On January 26, 2006, the Mississippi Bat Working Group held its 4th Annual Meeting at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science in Jackson, MS. The meeting was well-attended by 37 personnel representing 16 state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, private companies, and educational institutions.
Agenda
9:15 – 9:30 am Registration with coffee and donuts.
9:30 – 9:35 am Welcome – Charles Knight, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS)
9:35 – 9:40 am Introductions – Meeting coordinators and participants
9:40 – 9:45 am Meeting objectives – Chester Martin, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and Chair, MBWG, and Alison Sherman, MMNS and Secretary, MBWG
Business Meeting
9:45 – 9:55 am MBWG activities for 2005 – Chester Martin
9:55 – 10:05 am MBWG summer mist net event 2005 – Alison Sherman
10:05 – 10:15 am Ad-Hoc Committee progress reports – Ad-Hoc committee chairs
10:15 – 11:45 am Ad-Hoc Committee break-out session – meeting participants
11:45 – 12:00 am New Business
Lunch
12:00 – 1:00 pm Sponsored by Weyerhaeuser Co. with slide show of MBWG events
Presentations
1:00 – 1:15 pm Capturing and relocating nuisance bats – Mike McDowell, Manager, The Critter Catcher, LLC
1:15 – 1:30 pm The Southeastern Bat Diversity Network – Mary Kay Clark, SE Bat Conservation Director
1:30 – 1:45 pm Inventory of Bat Species at Vicksburg National Military Park – Jen Linehan, University of Georgia
1:45 – 2:00 pm Tree roost selection by Rafinesque’s big-eared bat and southeastern myotis – Candy Stevenson, Mississippi State University
2:00 – 2:15 pm Southeastern Bat Blitzes: past, present and future – Mary Kay Clark
2:15 – 2:30 pm Bat surveys on military installations in Mississippi – Chester Martin
2:30 – 2:45 pm Potential effects of Hurricane Katrina on wildlife, with an emphasis on bats – Darren Miller, Weyerhaeuser Co.
2:45 – 3:00 pm Potential causes of Alopecia observed in Corynorhinus rafinesquii in west-central Mississippi – Monica S. Wolters, ERDC
3:00 – 3:30 pm Meeting summary and discussion of priority issues
3:30 pm Adjourn
Meeting Minutes
The Fourth Annual Meeting of the MBWG was held at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science (MMNS) Jackson, MS on January 26, 2006. The meeting was hosted by the MMNS and sponsored by Weyehaeuser Company. Chester Martin, Environmental Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), and Alison Sherman, MMNS, served as meeting coordinators. The meeting was well-attended by 37 personnel representing the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, USA ERDC, USDA Wildlife Services, Camp Shelby, Vicksburg National Military Park, MMNS, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, MS Department of Environmental Quality, Southeastern Bat Diversity Network, University of Mississippi, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Georgia-Athens, Weyerhaeuser Company, A&M Wildlife Removal, and the Critter Catcher LLC.
Charles Knight, MMNS, opened the meeting with a welcoming address, and coordinators and participants were introduced. The morning session consisted of a business meeting (see above agenda for topics discussed). A one and one half hour breakout session was devoted to developing Ad-Hoc committee objectives and outlined activities needed to fulfill these objectives. A list of Ad-ho committees and corresponding members and objectives for each committee will be sent out to all members.
Chester Martin suggested that we create a Vice-chair position and a 3 member Board of Directors to facilitate increased interaction among members. The following positions and people were voted in: Chester Martin (Chair), Alison Sherman (Vice-chair), Austin Trousdale (Recording Secretary), Darren Miller (Board), Monica Wolters (Board), and David Richardson (Board).
The afternoon session consisted on presentations of ongoing bat research in Mississippi (see above agenda for topics), as well as an additional presentation entitled “Conservation Planning for Bats in the Southeastern US”, made by Mary Kay Clark, Southeastern Bat Conservation Director. The MBWG is currently up to 114 members with 26 members actively participating in 9 different ad-hoc committees.