bats mtb 150

This is a feature set depicting estimated bat activity level for the migratory tree bats (Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus), Eastern Red Bat (L. borealis), and Silver haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)) modeled using the Great Lakes bat acoustic dataset (downloadable from https://www.fws.gov/radar/acoustic/index.html and also available on the BatAmp platform). A series of spatio-temporal models were built with decision tree regression on various spatial covariates (land cover, distance from physiographic features, geography) and temporal covariates (weather, time of night, time of season) with bat pass counts (at locations specified in the Bat Sites point layer) as the response. The covariate-specific responses identified by the models were then used to predict bat pass rates across the region based on spatial characteristics, under a set of static temporal conditions associated with above-average bat activity levels. The values of each shape indicate the predicted activity level on a relative scale, taking a categorical value from a range of 24 different values. The activity levels depicted represent migratory tree bats (Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus), Eastern Red Bat (L. borealis), and Silver haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans)). A thorough description of the modeling methodology can be provided in the manuscript "Spatial models of acoustic data identify Great Lakes coasts and northern forests as bat activity hotspots" by Heist et al. (available on request from FWS Radar Project [fws.gov/radar] or Kevin Heist [[e-mail]])