Relative Activity of Three Bat Species Impacted by White-nose Syndrome on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Megan L. Moran^1,*, Amber S. Litterer¹, Jesse L. De La Cruz², Sabrina M. Deeley¹, and W. Mark Ford³

¹Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061. ²Conservation Management Institute, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061. ³US Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Blacksburg, VA 24061. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 1 (2026): 104–127

First published early online: 21 March 2026

Abstract
White-nose syndrome, a disease caused by the fungal-pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused drastic reductions in populations of several North American hibernating species of bats including Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat), Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat), and Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat). Recent data indicate that populations of Little Brown Bats may be stabilizing and/or increasing in the northeastern region of the US, while others, such as Northern Long-eared Bats, continue to decline. Whether these trends extend to the mid-Atlantic region is currently unknown. To better understand population changes over time, habitat associations, and species dynamics, we developed models of relative activity from bat acoustic data collected on the National Park Service’s Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park along the Potomac River Corridor in western Maryland between 2016 and 2022. Consistent with pre-disease habitat associations, Little Brown Bats and Tricolored Bats exhibited a positive correlation with proximity to water bodies. Notably, we found Little Brown Bat and Tricolored Bat populations potentially were increasing, whereas Northern Long-eared Bats showed no correlation with examined habitat covariates and had low detection levels, trends consistent with broader declines throughout their range.

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