How Innovative Tools and Partnerships Are Saving Bats and Helping Landowners and Industry
The recent reclassification of the northern long-eared bat under the Endangered Species Act and the proposed listing of the tricolored bat presented U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff with a novel and immense task: Identify conservation actions that benefit bats and people at a massive scale – including more than 37 states – without creating an equally massive environmental review process. This challenge required the Service to listen closely, collaborate creatively, build trust and adapt its approaches. The result is a set of voluntary final bat conservation tools featuring innovations, technologies and partnerships that offer durable solutions for bat conservation and recovery while supporting economic opportunities.
Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) 2023 - 2024 Annual Report
The Candian Wildlife Health Cooperative's 2023-2024 report is now available online at http://www.cwhc-rcsf.ca/annual_reports.php.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Now Accepting Grant Applications
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is accepting applications for the Wildlife Diversity Grant Program that helps advance recovery and conservation actions for at-risk species in Washington, see email below with additional information.
Bat species that qualify for this funding include Townsend’s big-eared bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, spotted bat, and Keen’s myotis (but all myotis species qualify). Interested applicants can find more information about the grant opportunity, project eligibility requirements, and steps to apply on the WDFW website.
New York Department of Environmental Conservation Seeking Public Comment
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is updating the 2015 New York State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) for 2025-2035. The SWAP guides management actions for New York’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and is a requirement for New York to participate in the federally funded State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program.
The second public comment period for New York’s SWAP is now open until January 14, 2025. The current focus is on soliciting input on the draft list of potential SGCN, as well as new or updated information on the status and distribution of SGCN and threats they may face.
The draft list of potential SGCN and revised assessments are available to download from DEC's website. All comments and input on the SSAs are due by January 14, 2025, and may be submitted by email to nyswap2025@dec.ny.gov. Please include “SGCN comments” in the subject line.
First Offshore Wind Lease Sale in the Gulf of Maine
The Biden-Harris administration completed its sixth offshore wind lease sale by offering areas in the Gulf of Maine – the first commercial sale for floating offshore wind on the Atlantic Coast. The sale, conducted by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), resulted in two provisional winners on four lease areas and over $21.9 million in winning bids.
BOEM Accepting Environmental Study Ideas for Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is beginning to formulate its Fiscal Year 2026–2027 Studies Development Plan covering BOEM’s offshore energy and minerals activities and invites you to submit study ideas by 9 December 2024. Study ideas must be relevant to BOEM's information requirements in the areas of biological, oceanographic (physical and chemical) or social sciences (economic and cultural research), or Indigenous knowledge.
Annual Southeastern Bat Diversity Network Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Travel Award
The Southeastern Bat Diversity Network (SBDN) recognizes the importance of working to increase opportunities for Black/African American, Hispanic, Alaskan Native, or Indigenous, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, women, differently abled, or as a member of any community underrepresented in the wildlife profession to prepare for future employment and furthering their professional development. One of the best ways to foster professional growth in students is to encourage attendance at conferences, particularly if the student takes the opportunity to present their research results. To this end, SBDN has established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Travel Award Program to provide one student per year with financial assistance to attend SBDN.
Submit an application for this travel award via email to Chair of the SBDN DEI Committee Rada Petric (rpetric@unc.edu) by December 6th 2024. This must include: 1) draft abstract that will be submitted to SBDN, 2) a statement of why the student wants to attend the SBDN meeting, 3) a 1-page summary of the student’s overall research, including objective(s), 4) a curriculum vitae, and 5) a letter of recommendation from the major advisor.
NEBWG 2025 Student Travel Grant
The Northeastern Bat Working Group announced the NEBWG Student Scholarship for the 2025 conference in Harrisburg, PA. This scholarship is intended to assist students in covering the costs of attending and presenting at the NEBWG conference running January 15-17, 2025.
To apply, please provide the following information by December 7:
Name
University
Anticipated degree (e.g., B.S., M.S., PhD)
Draft abstract for poster or presentation at NEBWG Meeting
Current curriculum vitae
Brief budget with justification for requested award amount
Letter of recommendation from major advisor
The package should be submitted as a single document via email to cmeyer@nebwg.org the email subject line: NEBWG Student Travel Grant.
The letter of recommendation should be emailed by the advisor directly to cmeyer@nebwg.org with the same subject line.
Need a GRTS Cell ID in a hurry?
The Partner Portal map’s spatial filter search offers a quick and easy way to find the GRTS Cell ID for any location. Simply use the dropdown in the map’s search bar to input specific coordinates—lat/long or easting/northing—and the first result will be the GRID Cell ID for that location!
As a bonus, the dropdown also displays other map spatial filters that overlap the coordinates you’ve entered. It’s a convenient shortcut to access GRTS Cell IDs and additional spatial context without extra steps.
Next time you need a GRTS Cell ID fast, let the map’s spatial filter do the work for you!
Conferences
December 9-11, 2024: National Offshore Wind R&D Symposium, Washington D.C., USA
January 15-17, 2025: Northeast Bat Working Group Annual Meeting, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
February 12-14, 2025: Southeastern Bat Diversity Network Annual Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
February 18-19, 2025: Northwest Offshore Wind Conference, Portland, Oregon, USA
Check out the NABat Events page for a complete list of training webinars, meeting links, and all other upcoming events!
Assistant Professor
Missouri State University seeks applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Animal Ecology with a commitment to inclusive teaching practices and increasing student diversity and retention. We seek a candidate who conducts field-based research that addresses questions related to Animal Ecology, including, but not limited to, population ecology, community ecology, conservation genetics, invasion biology. Requirements include a PhD in Biology or related area at the time of appointment, peer-reviewed publications in animal ecology, and excellent communication skills. Primary duties include (a) conducting research in animal ecology; (b) teaching courses in introductory biology and some combination of general physiology, population or community biology, wildlife management, or quantitative biology, to total 9 contact hours per semester; (c) advising graduate (masters) and undergraduate students; and (d) substantial effort to obtain external funds for research. For teaching, an example of a semester load would include one course with both lecture and lab components and another lecture-based course.
To learn more about this position, click here.
Principal Bat Biologist
The Environment & Planning Division of ICF is seeking a principal bat biologist. You'll work with a skilled team of biologists, conservation planners, and ecologists. Your primary role includes overseeing consultations and preparing analyses and technical documents for compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This entails managing, developing, and implementing Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and Section 7 consultations for a variety of clients and industries. Many of our ESA consultations cover multiple regions and span 30 years, so an ability to plan long-term, landscape conservation for multiple bat species is a must. In addition, you will offer guidance and contribute to impact assessments for documents related to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Collaboration with project managers, experts, stakeholders, and regulatory agencies will be key to delivering high-quality projects on time.
To learn more about this position, click here.
Deputy Chief Operations Officer
Bat Conservation International is seeking a Deputy Chief Operations Officer (COO). Reporting directly to the Chief Operations Officer (COO), the Deputy COO will partner closely with the COO to drive sustainable growth and operational improvements and support day-to-day operations across various functions, including IT, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), legal and administrative tasks, and human resources. The Deputy COO will collaborate to develop strategic plans, implement key initiatives, and lead various operational projects to enhance productivity and efficiency across the organization.
To learn more about this position, click here.
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