UC expert helps rehome endangered Ohio bats

Assistant Professor Joseph Johnson teaches in the School of Information Technology in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. He took part in an open house this month for the public to learn about state endangered little brown bats at Clendening Lake.

Spectrum News 1 highlighted the event and Johnson's research, which uses the latest conservation technology to identify the bats' migration.

Johnson set up mist nets to capture individuals from the state's largest colony of little brown bats that occupy a marina building at the lake. Researchers worked with the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District to erect a dedicated bat house big enough to accommodate the entire colony when they return from their migration in the spring.

At 1,000 individuals, it's the largest maternity colony of little brown bats in Ohio.

But in the meantime, Johnson and volunteers placed tiny tracking devices on some of the bats to learn more about where they go in the winter.

Like birds, many bats migrate south when their local supply of insects and flowers dries up in the fall. But researchers still aren't sure where the endangered little brown bats go each winter or how they get there.

Previously, researchers used transmitters and aircraft to follow bigger-bodied species such as silver-haired bats. But that technique can be both expensive and ultimately ineffective when the bats' little wings can outlast a full tank of gas on a tracking plane, Johnson said.

Likewise, those devices were too heavy for the tiny little brown bat, which only weighs a half-ounce — about the same as a strawberry.

The new devices are tiny and use the internet of things to capture each bat's movements. Researchers can map the tagged individuals whenever they venture close to a bluetooth device like a smart refrigerator, thermostat or home security system.

“By following them after they leave today, we might know where else they might be going,” Johnson told Spectrum News. “And that’s going to help us understand what’s so magical about this place. Why is it that the state’s largest maternity colony of little brown bats lives here? Because if we can understand why that is, we can make sure to continue to protect that resource.”

Johnson has received more than a dozen grants in recent years for his work with bats, bat migration and white-nosed syndrome, a fungus responsible for decimating bat populations in the United States.

Bats take shelter in limestone caves, abandoned mines and train tunnels. But Johnson said bats get along surprisingly well in U.S. suburbs. Sometimes they roost in barns or attics.

“Bats greatly expanded geographic range with people. Historically they would use hollows in large dead trees. They like an open environment. They cram into these tight spaces,“ he said.

“The information we can get about wildlife today is mind-blowing,“ Johnson said. “So this is making a big difference.“

Featured image at top: UC Assistant Professor Joseph Johnson is helping the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District study endangered little brown bats in Ohio. Photo/Spectrum News