RIDEAU VALLEY, April 17, 2025 – The Rideau Valley Conservation Foundation can go to bat for endangered bats thanks to a generous grant from TC Energy’s Build Strong program. 

The funds will help purchase state-of-the-art bat recording equipment to kickstart a local species at risk monitoring program. Data from those devices will allow staff to target habitat creation and conservation efforts where it’s needed most.

The Foundation will partner with conservation lands staff at the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) to carry out the work. In 2024, RVCA staff documented five of the province’s seven bat species on Authority and Foundation properties, including the Little Brown Bat, Hoary Bat, Silver-haired Bat, Eastern Red Bat and Tri-colored Bat. All of them are classified as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO), with many facing declines due to threats like White Nose Syndrome, which has devastated up to 90% of North America’s bat population. 

Beginning this spring, staff will deploy stationary Acoustic Recording Units (ARUs) on 10 properties to further confirm which bat species are using RVCA and Foundation lands, and to collect valuable distribution data. An acoustic recording unit monitors bat activity at an RVCA property.

More versatile Echo Meters, which can attach to existing devices like phones for mobile monitoring, will also be deployed to confirm the presence of bat maternity roosts, which are vital safe spaces for mothers to raise their pups. The combination of ARUs, Echo Meters and trail cameras will help monitor the bats as they enter and exit roosts. They will also aid staff in locating and identifying critical winter hibernation habitats.

“This program will support the long-term survival of bats and their essential role in our ecosystems,” said conservation lands technician Adrienne Lewis, who will lead the monitoring program. “We are so grateful to TC Energy and RVCF for their support as we work to enhance local habitat for these critical species at risk.”

RVCF Executive Director Diane Downey said these kinds of partnerships have measurable impacts on the local environment and its ecosystems. 

“We’re pleased to welcome TC Energy to the Foundation family as a species at risk supporter,” Downey said. “We hope this is just the first partnership of many as we look to a bright future of bat conservation efforts in the Rideau Valley.” 

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