Bat Inventory Course - Mistnet Capture - POSTPONED

Please check here for updates as they become available.

Location: Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Lillooet Campus

Cost: $2185 CAD

*Please note: This course has a high instructor to student ratio (1:3)

 If you have any questions or trouble registering, please email hgates@wcs.org  

Dates: 17-22 July, 2020
 

Topics Include: 

6 nights mistnetting of bats (weather-dependent) 
6 days classroom

Species that have been captured in this area in previous inventories:

Spotted bat
Western small-footed myotis
Fringed myotis
Long-eared myotis
Big brown bat
Little brown myotis
Yuma myotis
California myotis
Hoary bat
Silver-haired bat
Long-legged myotis
Townsend's big-eared bat

Classroom Topics 

Principles of species identification 

Key = bats of BC 

Capture basics 
  -principles of capture
  -placement of traps
  -net handling
  -bat removal techniques

Mistnetting essentials 
  -species-specific placements and configurations
  -species-specific strategies - temporal and spatial
  -effective configurations
  -weather considerations
  -seasonal considerations
  -custom set-ups (e.g. water, trail, trees, prairie, and rock net-sets, including use of quad nets)
  -types of nets
  -net repair

Processing Essentials 
  -measurements (FA, ear, leg, thumb)
  -reproductive status
  -DNA sampling - swabs and biopsies
  -e-gap (adults vs juveniles)
  -ectoparasites
  -toothclass
  -banding
  -transmitter attachment
  -acoustics
  -UV light for Pd

WNS protocol - decontamination and surveillance techniques 

Basic Bat Biology and Ecology 
  -foraging habitats and behaviours
  -roosting habitats and behaviours
  -reproductive stages
  -influence of sexes
  -torpor/thermoregulation
  -roost selection
  -echolocation

We will cover the updated (2020) Provincial Resources Information Standards Committee (RISC) protocols for BC

Acoustic reference calling of bats 

Case study:  conducting a bat inventory 

Q and A, and FAQ 

Overview of bat detectors, with hands-on at net sites (including reference calling). 

Other inventory methods  
 

  -an overview of radiotelemetry
  -harp traps
  -acoustic monitoring

Tentative Schedule (subject to change)

Day 1:
    -9:00 am to 3:30 pm classroom
    -5:30 pm to 1:00 am or later netting in field

Days 2 - 6:
    -11:30 am to 3:00 pm classroom
    -5:00 pm to 1:00 am or later netting in field

Attendees must bring:
 

-headlamp (at least one), good for distance (bright), and all batteries they will need. Brand new if coming from Washington or from the SW mainland or from eastern NA; but well decontaminated otherwise.

-optional: leather gloves that fit tight but allow finger mobility (e.g. deerhide) and are brand new or never used on bats before.

-small backpack or hip bag that can be easily decontaminated

-large-medium backpack for carrying gear

-a change of field clothes including any coat and boots/shoes, as the clothing worn in the field cannot be worn in vehicles; eg. arrive at site, change, and then change again at end of night. OR arrive in clean field clothes, and change at end of night.

-clean chestwaders and rubber boots (hip waders are optional but are unlikely to be sufficient for the water sites)

-optional: coveralls (it may be too hot for these)

-optional: hardhat/caving helmet (a mine may be accessed, TBA)

-Attendees are strongly encouraged to gradually change sleep patterns prior to the course, generally not going to sleep until midnight at the earliest and getting up around 9 am or later.

-Attendees MUST show proof rabies vaccination or sufficient blood titre within the past 2 years.  YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO HANDLE BATS WITHOUT THIS.

-Food is not supplied in this course, and breaks during the classroom day will be short, so plan to bring snacks – after Day 1 note that specific meal-times will become less obvious as the course goes along!

-A computer (PC) is optional to visualize and process acoustic recordings of bats

-participants should bring at least 3 boxes of disposable latex, or vinyl gloves of the appropriate size for them

-because mistnets are easily snagged, please consider your field clothing carefully:  avoid shirts that have buttons on sleeves, bags/backpacks with buckles, etc.

Nearest Major Airport:

Kamloops Airport http://www.kamloopsairport.com/

Local Accommodations:

Many local accommodations and campgrounds are listed here.

(While there are free camping opportunities in the area, remember that Lillooet is very hot in the summer and so you will need to have sufficient shade to allow you to sleep in during mornings.)

We have reserved a number of rooms at the 4 Pines Motel, as accommodations in Lillooet can book up quite quickly during the summer months.  Please email hgates@wcs.org if you would like to have one of these shared units for the course duration.  You are responsible for paying for your own accommodations.

Cancellation

Cancellation with full refund is available until June 17, 2020.

WCSC reserves the right to cancel the course up to 30 days before the start date.