Report on Owyhee Field Office abandoned mine surveys

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This survey project assessed abandoned mines managed by the Owyhee Field Office in southwestern Idaho. All sites were surveyed by Bat Conservation International (BCI) staff following standardized protocols and safety procedures, for the purpose of providing biological data and closure recommendations. Surveys focused on documenting bat and other wildlife use of each feature. Thirty-seven portals listed on the AML inventory provided by the BLM were visited. In several cases, two or three portals were found to be connected underground. In these cases, the interconnected workings are treated as a single unique feature. One feature listed on the AML inventory could not be located. The field project resulted in surveys being conducted on a total of 28 unique features. Closure recommendations are provided for all features. Of the 28 features surveyed, seven features are recommended for bat-friendly closure to protect the bat habitat within and allow for continued bat use. Four features include a "leave as is" recommendation. The remaining 17 features are recommended for destructive closure. A biological survey summary and full survey results are included. Of the 28 unique features that received comprehensive biological surveys, seven features contained a live bat or bats, and three additional features contained evidence of bat use (guano and/or insect parts) but no live bats. Sixteen features contained no bats or any sign of bat use. One feature was too hazardous to enter and could not be surveyed. Overall, bat use of the occupied sites appears to be day and night roosting during the warm season by a small number of individuals. Three adjacent features, however, are utilized by a Townsend's big-eared bat maternity colony during the warm season. Another feature has good potential to be used by bats as a winter hibernaculum.

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ELECTRONIC FILE - Zoology: Mammals