Holy Tricolored Bat, Man! USFWS Invites Comments on Tricolored Bat Threatened or Endangered Species Listing
In December 2017, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a 90-day finding for the tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) – one of the most common bat species native to the eastern United States (map). With this finding, the USFWS is inviting scientific and commercial stakeholders to submit comments as the agency further investigates whether the tricolored bat should be listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). If listed, this change could halt development projects that involve tree-clearing until a bat survey can be completed, and further delay those projects where the bat is found by limiting tree-clearing to specific times of year and defined parameters.