 TNC Perry 02/03/15 Alexander Cave 1 3 3 4 174 185 TNC Pickett 01/20/15 Big Jordan Cave 2 3 6 29 13 53 TNC, TWRA, USFWS Roane 01/27/15 Marble Bluff Cave 356 356 TVA Robertson 03/18/15 Stark Cave 4 137 141 TNC Tobaccoport Saltpeter Stewart 02/02/15 15 35 35 160 13 258 TNC, TWRA Cave Sumner 03/08/15 Mason Cave 6 1 1 204 212 TNC Bluff-side Powder Tipton 03/04/15 1 7 4 12 TWRA Magazine Van buren 02/25/15 Camps Gulf Cave 5 1 10 1 10 27 TDEC, TWRA, UTK Van buren 02/25/15 Case Brothers Cave E1 3 3 TDEC, TWRA, UTK Van buren 02/25/15 Case Brothers Cave E2 2 1 3 TDEC, TWRA, UTK Van Buren 01/29/15 Rice Cave 1 76 77 TNC, USFWS Warren 01/15/15 Hubbards Cave 210,577 78 4 247,070 AAFB, TNC, TWRA Wayne 02/04/15 Biffle Cave 2 12 1 12 333 360 TNC Great Expectations Cave White 02/12/15 282 3 1 7 46 68 407 TNC, TWRA Total White 02/12/15 Lost Creek Cave 1 6 29 53 89 TNC, TWRA White 01/26/15 Rose Cave 2 1,448 3 105 81 1,639 TNC, UTK C-3
Appendix D 2014-2015 Diagnostic Services Reports D-1
D-2 D-3 D-4 D-5 D-6 D-7 D-8 D-9 D-10 D-11 D-12 D-13 Appendix E 2015-2016 Winter Survey Results E-1
Total County Survey Date Cave Name CORA EPFU LANO MYAU MYGR MYLE MYLU MYSE MYSO Mysp PESU Surveyors Bats Anderson 2/23/2016 Springhill Saltpeter Cave 24 5 1 30 TNC, TWRA Bedford 2/11/2016 Ward 6 1 96 103 TNC, TWRA Blount 2/18/2016 Snake Dance (Bull) 2 14 16 NPS Rich Mountain Blowhole Blount 2/18/2016 1 1 NPS Cave Blount 2/11/2016 Rainbow Cave 3 21 24 NPS Blount 2/13/2016 Bull Cave 3 140 17 160 NPS Campbell 2/4/2016 Panther Cave A 1 1 TWRA, UTK Campbell 1/29/2016 Norris Dam Cave 1 41 42 TVA Cannon 3/4/2016 Pea Ridge Cave 2 2 TWRA Cannon 2/11/2016 Cane Sink Cave 3 3 TWRA Carter 3/14/2016 Grindstaff Cave 2 4 5 TWRA, UTK Fentress 3/8/2016 Xanadu Cave 15 2 46 63 TWRA Fentress 2/8/2016 Coriolis Cave 23 23 TNC, TWRA Franklin 2/17/2015 Williams Saltpeter 1 1 TWRA Franklin 2/4/2016 Signature Cave 1 1 12 26 40 TWRA Franklin 2/24/2016 Pennington 3 3 TWRA, TVA Franklin 1/19/2016 Lost Cove Cave 2 3 1 1 85 92 AAFB, TWRA Franklin 1/28/2016 Keith Cave 12 12 TNC, TWRA Franklin 2/5/2016 Holy Moly Canyon 2 2 TWRA, UTK Franklin 2/5/2016 Goats Bluff 5000 11 11 TWRA, UTK Franklin 2/5/2016 Cave 4998 1 1 TWRA, UTK Franklin 3/3/2016 Carlton Cave 39 39 TWRA Franklin 3/10/2016 Caney Hollow Cave 2 32,400 10 32,412 AAFB, TWRA Greene 2/24/2016 Stillhouse Cave 7 26 17 50 TNC, TWRA Greene 2/24/2016 Poplar Cave 9 1 10 20 TNC, TWRA Greene 2/24/2016 Double Mouth Cave 1 2 3 TNC, TWRA Grundy 2/15/2016 Trussell Cave 1 17 35 53 TWRA Hickman 3/9/2016 Sugar Creek Cave 7 20 27 TNC, TWRA Knox 2/22/2016 Tag's Finest Pit 3 3 TWRA, USFWS Lawrence 2/26/2016 Knob Creek Cave 18 1 41 60 TNC, TWRA Lincoln 2/21/2016 Lincoln Co. Bat Cave 8 8 TWRA E-2
