Six Nations Wildlife & Stewardship have reported that through its Aerial Insectivore project and fieldwork that all 8 species of bats found in Ontario have been observed in the community, including endangered species.
Lauren Jones, Wildlife & Stewardship manager, confirmed the information, adding that 7 of the 8 bat species are considered endangered in Ontario. Jones says the ecosystem within Six Nations allows for these species to settle in the community compared to other regions in the surrounding area that have been impacted by human development.
She says a part of the project saw her organization set up acoustic monitors to be to determine what bat species were present in the community. Through analyzing that data, over 17,000 bat acoustic instances were monitored over the past months.
The project is now looking towards restoring and re-naturalizing a space for the species found throughout the project.
