Annex 10 Bat Acoustic Study - Mason County, IllinoisAcoustic bat surveys were conducted at the...

Bat Summer Presence/Absence Survey Report

Glacier Sands Wind Project

Mason County, Illinois

July 13 – 15, 2017

Prepared for:

Swift Current Energy

745 Atlantic Avenue, Floor 8

Boston, Massachusetts 02111

Prepared by:

Travis Brown, Rebecca Schmitt, Kevin Murray, and Ashley Matteson

Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.

408 West Sixth Street

Bloomington, Indiana 47404

December 8, 2017

Confidential Business Information - Not For Distribution

Annex_10 Bat Acoustic Study

Glacier Sands Wind Project – Bat Summer Presence/Absence Surveys

WEST, Inc. i December 8, 2017

STUDY PARTICIPANTS

Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. Travis Brown Project Manager Kevin Murray Qualitative Acoustic Analyst Ashley Matteson Acoustic Analyst, Report Writer Rebecca Schmitt Project Coordinator Jolie Blevins Data Manager Wendy Bruso Technical Editing Manager Katie Michaels Technical Editing Coordinator Katie Michaels Technical Editor Michael Uffenbeck Acoustic Crew Leader Tanner Mazanec Acoustic Technician

REPORT REFERENCE

Brown, T. T., R. Schmitt, K. Murray, and A. Matteson. 2017. Glacier Sands Wind Project Bat Summer

Presence/Absence Survey Report, Mason County, Illinois. Draft Report: July 13 – July 15, 2017.

Prepared for Swift Current Energy, Boston, Massachusetts. Prepared by Western EcoSystems

Technology, Inc. (WEST), Bloomington, Indiana. October 3, 2017.


WEST, Inc. ii December 8, 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW ........................................................................... 1

METHODS ................................................................................................................................. 1

Desktop Habitat Assessment .................................................................................................. 1

Acoustic Surveys .................................................................................................................... 3

RESULTS .................................................................................................................................. 3

DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................. 4

LITERATURE CITED ................................................................................................................. 6

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1A. Acoustic surveysite coordinates, descriptions, and results of acoustic

identification software during July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier Sands Wind Project

bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois. ........................ 5

Table 1B. Bat calls identified by Kaleidoscope Pro® Version 4.2.0 software from the Glacier

Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County,

Illinois. ............................................................................................................................ 5

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Location of the Glacier Sands Wind Project in Mason County, Illinois and bat

acoustic detector locations from 2017 summer presence/absence surveys. ................... 2

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix A. Photographs of Detector Setups

Appendix B. Datasheets

Appendix C. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 Results

Appendix D. Acoustic Analyst Resume; Kevin Murray PhD


WEST, Inc. 1 December 8, 2017

BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW

Swift Current Energy (Swift Current) is developing the Glacier Sands Wind Project (Project) in

Mason County, Illinois. Swift Current contracted Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc. (WEST)

to conduct bat surveys in the Project during summer 2017. The objective of the bat surveys was

to determine presence or probable absence of the federally endangered Indiana bat (MYSO;

Myotis sodalis) and federally threatened northern long-eared bat (MYSE; M. septentrionalis) in

the Project during the summer maternity season.

The surveys described in this report follow the study plan for bat summer presence/absence

surveys at the Project provided to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Illinois

Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) on June 20, 2017. Site-specific authorization for

surveys was provided by the USFWS in a letter dated July 3, 2017, and survey methodology

approval was provided by the IDNR in an e-mail dated June 23, 2017.

METHODS

The proposed surveys followed the 2017 Range-Wide Indiana Bat Summer Survey Guidelines

(USFWS 2017). USFWS guidance recommends the following phases: 1) desktop habitat

assessment; 2) acoustic surveys; and 3) follow-up mist-net, telemetry, and emergence surveys.

WEST conducted a desktop habitat assessment followed by acoustic surveys to determine

whether the Project was used by MYSO or MYSE during the summer maternity season.

Desktop Habitat Assessment

A desktop habitat assessment was conducted using the most recently available aerial images.

The Project boundary included approximately 24,941 acres (ac; 10,093 hectares [ha]). US

Geological Survey National Land Cover Database mapping indicated that the Project contained

approximately 97 ac (40 ha) of forest habitat. The USFWS Guidelines (2017) recommend one

acoustic survey site should be surveyed per 123 ac (50 ha) of suitable habitat on non-linear

projects. Two sampling locations (placed at least 200 meters [m; 656 feet [ft] apart) at each

survey site should then be surveyed for a minimum of two detector nights. Based on the

distribution of suitable habitat within the Project area, WEST proposed to survey one acoustic

site (two detector locations per survey site) for a total of four detector nights (Figure 1). This

acoustic site was selected by permitted biologist Travis Brown.



