Jackson Group was contracted by AECOM Technical Services, LLC (AECOM) to conduct a bat species inventory for the proposed Mulberry Solar Farm Project in southwest Tennessee.
The purpose of this project was to 1) establish presence or probable absence of Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis), and gray bats (M. grisescens); 2) quantify the abundance and species composition of bats during the annual fall and spring migration and swarming period for bats, which typically occurs between the months of late August and late October in this region; 3) evaluate known structures (i.e., cave and rock outcrops) that could potentially provide winter habitat for hibernating bats.
Methods used to the conduct a Phase II acoustic survey followed the 2013 Revised Range-Wide Indiana Bat Summer Survey guidelines (USFWS 2013). Anabat bat detectors were placed across stream channels, ponds, trails, road ruts, and within forest interiors. A total of 3 sites were surveyed on 19 and 20 May 2013. A total of 798 bat call sequences were recorded. Two separate automated analysis programs were used to determine species composition. Neither program detected any calls that were characteristic of Indiana bats
This project was successfully completed on time and on budget.
