Award Number:
PR/J Number: R1510100370
PROJECT ABSTRACT
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CP-CESU)
(Cooperative Agreement # H1200-09-0005)
Park: Pipe Spring National Monument
Project Title: Implement Cooperative Study to Understand Bat Ecology of Pipe Spring National
Monument (PISP) and the Kaibab Paiute Reservation
Funding Amount: $40,000
CPCESU Partner Institution: Southern Utah University (SUU)
Principal Investigator: John Taylor, Assistant Professor of Biology, Southern Utah University,
351 W. University Blvd, Cedar City, UT 84720, 435-865-8175, fax 586-5475, taylorjr@suu.edu
Co-Investigator:
NPS Key Official: Andrea Bornemeier, Chief of Interpretation & Resource Management, Pipe
Spring National Monument, HC 65 Box 5, 406 N. Pipe Spring Rd, Fredonia, AZ 86022, 928-
643-7105, fax 7583, andrea_bornemeier@nps.gov
Start Date: September 1, 2010
End Date: June 30, 2013
Abstract:
This two year study of the bat ecology of Pipe Spring National Monument and the Kaibab Paiute
Reservation in Northern Arizona will be a collaborative effort among the National Park Service
(NPS), the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians (also referred to as the “Tribe”) and Southern Utah
University. The study agreement will be between the NPS-Pipe Spring and NAU through a CP-
CESU agreement. Participation of the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians will be via an existing agreement for promoting resource management activities existing between the Tribe and Pipe
Spring National Monument (H8230080202). This CP-CESU project will:
1) synthesize existing data on bat species in the region,
2) collect additional site-specific data on sensitive bat species,
3) determine temporal and spatial distribution of bat species,
4) collect data throughout the year including migration pulses,
5) recommend best times to conduct pond maintenance activities at PISP,
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6) recommend long-term bat monitoring at Pipe Spring NM,
7) increase cooperation between Pipe Spring NM and the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians.
Pipe Spring National Monument and the Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation are located on the
Arizona Strip on the border between Utah-Arizona.
The monument is 40 total acres, and is surrounded by the Reservation. The water from Pipe Spring continues to be stored in two historic ponds near the Monument’s historic structures. These ponds are a critical element of the cultural landscape (the settlement) for which the Monument was established in 1923. The Kaibab Paiute
Indian reservation is over 120,000 acres, surrounds Pipe Spring, and has several livestock ponds and other water sources. Surveying on the reservation will provide additional data that will be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of seasonal use of bats in and around Pipe
Spring and on the Reservation. Mammal inventories of the Arizona Strip indicate that the
Monument and the Reservation sustain a large diversity of bat species. Ten of the 14 species confirmed present on the Monument are considered "Species of Special Concern" by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. The historic masonry ponds on the Monument provide a critical water source and require frequent maintenance. Bat activity data from this study will assist NPS management on how to maintain critical cultural resources while protecting sensitive wildlife species. Similarly, data from the project will also help the Tribe avoid disruptions of bat habitat and bat populations on the Reservation. The tribe has been awarded a grant a from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tribal Grant source for a non-game species inventory on the reservation - bats will be one of the focus species. Data from these two projects will be cooperatively compared to provide a more complete regional picture of bat ecology. Surveying Pipe Spring and water sources on the Reservation will provide a better picture of bat species distribution across the local region. Mist-netting will be the primary method for monitoring the bats. An acoustic detection device will help record the levels of bat activity throughout any given night, as well as throughout the seasons. The high frequency equipment will also be used to help determine the presence at Pipe Spring of a few species known to be in the general area. Information on captured bats will be recorded for species, sex, age, and reproductive status. Environmental planning requirements have been considered. This project will expand the time period and intensity of monitoring for a project that has already been categorically excluded under E.(6) -
Non-destructive data collection and inventory. It is anticipated that this project will be categorically excluded under the same provisions.
Keywords: Survey, inventory, mammals, bats
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