A silver-haired bat, held by wildlife biologist Sarah Bickerdyke, is about to be placed in a holding bag prior to being inspected. USDA Forest Service photo by Greg Schonert.

TOWNER – Dakota Prairie Grasslands (DPG) wildlife biologists recently performed a bat species survey on Denbigh Experimental Forest near Towner to determine what assortments of winged mammals inhabit the famed 640-acre forest, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Scientists JJ Nelson, Anna Rivera Roy, Sarah Bickerdyke and Greg Schonert, accompanied by volunteers Austin Rivera and Brooks Bickerdyke, camped in a forest clearing one starry night in mid-July and erected “mist nets,” rectangular nets comprised of inconspicuous fine threads.

Six silver-haired bats were netted that night. Each animal was examined, weighed, measured and overall health documented before being released unharmed into the night skies to continue foraging for sustenance. The team also deployed acoustic detectors for a week to pick up on additional species.

“Bats play a vital role in the various ecosystems of the world by pollinating over 300 species of fruit and helping disperse seed,” Schonert said. “They can also eat their body weight in insects every night, so they are nature’s pest control.” He added that pest control is a huge benefit to the agriculture industry and a big relief to campers and recreationists.

The DPG biologists are planning additional bat sample studies on the Sheyenne National Grasslands and Little Missouri National Grasslands.