Eastern Small-footed Myotis

Species information

The following is a report on progress made towards the protection and recovery of Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Myotis leibii) in Ontario from 2007 to 2022, based on Ontario’s species-specific recovery policy. This report meets the legislative requirement for a review of progress under the Endangered Species Act, 2007  (ESA or “the Act”). Eastern Small-footed Myotis is listed as endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List under the ESA.

Eastern Small-footed Myotis was listed as an endangered species under the ESA on June 27, 2014.

The species-specific recovery policy for Eastern Small-footed Myotis, known as the Government Response Statement (GRS) was published in 2018 and includes the government’s recovery goal for the species and the actions and priorities it intends to lead or support to help achieve that goal. The GRS considers science advice provided in the recovery strategy (published in 2017), such as species biology, habitat needs, threats to survival, knowledge gaps and approaches to recovery, when developing recovery actions for the species. As legislated in the Act, the purpose of this Review is to report on progress made towards implementing the protection and recovery actions in the GRS. The review can also help identify opportunities to adjust and adapt the implementation of protection and recovery actions to achieve the recovery goal for the species.

Further information about Eastern Small-footed Myotis, including the threats that it faces, and actions being taken to help protect and recover this species is available on the Government of Ontario webpage for Eastern Small-footed Myotis. A summary on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Eastern Small-footed Myotis and an annual update on the broader species at risk program (i.e. the Introduction to the 2023 Review of Progress report) is available on the Review of Progress towards the Protection and Recovery of Ontario’s Species at Risk webpage.

Snapshot: Progress towards the protection and recovery of Eastern Small-footed Myotis

Progress towards meeting the recovery goal

• The recovery goal in the Government Response Statement (GRS) for Eastern Small-footed Myotis in Ontario is to “maintain the persistence of the species at existing locations in Ontario while filling knowledge gaps related to the species’ biology, habitat requirements, and the presence and severity of threats.” In the long-term, the government’s goal is to “support a self-sustaining Eastern Small-footed Myotis provincial population throughout its current range.”
• Progress has been made towards implementing all of the government-led actions. Progress has been made towards implementing all of the government-supported recovery objectives and all of the associated actions. Examples of progress include:
  • Identifying, surveying, and monitoring roosting and maternity sites for Eastern Small-footed Myotis at varying scales
  • Filling knowledge gaps on seasonal distribution and roost selection of Eastern Small-footed Myotis through acoustic monitoring and roost exit surveys
  • Investigating the effects of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) on Eastern Small-footed Myotis survival
• In alignment with the GRS, further work is required to:
  • Maintain and update WNS decontamination protocols, coordinate national-level WNS monitoring, and identify related data gaps and data management needs
  • Collaborate with other organizations to evaluate and where appropriate implement monitoring to assess the potential impacts of WNS at hibernacula, and determine the feasibility of implementing monitoring to assess impacts of the disease at summer roost sites for Eastern Small-footed Myotis

Occurrences and distribution:

• Forty populations of Eastern Small-footed Myotis have been documented in several locations across Ontario, especially Southern Ontario. Currently, 26 of these populations are extant, whereas the remaining 14 are considered historical.
• Twenty-one populations of Eastern Small-Footed Myotis have been newly-identified since 2008, while five populations were reconfirmed as extant.
• Since 2014, the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) has received 128 records of the species based on observations made between 1949 and 2022.

Government-supported stewardship projects:

• Through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program, the Government of Ontario has supported 21 projects (by providing $1,358,569 in funding) designed to contribute to the protection and recovery of multiple species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Twenty of these projects were designed to provide benefits to multiple species at risk (e.g., landscape-level habitat restoration, or outreach and education focusing on a certain group of species such as those present in a local region), while one project focused exclusively on Eastern Small-footed Myotis.
• The government’s support helped its stewardship partners to involve 849 individuals who volunteered 12,038 hours of their time towards protection and recovery activities for species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. The estimated value of these voluntary contributions, as well as additional funding and in-kind support, is $1,778,869.
• Stewardship partners reported that through their actions approximately 117 hectares of habitat were enhanced for Eastern Small-footed Myotis and other species at risk that inhabit the same ecosystem.
• Stewardship partners reported providing outreach on multiple species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis, to 2,847,440 individuals.

