ANDERSON – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has placed the northern long-eared bat on the threatened species list, but it may not have a direct impact on the proposed Mounds Lake Reservoir.
It was announced Wednesday that the northern long-eared bat is considered threatened because the disease white-nose syndrome is causing a decline in their numbers in the eastern portion of the U.S.
According to federal maps, the northern long-eared bat’s range in Indiana has not extended north of Indianapolis.
The presence of the northern long-eared bat in the vicinity of the proposed reservoir that would extend from Anderson to Yorktown is not confirmed by scientific study.
Earlier this year, Tim Carter, a wildlife biologist at Ball State University, said the Indiana bat is on the endangered species list and the construction of the proposed 2,100-acre Mounds Lakes Reservoir would create a new habitat that would take hundreds of years to replace for the growth of mature trees.
Tom Melius, Midwest regional director for the Fish & Wildlife Service, said during a conference call that placing the northern long-eared bat on the endangered species list has been studied since 2013.
Melius said the bat is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future and that the disease has shown up in 28 of the 37 states where the bat is known to habitat.
“It is not on the brink of extinction,” he said.
Melius said he was unsure if the range of the northern long-eared bat reached up to central Indiana when asked about the possible effect on the reservoir project.
“Even for entities that are not exempt, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to move forward with economic development and other projects,” he said when asked about the reservoir.
“We have learned there is almost always a path to move forward and protect the species,” Melius said. “There are tools available.”
The reservoir project's Phase II feasibility study, which was done for the Corporation for Economic Development, noted that the Fish & Wildlife Service requested extensive wildlife surveys be conducted during future phases of the reservoir project.
“Conducting surveys for wildlife is being recommended by the IDNR (Indiana Department of Natural Resources) to determine the extent of the fauna in the project area,” the Phase II study stated.
Sheryl Myers, spokeswoman for Heart of the River, which opposes the reservoir project, said the habitat should be protected, whether or not endangered or threatened species are found along the White River.
“Dr. (Tim) Carter has pointed out that our section of the White River is perfect bat habitat, but to our knowledge a bat inventory has not been conducted to verify whether it supports either the Indiana or long-eared bat,” she said.
Angie Manual, former interpretive naturalist at Mounds State Park, said she only encountered three species of bats in the park — the little brown bat, silver-haired bat and red bat.