Figure 1. Location of the Glacier Sands Wind Project in Mason County, Illinois and bat acoustic detector locations from

2017 summer presence/absence surveys.

Microphone

Orientation



Acoustic Surveys

The objective of the acoustic surveys was to assess the potential for presence of MYSO and

MYSE within the Project area. One acoustic site was sampled, using two detectors deployed for

three consecutive nights each, for a total of six detector nights. Bats were surveyed using

Anabat SD2 detectors (Titley Scientific, Columbia Missouri; http://www.titley-scientific.com/).

Detectors were set to a sensitivity of seven with an audio and data division setting of 16.

Acoustic surveys were conducted from July 13 – 15, 2017. An additional night of surveys were

conducted due to a scheduling delay with field crews. Acoustic monitoring began before sunset

and continued for the entire night (approximately 9 hours / night). If weather conditions such as

persistent rain (for 30 or more minutes), strong sustained winds (greater than nine miles per

hour for 30 or more minutes), or cold temperature (below 10° Celsius [50° Fahrenheit] for 30 or

more minutes) occurred, then the site subject to those conditions was surveyed for an additional

night. Directional detector microphones were positioned at least three m (10 ft) off the ground,

encased within 45-degree pvc elbows, oriented horizontally, and placed at least five meters

away from vegetation (Appendix A). For each acoustic site, the date, start and end time, site

description, site coordinates, tree species composition, stand age, vegetation community type,

and weather data were recorded. Representative photographs of each site were also taken.

Proper functioning of detectors was verified by recording correct settings and conducting a

microphone and battery test during deployment and retrieval of equipment (Appendix B).

Bat calls were identified using a USFWS-approved quantitative identification software package

(Kalediscope Pro© version 4.2.0). The Bats of North America classifier 4.2.0 was used within

Kaleidoscope. The Kaleidoscope output generates a list of likelihood estimates for each species

with the potential to occur within the Project. The following species were included in the

Kaleidoscope model: big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris

noctivagans), eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), little brown bat

(Myotis lucifugus), MYSO, MYSE, evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), and tri-colored bat

(Perimyotis subflavus).

All calls identified as MYSO or MYSE by automated identification software with high levels of

statistical confidence (p-value < 0.05) were examined and verified by a qualified biologist with

extensive acoustic identification experience. All calls from nights that Kaleidoscope considered

MYSO or MYSE presence likely (maximum likelihood estimator p-value < 0.05) were reviewed.

If call sequences were not characteristic of MYSO or MYSE, contained distinct calls produced

by species other than MYSO or MYSE, or were of insufficient quality, they were reclassified.

RESULTS

Locations and descriptions of acoustic survey sites are provided in Table 1. Photographs of

detector setups are included in Appendix A. Acoustic detectors were deployed for a total of

three nights (six detector-nights), all of which were valid (i.e., appropriate weather and properly-

functioning equipment).



Kaleidoscope recognized a total of 1,282 calls and identified 743 of those calls (58.0%). Big

brown bats (268 calls; 20.9% of all bat calls) were the most commonly identified species,

followed by evening bats (205 calls; 16.0%), and eastern red bats (181 calls; 14.1%) (Table 1A

and 1B; Appendix C). Kaleidoscope identified one call as a MYSO and zero calls as MYSE. The

maximum likelihood estimator p-value was > 0.05 for MYSO and MYSE on all survey nights.

Therefore, no qualitative review was conducted. Acoustic survey data indicate that MYSO or

MYSE are likely absent from the Project; therefore, no follow-up mist-net surveys were

conducted.

DISCUSSION

Acoustic bat surveys were conducted at the Glacier Sands Wind Project according to USFWS

guidelines (USFWS 2017), and no MYSO or MYSE calls were confirmed by qualitative acoustic

analysis. Therefore, these species should be considered likely absent from the Project during

the summer maternity season.



Table 1A. Acoustic surveysite coordinates, descriptions, and results of acoustic identification software during July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.

Site ID County Easting* Northing* Latitude Longitude

Acoustic Detector Site Description

Total Bat

Calls

Bat Calls Identified

**

Total Detector Nights

Hours per detector

night

Bat Calls per

Detector Night

GS – 1A Mason 266286 4459258 40.25117 -89.74790 Field Edge 951 501 3 9 317 GS – 1B Mason 266223 4459461 40.25297 -89.74872 Field Edge 331 242 3 9 110.3

Total 1282 743 6 *Zone 16 T; Coordinate system and datum: UTM NAD83. Accuracy +/- 5m

**Number of calls that were identified to species by the acoustic software

Table 1B. Bat calls identified by Kaleidoscope Pro® Version 4.2.0 software from the Glacier Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017

presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.