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery:

• The Government of Ontario has issued nineteen permits for this species: Two ‘human health or safety’ permits were issued under clause 17(2)(a), six ‘protection or recovery’ permits were issued under clause 17(2)(b), six ‘overall benefit’ permits were issued under clause 17(2)(c), and five ‘social or economic benefit’ permits were issued under clause 17(2)(d) of the ESA.
• One-hundred and twenty activities have been registered for the species. The activities were registered under ‘drainage works’ (section 23.9), ‘ecosystem protection’ (section 23.11), ‘transition – development ongoing when species first listed, etc.’ (section 23.13), ‘pits and quarries’ (section 23.14), ‘possession for educational purposes, etc.’ (section 23.15), ‘species protection, recovery activities’ (section 23.17), ‘threats to health and safety, not imminent’ (section 23.18), and ‘wind facilities’ (section 23.20) under Ontario Regulation 242/08 of the ESA.

Reporting on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Eastern Small-footed Myotis

The implementation of government-led and government-supported actions demonstrates progress towards reaching the desired objectives and the recovery goal set out in the GRS.

Progress towards implementing government-led actions

Progress has been made towards implementing all the government-led actions identified in the GRS. Common actions for the government to lead as it works towards achieving a species’ recovery goal include:

• Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
• Encourage the submission of Eastern Small-footed Myotis data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre.
• Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.
• Continue to protect Eastern Small-footed Myotis and its habitat through the ESA.
• Support conservation, agency, municipal and industry partners, and Indigenous communities and organizations to undertake activities to protect and recover Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Support will be provided where appropriate through funding, agreements, permits (including conditions) and/or advisory services.
• Encourage collaboration, and establish and communicate annual priority actions for government support in order to reduce duplication of efforts.

Additionally, the government has directly undertaken the following species-specific actions:

• Continue to implement Ontario’s White-nose Syndrome Response Plan to address the threat of Pseudogymnoascus destructans on Eastern Small-footed Myotis, and coordinate WNS prevention, surveillance and monitoring efforts with other provincial, national and international plans including the Canadian Health Wildlife Cooperative’s (CWHC) National Wildlife Disease Database, North American Bat Monitoring Program, and national WNS Working Groups.
• Coordinate Ontario-based Eastern Small-footed Myotis research and monitoring, including government-supported efforts undertaken by partners, and integrate with national and international efforts (e.g., North American Bat Monitoring Program).
• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing bat survey protocols for Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Based on this evaluation and if necessary, develop a protocol to be used by proponents and partners to survey for the presence or absence of Eastern Small-footed Myotis.
• Continue to conduct research and population monitoring for Eastern Small-footed Myotis at known hibernacula, identify potential roost sites and swarming sites, monitor maternity roosts, and increase understanding of habitat use for different life stages.
• Apply multiple methods (including genetics, mark-recapture surveys and trend analysis) to estimate Eastern Small-footed Myotis population size, trends over time, and response to WNS.
• Continue to contribute to Bird Studies Canada’s Wind Energy Bird and Bat Monitoring Database to improve understanding of negative effects of wind power on bats.
• Continue to undertake outreach and collaborate with stakeholders in the mining industry and groups using caves to increase awareness and reduce impacts of activities on Eastern Small-footed Myotis, and prevent the spread of WNS.

Key progress made towards implementing these actions is described in the following sections.

Ontario’s White-nose Syndrome Response Plan

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) continues to implement Ontario’s White-nose Syndrome Response Plan to monitor the threat of the Pseudogymnoascus destructans fungus to bat populations. A funded partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) provides White-nose syndrome (WNS) surveillance and monitoring. The 2022 CWHC Annual National Bat Health Report states necropsies were performed on 349 deceased bat specimens, which were collected and provided by provincial, territorial, federal, and other partners. Cause of death was determined for 194 specimens; trauma, primarily caused by cat predation, was the most common cause of death (33.5%) while white-nose syndrome accounted for 2.1% of deaths. The CWHC concluded that WNS in this year’s sample was relatively uncommon but “remains important to be vigilant for.” The CWHC partnership also provides a host of tools and information to support prevention and mitigation as well as management and response, which are available online at the CWHC website. In addition, Ontario provides public messaging about White-nose Syndrome via Ontario.ca. 

In particular, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section (WRMS) continues to implement Ontario’s WNS Response Plan for Eastern Small-footed Myotis. At two maternity roosts in Southwestern Ontario, WRMS has been collecting data on survivorship and reproductive success using a variety of methods, including pre-volant (period before bat pups can fly) and post-volant (period when bat pups start to fly) exit counts and the capture and marking of individuals. WRMS has also been monitoring for any wing damage and skin anomalies caused by past WNS infection in captured adult female Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Similarly, numbers of Eastern Small-footed Myotis, as well as other species at risk (SAR) bats, have been monitored at an important swarming/hibernaculum site close to these maternity roosts. Captured individuals are sexed, banded, and assessed for WNS damage prior to release.    