Total County Survey Date Cave Name CORA EPFU LANO MYAU MYGR MYLE MYLU MYSE MYSO Mysp PESU Surveyors Bats Macon 1/26/2016 Aunt Beck Simmins Cave 13 1 9 693 716 TNC, TWRA Marion 2/23/2016 Whiteside Cave 47 47 AAFB, TWRA, USFWS Meigs 2/11/2016 Eves Cave 2 22 24 TVA Meigs 2/11/2016 Blythe Ferry 16 16 TVA Montgomery 2/24/2016 Dunbar Cave 1 49 50 TDEC, TWRA, FORT Montgomery 2/25/2016 Cooper Creek Cave 3 1 5 9 TWRA, TVA Overton 2/24/2016 Standing Stone Dam 0 TWRA Pickett 1/14/2016 Bunkum Cave 1 5 51 57 TWRA Putnam 2/4/2016 WelchBowling Cave 1 8 9 TNC, TWRA Putnam 2/4/2016 Johnson Cave 3 3 1 18 25 TNC, TWRA Putnam 2/3/2016 Bay's Cave 3 3 TWRA, USFWS Putnam 3/2/2016 Ament Cave 31 21 52 TWRA, USFWS Roane 1/28/2016 Marble Bluff Cave 42 42 TVA Robertson 2/1/2016 Whiskey River Cave 2 61 63 TNC, TWRA Herron Cave / Herring Rutherford 2/2/2016 1 71 72 TNC, TWRA Cave Sevier 3/9/2016 Unknown 5 5 TWRA, UTK Smith 1/25/2016 Piper Cave 3 20 23 TNC, TWRA Smith 1/25/2016 New Piper 16 16 TNC, TWRA Smith 1/25/2016 Bridgewater Cave 11 5 16 TNC, TWRA Sullivan 3/14/2016 Worley's/Morrel Cave 11 11 TWRA, UTK Sumner 1/26/2016 Mason 4 1 55 60 TNC, TWRA Union 2/23/2016 Wright 2 3 7 12 TNC, TWRA Union 2/4/2016 Unknown 1 4 5 TWRA, UTK Union 3/15/2016 Tickett Boot Cave 1 1 TWRA, UTK Union 3/15/2016 Oaks Cave 200+ 1 9 210 TWRA, UTK Union 2/4/2016 Lost Creek Cave 2 2 TWRA, UTK Union 2/3/2016 Herd O Coons Cave 1 12 1 1 14 29 TWRA, UTK Van Buren 12/28/2015 The Big Wet Spot 0 TWRA Van Buren 1/28/2016 Run to Big Sink Cave 7 7 TWRA Van Buren 1/27/2016 Measles Gulf Cave 164 7 19 190 TNC, TWRA E-3
Total County Survey Date Cave Name CORA EPFU LANO MYAU MYGR MYLE MYLU MYSE MYSO Mysp PESU Surveyors Bats Van Buren 2/3/2016 Foxhole Cave 3 1 2 3 8 17 TWRA, USFWS Van Buren 3/3/2016 Camps Gulf Cave 3 1 1 12 1 8 26 TDEC, TWRA, USFWS Van Buren 3/3/2016 Camps Gulf CaveNR2 9 9 TDEC, TWRA, USFWS Van Buren 2/16/2016 Bone Cave 5 15 2 22 44 TNC, TWRA Van Buren 2/16/2016 Big Bone Cave 5 15 2 22 44 TDEC, TNC, TWRA Van Buren 2/16/2016 Near Big Bone Cave 27 27 TDEC Warren 2/16/2016 Little Bat Cave 64 2 68 TNC, TWRA Warren 2/29/2016 Jaco Sping Cave 2 19 1 44 66 TNC, TWRA Warren 2/29/2016 Hazel Ward Cave 42 42 TNC, TWRA White 2/5/2016 Virgin Falls Cave 11 11 TWRA, USFWS White 3/10/2016 Top of Davis Cave 65 65 TWRA White 3/10/2016 Sapp Cave 2 2 TWRA White 3/10/2016 Retriever Well 1 1 TWRA White 3/10/2016 Muddy Dog Well 0 TWRA White 1/5/2016 Mill Hole Cave 12 12 TWRA, UTK White 2/14/2016 Lockwood Cave 35 35 TWRA, UTK White 3/10/2016 Little Canine 1 1 TWRA White 1/27/2016 Indian Cave 3 25 28 TNC, TWRA White 1/7/2016 Great Big Bottom Cave 18 18 TWRA White 1/11/2016 Ghost River 9 9 TWRA White 1/15/2016 Gastens Moonshine Cave 2 5 7 TWRA White 3/10/2016 Davis Cave 1 3 4 TWRA White 3/10/2016 Big Dog Cave 5 5 TWRA E-4
Appendix F 2015-2016 Diagnostic Services Report F-1
