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White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a wildlife health concern that has decimated cave-hibernating bat populations in eastern North America since 2006, began affecting source-caves for summer bat populations at Fort Drum, a U.S. Army installation in New York in the winter of 2007–2008. As regional die-offs of bats became evident, and Fort Drum's known populations began showing declines, we examined whether WNS-induced change in abundance patterns and seasonal timing of bat activity could be quantified using acoustical surveys, 2003–2010, at structurally uncluttered riparian–water habitats (i.e., streams, ponds, and wet meadows). As predicted, we observed significant declines in overall summer activity between pre-WNS and post-WNS years for little brown bats Myotis lucifugus, northern bats M. septentrionalis, and Indiana bats M. sodalis. We did not observe any significant change in activity patterns between pre-WNS and post-WNS years for big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus, eastern red bats Lasiurus borealis, or the small number of tri-colored bats Perimyotis subflavus. Activity of silver-haired bats Lasionycteris noctivagans increased from pre-WNS to post-WNS years. Activity levels of hoary bats Lasiurus cinereus significantly declined between pre- and post-WNS years. As a nonhibernating, migratory species, hoary bat declines might be correlated with wind-energy development impacts occurring in the same time frame rather than WNS. Intraseason activity patterns also were affected by WNS, though the results were highly variable among species. Little brown bats showed an overall increase in activity from early to late summer pre-WNS, presumably due to detections of newly volant young added to the local population. However, the opposite occurred post-WNS, indicating that reproduction among surviving little brown bats may be declining. Our data suggest that acoustical monitoring during the summer season can provide insights into species' relative abundance on the landscape as affected by the occurrence of WNS.

Aim Emerging infectious diseases present a major perturbation with apparent direct effects such as reduced population density, extirpation and/or extinction. Comparatively less is known about the potential indirect effects of disease that likely alter community structure and larger ecosystem function. Since 2006, white‐nose syndrome (WNS) has resulted in the loss of over 6 million hibernating bats in eastern North America. Considerable evidence exists concerning niche partitioning in sympatric bat species in this region, and the unprecedented, rapid decline in multiple species following WNS may provide an opportunity to observe a dramatic restructuring of the bat community. Location We conducted our study at Fort Drum Army Installation in Jefferson and Lewis counties, New York, USA, where WNS first impacted extant bat species in winter 2007–2008. Methods Acoustical monitoring during 2003–2011 allowed us to test the hypothesis that spatial and temporal niche partitioning by bats was relaxed post‐WNS. Results We detected nine bat species pre‐ and post‐WNS. Activity for most bat species declined post‐WNS. Dramatic post‐WNS declines in activity of little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus, MYLU), formerly the most abundant bat species in the region, were associated with complex, often species‐specific responses by other species that generally favoured increased spatial and temporal overlap with MYLU. Main conclusions In addition to the obvious direct effects of disease on bat populations and activity levels, our results provide evidence that disease can have cascading indirect effects on community structure. Recent occurrence of WNS in North America, combined with multiple existing stressors, is resulting in dramatic shifts in temporal and spatial niche partitioning within bat communities. These changes might influence long‐term population viability of some bat species as well as broader scale ecosystem structure and function.

Conservation of animal migratory movements is among the most important issues in wildlife management. To address this need for landscape‐scale monitoring of raptor populations, we developed a novel, baited photographic observation network termed the “Appalachian Eagle Monitoring Program” (AEMP). During winter months of 2008–2012, we partnered with professional and citizen scientists in 11 states in the United States to collect approximately 2.5 million images. To our knowledge, this represents the largest such camera‐trap effort to date. Analyses of data collected in 2011 and 2012 revealed complex, often species‐specific, spatial and temporal patterns in winter raptor movement behavior as well as spatial and temporal resource partitioning between raptor species. Although programmatic advances in data analysis and involvement are needed, the continued growth of the program has the potential to provide a long‐term, cost‐effective, range‐wide monitoring tool for avian and terrestrial scavengers during the winter season. Perhaps most importantly, by relying heavily on citizen scientists, AEMP has the potential to improve long‐term interest and support for raptor conservation and serve as a model for raptor conservation programs in other portions of the world. © This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Despite the potential for prescribed fire and natural wildfire to increase snag abundance in hardwood forests, few studies have investigated effects of fire on bat roosting habitat, particularly that of the endangered Indiana myotis Myotis sodalis. From 2001 to 2009, we examined roost selection of Indiana myotis in burned and unburned forests in Tucker County, West Virginia. We radiotracked 15 male Indiana myotis to 50 roost trees; 16 in burned stands and 34 in unburned stands. Indiana myotis roosted in stands that had initially been burned 1-3 y prior to our observations. In burned stands, Indiana myotis roosted exclusively in fire-killed maples (Acer spp.). In unburned stands, they roosted in live trees, predominately hickories (Carya spp.), oaks (Quercus spp.), and maples. Roost trees in burned stands were surrounded by less basal area and by trees in advanced stages of decay, creating larger canopy gaps than at random trees in burned stands or actual roost trees located in unburned stands. Compared to random trees in unburned stands, roost trees in unburned stands were less decayed, had higher percent bark coverage, and were surrounded by less basal area, also resulting in larger canopy gaps. Roost-switching frequency and distances moved by Indiana myotis among roost trees were similar between burned and unburned stands. Our research indicates that use of fire for forest management purposes, at minimum provoked no response from Indiana myotis in terms of roost tree selection, and may create additional roost resources, depending on spatial context.

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This report is the first comprehensive inventory of the vascular flora and macroscopic fauna known to occur within the Fernow Experimental Forest in northcentral West Virginia. The compendium is based on information obtained from previous surveys, current research, and the personal observations of USDA Forest Service personnel and independent scientists. More than 750 documents on Fernow-related research have been published. The earliest report on the vegetation on what is now the experimental forest dates back to 1856.

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