USGS Bat Population Database for the United States and Trust Territories (BPD)

The U.S. Geological Survey's Bat Population Database (BPD) is a work in progress. It is a compilation of information that relates primarily to colony size estimates or similar data for bats in the U.S. and Territories. The main objectives of the BPD when completed will be to test the utility of existing data as a framework for estimating trends in bat populations and to allow researchers and resource managers access to local historic information that may provide useful comparisons for planning new investigations on bat population trends. Macrobiogeographic and other analyses that involve bat colony sizes, roost types, and so forth may also find this database useful. It is also a source of bibliographic information related to bat populations. The BPD is not intended to be a database of species distribution records, although information it includes may be useful in this regard. Precise location information cannot be obtained directly from the BPD, but must be gathered through the original sources provided. For further information and recommendations on improving methods of monitoring populations please see the pdf file with the Interim Report of the Workshop on Monitoring Trends in U.S. Bat Populations.

This site is in a test mode. We welcome suggestions on format, additional sources of bat population data, and notation of errors by participants who visit the BPD web site while it is still in the process of compilation. It would be useful to cite the Obs ID number if you relay information to us about errors.

This project was developed by Laura E. Ellison, A. Lance Everette, and Diane M. Schneider of the U.S. Geological Survey's Fort Collins Science Center, under the direction of Thomas J. O'Shea and Michael A. Bogan. Funding was awarded through a national peer-reviewed redirection competition under the now defunct National Biological Service, based in part on needs expressed by Department of the Interior resource management agencies for obtaining a better understanding of the status of bat populations in the U.S. and Territories. The U.S. Geological Survey's National Biological Information Infrastructure is facilitating final compilations, error scanning, and Internet serving. Susan Jojola-Elverum, John Crosby, Kevin Castle, and Laura Stone provided assistance with data entry. Paul Cryan and John Crosby checked the entire database for errors made during data compilation and entry. We are grateful to the many organizations that provided access to records on bat colony sizes for this database, including Natural Heritage programs and game and fish departments of several states, and others as credited in the data source columns accompanying each record.

BPD Data Summary

Species

States/Territories

Citations

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