F-2 F-3 F-4 Appendix G Trend Analysis by Species Across All Survey Years3 3
It should be noted, trends for species observations across all survey years should consider the effects of survey effort annually and across all years, differences in census techniques, the caves selected for monitoring each year, the discovery of sites dominated by single species not previously surveyed, species roost preferences, etc., all of which impact the number of observations made annually.
G-1
Appendix G - 1. Survey Totals by Year for Corynorhinus rafinesquii Corynorhinus rafinesquii 1000 800 600 400 200 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Appendix G - 2. Survey Totals by Year for Eptesicus fuscus.
Eptesicus fuscus 200 150 100 50 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 G-2
Appendix G - 3. Survey Totals by Year for Myotis leibii.
Myotis leibii 14 12 10 8
6 4
2 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Appendix G - 4. Survey Totals by Year for Myotis septentrionalis.
Myotis septentrionalis 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 G-3
Appendix G - 5. Total Survey Numbers by Year for Myotis lucifugus.
Myotis lucifugus 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Appendix G - 6. Total Survey Numbers by year for Perimyotis subflavus.
Perimyotis subflavus 16000 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 4000 2000 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 G-4
Appendix H Trend Analysis of Species at Selected Sites Across All Survey Years H-1
Appendix H - 1. Winter Population Trends at Camps Gulf Cave Camps Gulf Cave 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 PESU MYLU Appendix H - 2. Winter Population Trends at Marble Bluff Cave Marble Bluff Cave 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 PESU H-2
Appendix H - 3. Winter Population Trends at Cooper Creek Cave Cooper Creek Cave 250 200 150 100 50 0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 PESU MYLU MYSE EPFU Appendix H - 4. Winter Population Trends at Great Expectations Cave Great Expectations Cave 600 500 400 300 200 100 0
2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 PESU H-3
Appendix H - 5. Winter Population Trends at Morrell/Worleys Cave Morrell/Worley's Cave 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 PESU Appendix H - 6. Winter Population Trends at Norris Dam Cave Norris Dam Cave 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 PESU H-4
Appendix H - 7. Winter Population Trends at Whiteside Cave Whiteside Cave 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 PESU Appendix H - 8. Winter Population Trends at Grindstaff Cave Grindstaff Cave 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
2010 2011 2012 2016 PESU MYLU MYSE EPFU H-5