We developed this approximately 1,300-acre conservation bank, the first in the nation to protect the endangered Indiana bat and the threatened northern long-eared bat, to provide credits to compensate for expected adverse impacts to similar nearby ecosystems.
Approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bank area provides conserved habitat and comprises two sites in northeastern Missouri, both immediately adjacent to existing state conservation areas. One site contains lands with some of the greatest topographic relief in the interior northern portion of Missouri; most are associated with the Chariton River and its tributaries.
Indiana bats, northern long-eared bats and little brown bats inhabit caves and forests of the Eastern and Midwestern U.S. and are all federally listed, with Indiana bats being listed as endangered for more than five decades. In winter, these small bats hibernate in caves or abandoned mines. In the summer months, they roost in tree cavities or beneath the loose bark of live, dead or dying trees. Foraging sites include riparian areas, upland forests, ponds and fields.
Our bat biologists have become internationally recognized specialists, with close relationships to the scientific community and regulatory agencies based on their experience conducting bat surveys and research. Our team routinely conducts bat habitat assessments, acoustic surveys and netting/radio tracking surveys for large-scale projects.