Species Status Assessment on Bats

In a cave, two small clusters of little brown bats rest together hanging from tan rock on the ceiling of the cave.

Photo by Keith Shannon, USFWS.

Film Date:

February 23, 2021

Speaker:

Joe Kath from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Produced by:

Laura Kammin

Kathy Andrews Wright

Edited by:

Sarah Marjanovic

Questions received in advance of the conversation are listed below, with the time noted should you desire to fast-forward to a topic of interest.

00:35 Joe Kath introduction.

01:36 What is a Species Status Assessment is and what does it entail?

04:38 Species Status Assessment founded on the principles of resiliency, redundancy and representation.

06:34 The Species Status Assessment team considering the little brown, tri-colored and northern long-eared bats.

08:11 Probable next steps of the Species Status Assessments:

  • 09:50 Does the little brown bat warrant listing under the federal endangered species act?
  • 10:20 Already listed as a federally endangered species, the Species Status Assessment for the northern long-eared bat will aid in status review and development of a recovery plan.
  • 11:00 The Species Status Assessment for the tri-colored bat will help determine if this species warrants protection, or is doing better than researchers thought or if other listing actions are of higher priority.

If you are interested in viewing the text alternative for the video click the CC option at the lower margin of the video.


Kathy Andrews Wright retired from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources where she was editor of OutdoorIllinois magazine. She is currently the editor of OutdoorIllinois Journal.

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