Northern Long-Eared Bat Endangered Listing Effective March 31, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Final Rule listing the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) as endangered takes effect today, March 31, 2023. With a documented range including Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., coordination on this species will be required within our region. The USFWS has issued the Interim Consultation Framework, valid through April 1, 2024, to provide guidance for projects requiring federal actions[1] and is intended to streamline project reviews.

The Interim Consultation Framework outlines:

• Northern Long-eared Bat Range-wide Determination Key (DKey) in USFWS IPaC Database

• Plan to incorporate known NLEB locations into the DKey for automatic project concurrence

• Action Agency potential determinations for proposed actions

An acoustic bat survey can provide clarification on the presence/absence of bat species within your project area. Acoustic surveys are valid for 5 years from USFWS approval. Long-term projects that require tree clearing after the Interim Consultation Framework expires in April 2024 could benefit from conclusive survey results. Our USFWS-Approved Bat Surveyor can provide assistance for your projects.

InterAgency, Inc. is tracking the information provided by USFWS and will continue to provide updates as guidance continues to be published.  To determine options for this survey season (May 15 – August 15), contact Lauren Conner at lauren.conner@interagency.biz, or Doug Chapin at doug.chapin@interagency.biz.