Within the Tollway region, the mammal species of concern are bats. We have been assessing bat populations within the Tollway corridor using:
– acoustic monitoring
– bat roost tree surveys
– mist netting
Projects:
– I-90 post construction
– I-294
– IL53-IL120 extension assessment
– IL Rt 390 extension
– North Chicago Wetland Mitigation Site
– Orland Grassland Restoration
– Pine Dunes Restoration
UBAP Mammalogist Tara Hohoff also heads up the Illinois Bat Conservation Project.
Highlights from our work:
- Four species of bats were able to be detected through acoustic monitoring at the North Chicago Wetland Site
- We detected Big Brown, Eastern Red, Hoary, Silver-haired, Little Brown, Tricolored, and Evening Bats at the Orland Grassland sites and similar species composition between the Orland reference and restoration sites.
- Detected Big Brown, Eastern Red, Hoary, Silver-haired, Little Brown, Evening, and Tricolored Bats at both Pine Dunes units