South Dakota Bat Working Group Last update 14 February 2025
Bat Research in SD
Important Note to Researchers in SD:
You are REQUIRED to obtain a Scientific Sampling and Collecting Permit
from the S.D. GF&P Department BEFORE you commence your research.
There are several GF&P scientific and regulatory protocols that must also be followed.
Do you have a abandoned or inactive mine on your private property?
We are actively seeking locations of mines that provide potential roosting habitat in the Black Hills region.
Site evaluation can be provided at no cost to individuals interested in determining whether their site(s) provide
potential roosting habitat. Should you elect to permanently close an underground site, advice and protocol
can be given to prevent placing bats unnecessarily at risk.
Contact: Joel Tigner, Batworks LLC, 605-390-2061 (Rapid City) joeltigner@gmail.com
Distribution, Food Habits, and Roost Site Selection by Bats in Eastern SD
Completed Masters Thesis: Vicki J. Swier
Download a .pdf file of the thesis.
Recent surveys, suggest that conventional census methods (mist netting) do not accurately represent
the bat populations in eastern South Dakota. Alternatively, acoustic sampling has effectively identified
bats in other regions of the county. I utilized the ANABAT system to determine which bats were where
in eastern South Dakota. Sites were widely distributed across eastern South Dakota (e.g., state parks
and national wildlife refuges) and I revisited the sites from Jones and Genoway's 1967 study.
Regional distribution of bats along the lower Missouri River in SD
Completed Masters Thesis: Brandon Bales
Download a .pdf file of the thesis.
I recorded migratory behaviors/patterns and migratory timing of bats in South Dakota, specifically
those that may use the Missouri River drainage as a corridor. I also documented the distribution,
seasonal activity pattern and habitat selection of bats utilizing the Missouri River drainage.
Survey work on the Missouri River
Survey work - The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks & South Dakota Bat Working Group have
begun monitoring bats in riparian areas along the central portion of the Missouri River in South Dakota.
On September 9, 2004, we netted a female Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) at Farm Island
Recreation Area which had been banded previously with a cream-colored plastic band engraved with 329P.
This bat was originally captured and banded by Vicki Swier at Farm Island on July 25, 2002.
