Fringed Myotis – Oregon Conservation Strategy

This young fringed myotis (Myotis thysanodes) bat has just learned to fly. It will, however, contnue to nurse from its mother until it is able to hunt on the wing. Coconino National Forest, Arizona. Photo Credit: Michael Durham, https://www.flickr.com/photos/oregonwild/

Overview

Species Common Name Fringed Myotis
Species Scientific Name Myotis thysanodes
Federal Listing Status Species of Concern
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Coast Range

Oregon’s Coast Range, known for its dramatic scenery, is extremely diverse, with habitats ranging from open sandy dunes to lush forests and from tidepools to headwater streams. It follows the coastline and extends east through coastal forest to the border of the Willamette Valley and Klamath Mountains ecoregions

East Cascades

The East Cascade ecoregion extends from the Cascade Mountains’ summit east to the warmer, drier high desert and down the length of the state. This ecoregion varies dramatically from its cool, moist border with the West Cascades ecoregion to its dry eastern border, where it meets sagebrush desert landscapes.

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, and interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range. The Rogue watershed has the largest population of any coastal watershed in Oregon (Jackson County, Josephine County, and a portion of Curry County). Several popular and scenic rivers run …

Northern Basin and Range

The Northern Basin and Range ecoregion covers the very large southeastern portion of the state, from Burns south to the Nevada border and from the Christmas Valley east to Idaho. It is largely a high elevation desert-like area dominated by sagebrush communities and habitats.

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.

Special needs

Fringed myotis require forest habitat. They use large snags and rock features for day, night, and maternity roosts, and caves and mines for hibernacula. They feed primarily on beetles. They occasionally use bridges for night-roosting.

Limiting factors

Fringed myotis are patchily distributed and locally uncommon. They are vulnerable to disturbance at roosts. Reduction of large snags and low reproductive rates may also be limiting.

Data gaps

Assess distribution, abundance, and trends. Describe seasonal movements. Identify maternity and winter roost locations and associated characteristics. Identify limiting factors, including the extent and importance of habitat loss and degradation.

Conservation actions

Use gates and seasonal closures to protect known hibernacula. Retain and create large-diameter hollow trees and large-diameter, tall, newly-dead snags during forest management activities.

Key reference or plan

ISSSSP Bat Grid Monitoring – Oregon and Washington