Bat acoustic data from 15 locations along the Southern Niagara Escarpment and Lake Erie shoreline were collected in 2021 and 2022 following North American Bat (NABat) survey protocols. Eastern Small-footed Myotis recordings were obtained at some of these sites. These data will be provided to the NABat monitoring program once analysis has been completed. By doing so, WRMS is progressing the government-led action of coordinating Ontario-based Eastern Small-footed Myotis research and monitoring by integrating with national and international efforts through partners such as the NABat monitoring program.                           

Research on Maternity Habitat for Eastern Small-footed Myotis

Using multiple techniques, the province has performed research on Ontario maternity habitat for Eastern Small-footed Myotis, which is helping to inform assessment and development of SAR bat survey protocols. Bat surveys may help determine species presence and use of rock and crevice habitat for roosting, narrow the timing window for when Eastern Small-footed Myotis are in hibernation, and support advice on the timing of work in these habitats. WRMS provides data and information to partners such as Conservation Authorities, universities, and Indigenous groups, to support local bat monitoring and conservation efforts.

Research, Population Monitoring, and Habitat Use

WRMS has continued monitoring Eastern Small-footed Myotis maternity roosts in 2021 and 2022, developing a more complete picture of bat numbers and activity levels through the maternity season. These efforts have resulted in evidence of female inter-annual site fidelity (the tendency for females to return to the same site each year) and natal philopatry (young returning to or remaining in the territory they were born), as well as evidence that females first arrive back at the maternity roosts very early (in late March) and will return periodically after swarming up until the end of November. Males have been found to remain at swarming/hibernation sites into June. Research has also been undertaken to compare anthropogenic (artificially created) and natural rock roosts of Eastern Small-footed Myotis. This information can be used to inform determination of timing windows for permitted activities that may affect roost habitats.

WRMS has also been banding, tagging, and tracking adults and juveniles at two maternity roosts since 2016, and periodically at an important swarming site since 2018. This information can be used to track trends over time for these local Southern Ontario populations. Additional coverage in other parts of the province could be used to estimate trends for Eastern Small-footed Myotis at the provincial scale.

Finally, to support longer-term genetic research on bats, WRMS has put together a gene bank of tail membrane and guano (excrement) samples, gathered from material from a few hundred individual Eastern Small-footed Myotis from roosts and hibernacula across Ontario.

Occurrences and distribution

Forty populations^{footnote 1[1]} of Eastern Small-footed Myotis have been documented in Ontario. Twenty-six are considered to be extant (i.e., observed within the past 20 years), while 14 are considered to be historical^{footnote 2[2]}. The extant populations are located in various locations across Ontario, particularly Southern Ontario, including Kawartha Highlands, Rockwood Conservation Area, and Gibson River Provincial Park. Since 2014, the government’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) has received 128 records of the species. These records are based on observations between 1949 and 2022 and come from a variety of sources. Records submitted have helped to refine where the species is known and has been known to occur and can provide additional information on the species’ habitat and threats.

Since 2008, 21 new populations have been identified. Five populations that were identified in 2008 were reconfirmed as extant in 2023. The newly identified local populations are likely the result of increased search effort and education about Eastern Small-footed Myotis and may not represent actual population increases, but rather increased knowledge about the distribution of the species.

It is possible that there are observations of Eastern Small-footed Myotis that have not been submitted to the government. Encouraging the submission of observations of this species is included in the GRS as a government-led action. Submission of species observations increases our knowledge of where they occur and can play an important role in assessing the viability of species populations.

Everyone is encouraged, or may be required by an authorization or approval to submit observations of Eastern Small-footed Myotis, and any other species at risk observed, to the NHIC for incorporation into the provincial record of observations.

Government-supported stewardship projects

An important government-led action in the GRS for Eastern Small-footed Myotis is to support partners to undertake activities to protect and recover the species. Through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program the government has supported 21 projects ($1,358,569) designed to contribute to the protection and recovery of multiple species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis^{footnote 3[3]}. Twenty of these projects were designed to provide benefits to multiple species at risk (e.g., landscape-level habitat restoration, or outreach and education focusing on a certain group of species such as those present in a local region), while one project focused exclusively on Eastern Small-footed Myotis. In addition to the government funding, these partners reported they were successful in securing additional funding ($1,778,869) from other sources, including in-kind support in the form of time and expertise provided by volunteers.

