To better address project review requirements regarding northern long-eared bats (NLEB) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 4(d) rule pursuant to listing of NLEB as a federally Threatened species, VDGIF has worked with USFWS and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation to create a new application for this species.
The NLEB Winter Habitat and Roost Trees application can be accessed from VDGIF’s web site, or via the USFWS project review IPaC site, to assist project proponents in evaluating potential impacts their project may have on northern long-eared bats. If your project intersects with the inner 0.5-mile-radius circle representing a hibernaculum, your project may be within the 0.25-mile-radius hibernaculum buffer and subject to the applicable TOYR. If your project is outside of this inner circle, but intersects with the 5.5-mile-radius outer buffer, then your project is not within the 0.25-mile-radius hibernaculum buffer, but it is within the larger area of concern to USFWS regarding potential impacts to the hibernaculum. In either instance, you should complete your USFWS IPaC project review or contact the USFWS Virginia Field Office for additional information and consultation.
Currently a standalone application, we will incorporate these data and this application into other project review protocols and reports as soon as possible. In the interim, we recommend that project proponents conducting environmental reviews access this application to evaluate potential project impacts upon NLEB, in addition to their normal VaFWIS or other environmental review protocols.