The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University are looking for volunteers interested in performing a night time survey for bats in Tama County during the second half of July!

The survey monitors bat occurrence in key areas of the state. It began in response to declining bat populations from White Nose Syndrome and other challenges.

This survey uses acoustic recording equipment mounted on top of a car to detect bats along specific routes. Data has been collected on some of these standardized survey routes for the last ten years.

The survey asks volunteers to do two things: 1) Drive a set route with recording equipment twice at night. 2) Set up some additional equipment at a predetermined stationary location, leave it for at least 4 nights and then pick it back up.

Volunteers will need a vehicle and a partner to run the driving survey and be available for at least two nights during a specified two week period in July. The driving survey begins 45 minutes after sunset and takes roughly 2.5 hours.

Stationary equipment should be put out prior to the first drive survey and left out until the second drive survey has been completed (a minimum of 4 nights).

The total time commitment, including virtual training, the two surveys, placing and retrieving stationary equipment and picking up and dropping off equipment, is roughly 12 hours between July 19 and August 1.

The final route for which we are trying to find a volunteer is in NW Tama County, just north of Garwin. Interested volunteers from Tama or any of the surrounding counties are encouraged to get in touch! We hope to have this route covered by the middle of next week, July 10th. More details can be found at the Volunteer Wildlife Monitoring Website as well as a volunteer interest form that can be filled in electronically or a pdf is available for download on the website. You can also email vwmp@dnr.iowa.gov.