Stewardship partners reported that provincial funding helped them to secure in-kind support by involving 849 individuals who volunteered 12,038 hours of their time towards protection and recovery activities for multiple species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis, which has an estimated value of $414,664. Partners also reported that through both their efforts and the efforts of their volunteers to implement the GRS, they were successful in enhancing 117 hectares of habitat that will benefit multiple species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. In addition, stewardship partners reported providing ecosystem-based outreach on multiple species, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis, to 2,847,440 individuals.

The remainder of this section highlights three projects supported through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program as well as the corresponding government-supported recovery actions for the species.

A 2016 project by RiverStone Environmental Solutions Inc. focused on outreach and education by involving local elementary and high school students in bat conservation work. The project implemented three government-supported recovery actions: conducting research to increase knowledge (i.e., habitat, biology, and ecology) of Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Action No. 1 – High Priority); coordinating and conducting standard inventory and monitoring of Eastern Small-footed Myotis populations in historic, current, and potentially-inhabited locations, in collaboration with organizations currently involved in bat surveillance and monitoring (Action No. 7 – High Priority); and increasing awareness amongst land managers, land owners, the recreational caving community, problem/nuisance wildlife removal companies, and the general public of Eastern Small Myotis, its biology, habitat and threats to the species (Action No. 9). Students were taught to identify and map habitat for species at risk bats, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Students also assisted in conducting bat surveys and building bat boxes. Additionally, the project implemented several outreach events, including lectures on bat species at risk, educational workshops, and field trips.

A 2017 project by Natural Resource Solutions Inc. aimed to fill key knowledge gaps on maternity habitat and summer distribution of Eastern Small-footed Myotis and raise awareness of the species’ conservation needs to landowners. The project implemented three government-supported recovery actions: conducting research to increase knowledge (i.e., habitat, biology, and ecology) of Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Action No. 1 – High Priority); coordinating and conducting standard inventory and monitoring of Eastern Small-footed Myotis populations in historic, current, and potentially-inhabited locations, in collaboration with organizations currently involved in bat surveillance and monitoring (Action No. 7 – High Priority); and increasing awareness amongst land managers, land owners, the recreational caving community, problem/nuisance wildlife removal companies, and the general public of Eastern Small Myotis, its biology, habitat and threats to the species (Action No. 9). The project employed monitoring techniques such as mist-net surveys, visual searches, and radiotelemetry surveys. Researchers photographed, banded, tagged, and recorded morphometric data (including weight, sex, age class, forearm length, and evidence of disease) of captured individuals. Eleven Eastern Small-footed Myotis individuals were further tagged with radio transmitters to facilitate radiotelemetry surveys. A survey on human disturbance and activities was also distributed to landowners with properties containing confirmed Eastern Small-footed Myotis roosts.

A 2020 project by Land Care Niagara focused on identifying potential and confirmed roosting habitat; conducting outreach and education; and creating and enhancing critical habitat for multiple species at risk, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis and other bats. The project implemented four government-supported recovery actions: conducting research to increase knowledge (i.e., habitat, biology, and ecology) of Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Action No. 1 - High Priority); coordinating and conducting standard inventory and monitoring of Eastern Small-footed Myotis populations in historic, current, and potentially-inhabited locations, in collaboration with organizations currently involved in bat surveillance and monitoring (Action No. 7 - High Priority); increasing awareness amongst land managers, land owners, the recreational caving community, problem/nuisance wildlife removal companies, and the general public of Eastern Small Myotis, its biology, habitat and threats to the species (Action No. 9); and working with local land owners and community partners to support the securement of Eastern Small-footed Myotis habitat through existing land securement and stewardship programs (Action No. 10). Graduate students used Geographic Information System (GIS) software to produce maps of potential bat roosting habitat, and visual and acoustic monitoring data of SAR bats were collected and analyzed. Additionally, approximately 57 acres of trees were planted to increase availability of roosting, feeding, and nesting habitat for SAR bats including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. The project team also conducted outreach work, such as educational social media campaigns, site visits on private property containing SAR bat habitat, and providing outreach materials and resources to volunteers, landowners, and local environmental organizations.