Site ID EPFU LABO LACI LANO MYLU MYSE MYSO NYHU PESU UNKN

GS – 1A 188 135 30 10 8 0 1 127 2 450 GS – 1B 80 46 26 2 7 0 0 78 3 89

Total 268

(20.9%) 181

(14.1%) 56

(4.4%) 12

(0.9%) 15

(1.2%) 0

(0.0%) 1

(0.1%) 205

(16.0%) 5

(0.4%) 539

(42.0%) EPFU = big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); LABO = eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); LACI = hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); LANO = silver-haired bat

(Lasionycteris noctivagans); MYLU = little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); MYSE = northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); MYSO = Indiana bat (Myotis

sodalis); NYHU = evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis); PESU = tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus); UNKN = unknown.



LITERATURE CITED

ESRI. 2017. World Imagery and Aerial Photos. ArcGIS Resource Center. ESRI, producers of ArcGIS

software. Redlands, California.

North American Datum (NAD). 1983. NAD83 Geodetic Datum.

US Department of Agriculture (USDA). 2015. Imagery Programs - National Agriculture Imagery Program

(NAIP). USDA - Farm Service Agency (FSA). Aerial Photography Field Office (APFO), Salt Lake

City, Utah. Data accessed September 2015. Information available online:

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/aerial-photography/imagery-programs/index

US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2017. 2017 Range-Wide Indiana Bat Summer Survey Guidelines.

May 9, 2017. Available online:

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/surveys/pdf/2017INBASummerSurveyG

uidelines9May2017.pdf

US Geological Survey (USGS). 2017. USGS Topographic Maps. Last updated January 17, 2017.

Homepage available at: https://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/index.html

Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. 2016. Kaleidoscope Pro®. Version 4.2.0 (Acoustic Analysis computer software).

Wildlife Acoustics, Concord, Massachusetts. Information available online at:

www.wildlifeacoustics.com

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/aerial-photography/imagery-programs/index

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/surveys/pdf/2017INBASummerSurveyGuidelines9May2017.pdf

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/mammals/inba/surveys/pdf/2017INBASummerSurveyGuidelines9May2017.pdf

https://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/index.html

http://www.wildlifeacoustics.com/

Appendix A. Photographs of Detector Setups

Appendix A1. Acoustic survey location GS – 1A. Top photo: cone of detection; middle photo:

microphone orientation; bottom photo: detector placement.

Appendix A2. Acoustic survey location GS – 1B. Top photo: cone of detection; middle photo:

microphone orientation; bottom photo: detector placement.

Appendix B. Datasheets

Appendix C. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 Results

Appendix C-1. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 identification during acoustic surveys from July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier

Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.

EPFU LABO LACI LANO MYLU MYSE MYSO NYHU PESU NOID NOISE

GS-1A 188 135 30 10 8 1 127 2 188 135

713 16 60 12 5 1 46 1 16 60

714 17 30 2 3 1 23 17 30

715 155 45 16 7 2 58 1 155 45

GS-1B 80 46 26 2 7 78 3 80 46

713 9 5 8 5 9 5

714 20 20 8 4 41 1 20 20

715 51 21 10 2 3 32 2 51 21

TOTAL 268 181 56 12 15 1 205 5 539 623

EPFU = big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); LABO = eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); LACI = hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); LANO = silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris

noctivagans); MYLU = little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); MYSE = northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); MYSO = Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis); NYHU = evening

bat (Nycticeius humeralis); PESU = tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus); UNKN = unknown.

Appendix C-2. Kaleidoscope 4.2.0 presence P-values during acoustic surveys from July 13 – July 15 from the Glacier

Sands Wind Project bat summer 2017 presence/absence surveys in Mason County, Illinois.

EPFU LABO LACI LANO MYLU MYSE MYSO NYHU PESU

GS-1A 0 0 1.8E-05 1 1 1 1 0 1

713 0 0 1E-07 1 1 1 0.50665 0.003084 1

714 0 0 0.70819 1 1 1 1 0.03727 1

715 0 0 0.07404 1 1 1 1 0 1

GS-1B 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0.900161

713 5E-07 1E-06 3.4E-06 1 1 1 1 0.288526 1

714 0 0 0.00036 1 0.99863 1 1 0 1

715 0 0 0.00562 1 1 1 1 8.8E-06 0.684642

TOTAL 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 1

EPFU = big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus); LABO = eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis); LACI = hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus); LANO = silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris

noctivagans); MYLU = little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus); MYSE = northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis); MYSO = Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis); NYHU = evening bat

(Nycticeius humeralis); PESU = tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus); UNKN = unknown.

Appendix D. Acoustic Analyst Resume; Kevin Murray PhD

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