Wind Project Siting & Environ. Compliance 2018

POSTER: Establishing the Chariton Hills Conservation Bank: Ecological Perspectives On Preservation, Restoration, and Management of Indiana Bat Habitat

20 Mar 18
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Tracks: Poster Presentation

Speaker(s): Mark Tucker, Mitigation Bank Design And Entitlement Lead, Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co, Inc.

Burns & McDonnell is establishing the Chariton Hills Conservation Bank (CHCB) to protect and manage over 1,300 acres of summer maternity habitat for Indiana and northern long-eared bats in northeastern Missouri. We selected CHCB sites using conservation biology principles to maximize value and acquired high quality existing summer maternity habitat contiguous with State of Missouri Conservation Areas. Site-specific analyses included historical record searches to confirm past occurrences and detailed habitat assessments demonstrated the sites met or exceeded established habitat evaluation parameters. Focused surveys documented both species, including pregnant females. We present and differentiate our interim and long-term management strategies. Interim actions establish a stable long-term management baseline to support the actions required to maintain the structural and other habitat attributes of Indiana and northern long-eared bat summer roosting, foraging, and maternity habitat.