• 
  20

  projects including Eastern Small-footed Myotis

• 
  1

  project for Eastern Small-footed Myotis exclusively

• 
  $1,358,569

  for projects that included Eastern Small-footed Myotis

• 
  $1,778,869

  in additional funding and in-kind support

• 
  849

  volunteers

• 
  12,038

  volunteer hours

• 
  2,847,440

  people received outreach

• 
  117

  hectares of habitat enhanced

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

Supporting partners through authorizations and their associated conditions is an important government-led action.

Nineteen permits have been issued for Eastern Small-footed Myotis since the species has been protected under the ESA: two ‘human health or safety’ 17(2)(a) permits, six ‘protection or recovery’ (17(2)(b) permits, six ‘overall benefit’ 17(2)(c) permits, and five ‘social or economic benefit’ 17(2)(d) permits.

‘Protection or recovery’ permits are issued if the purpose of the activity is to assist in the protection or recovery of a species at risk. Of the six ‘protection or recovery’ permits, all six were issued for multiple species, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. These permits enabled a variety of organizations to undertake activities such as enhancing habitat conditions, increasing knowledge of distribution and habitat by conducting surveys, and monitoring bat mortality from wind turbines.

Six ‘overall benefit’ permit(s) were issued for Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Of the six permits, one was issued exclusively for Eastern Small-footed Myotis and five were issued for multiple species, including Eastern Small-footed Myotis. Several of the conditions included in the permits were designed to implement government-supported actions identified in the GRS for Eastern Small-footed Myotis, including:

• Restoring habitat and enhancing habitat by planting native shrubs and trees
• Creating habitat features such as bat boxes

Other conditions designed to minimize adverse effects include:

• Training relevant personnel in proper bat identification, handling procedures, and equipment use
• Ensuring any injured bats are collected by a Qualified Biologist, and if necessary, are treated by a member of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario with appropriate experience
• Conduct monitoring and reporting on all activities undertaken in accordance with the permit

More detailed information regarding ‘overall benefit’ permits for this species is available through the Environmental Registry of Ontario.

Five ‘social and economic benefit’ (17(2)(d)) permits were issued for multiple species, including Eastern Small-Footed Myotis, as part of the authorization process for multiple public transit expansion projects.

Although the main purpose of an activity authorized by a 17(2)(d) permit is not to assist in the protection or recovery of the species, the Minister must be of the opinion that the activity will result in a significant social or economic benefit to Ontario. The Minister must also be of the opinion that the activity will not jeopardize the survival or recovery of the species in Ontario, that reasonable alternatives have been considered, and that reasonable steps to minimize adverse effects on the individual members of the species are required by the conditions of the permit.

In these permits, general conditions to minimize adverse effects on the species include:

• Ensuring a copy of the permit is kept at the Study Area when Project Activities are occurring and making it available for review by persons working the Study Area
• Reporting any Species observed within the Study Area during Project Activities to the Natural Heritage Information Centre within 10 business days of it being observed

The permits also included more detailed conditions such as:

• Ensuring that a Qualified Professional undertakes surveys in the Study Areas in order to identify the presence of Species at Risk (SAR) Bats, Maternity Roosting Structures and Treed Habitat
• Implementing Species-Specific Mitigation, Habitat Compensation, Monitoring, and Corrective Actions in the event that any Project Activities result in the removal of Maternity Roosting Structure or Treed Habitat

Registration information

One-hundred and twenty activities that may affect Eastern Small-footed Myotis or its habitat have been registered for the purposes of Ontario Regulation 242/08: ‘General’ under the ESA. Fifty-seven activities were registered under ‘threats to health and safety, not imminent’ (section 23.18); twenty-nine activities were registered under ‘Species protection, recovery activities’ (section 23.17); twenty-one activities were registered under ‘wind facilities’ (section 23.20); six activities were listed under ‘transition – development ongoing when species first listed, etc.’ (section 23.13); four activities were listed under ‘pits and quarries’ (section 23.14); one activity was listed under ‘ecosystem protection’ (section 23.11); one activity was listed under ‘drainage works’ (section 23.9); and one activity was listed under ‘possession for educational purposes, etc.’ (section 23.15). These registrations require the registrant to comply with all conditions of the regulation, such as:

• Helping to minimize or avoid adverse effects on the species
• Taking reasonable steps to minimize the adverse effects of the activity on a species and its habitat
• Reporting species observations using the Ontario Species at Risk Observation Reporting Form, and submitting them to the NHIC