The Government of Canada is inviting and encouraging individuals, communities, businesses, and organizations to share comments concerning the classification of three migratory bats — Hoary Bat, Eastern Red Bat, and Silver-haired Bat — as Endangered under the Canadian Species at Risk Act.
Results of consultations will be used to help decide if these species should be added to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk (Schedule 1) under the Species at Risk Act as Endangered, or whether the matter should be referred back to COSEWIC.
Available evidence supports an Endangered listing for all three migratory bats, primarily because of high mortality caused by wind turbines and rapid growth in the number of wind turbines that is continuing to occur across North America.
The listing of these species will result in increased legal protections to bats on lands under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The listing will also result in the development of a recovery plan, and is expected to increase funding available to address knowledge gaps and conservation priorities. Increased focus on this issue may also help improve adoption of proven mitigation techniques that will reduce the number of bat fatalities occurring at wind farms in Canada.
To submit comments on their listing, refer to these resources and statements:
WCS Canada’s Western Bat Program, in partnership with various U.S. and Canadian agencies, have released the first continent-wide best management practices for the use of bat houses. Download a free copy to learn more. Also see our Alberta Bat House Guidelines.
We’re excited to announce that Cora S. is the winner of our Bat Week pumpkin carving contest! Congratulations, Cora, on your outstanding pumpkin creation! You’ve truly captured the spirit of bat conservation and Halloween in a single masterpiece.
A big thank you to everyone who voted and made this victory possible. We’re so grateful for your support in raising awareness and funds for bat conservation and the Alberta Community Bat Program. Together, we’re making a positive impact on these incredible creatures.
Carve a pumpkin and help save bats! 🦇 In celebration of Bat Week, we’re thrilled to announce our Pumpkin Carving Contest in support of bat conservation and our Alberta Community Bat Program. Not only will you have the opportunity to showcase your pumpkin carving talents across the nation, but you could also win fantastic prizes and, of course, the ultimate bragging rights!
Spread the word and vote to decide the ultimate pumpkin-carving champion.
All bats in Alberta are now protected under the Alberta Wildlife Act. It is illegal to harm to kill any bat in the province without a permit. Read the factsheet from the Alberta Government for more information.
Today the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) announced that the Hoary Bat, Eastern Red Bat and Silver-haired Bat have been assessed as Endangered in Canada. These species are among the most common bats in Alberta, but alarming numbers are being killed by wind turbines. We are at risk of losing these species, especially given the exponential growth occurring in the wind energy industry. While wind turbines are the primary cause of this situation, other threats, such as habitat loss, climate change, and insect declines are likely contributing to their decline.
There are ways to mitigate the threat posed by wind turbines — bats are only killed at night, and mostly during the fall on nights with low wind speeds. Not operating turbines during these conditions can greatly reduce fatalities. We urgently need action from governments and industry to ensure that necessary changes are made to ensure ‘green energy’ is actually green.
This listing now means that 5 of the 9 bat species that occur in Alberta have been formally assessed as Endangered.
The outlook on the health of Alberta’s bats has been made worse with the arrival of the fungus responsible for white-nose syndrome. However, we can still save our bats if everyone, including industry, governments, and the public, works together. Read about the situation in this month’s edition of the Nature Alberta Magazine: https://naturealberta.ca/magazine/
Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats, was found in Alberta for the first time in 2022. This fungus has already killed millions of bats in North America and is responsible for Little Brown Myotis and Northern Myotis being listed as Endangered in Alberta.
The detection occurred along the Red Deer River, near Dinosaur Provincial Park. The badlands and eroded coulees in this region represents the largest known hibernation area in Alberta for multiple species of bats, so detection of Pd in this region is concerning to biologists.
We detected Pd at a bridge surveyed as part of WCS Canada’s project examining use of bridges by bats across western Canada. This detection would not have been possible without the support of numerous contributors, including donors, government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, community partners and volunteers. But our work is only beginning. We now need to monitor to better understand what bat species are affected, and how the disease affects bat numbers in the province.
Bats in Alberta face many conservation challenges, with potentially serious consequences to the environment and economy. But there are many things we can still do to save bats. Read our article on Page 14 of the Lethbridge County Rural Living & Ag Extension Newsletter. Photo: Melissa Penney.
For the last two years, we’ve been working with our partners to survey bridges across Western Canada, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Northwest Territories (with more to come). Our results have demonstrated that bridges are important habitats for bats, and these locations are proving invaluable as monitoring sites for bats.