Michigan Technological University
OP-10: Biodiversity

-Quincy Mine, directly adjacent to MTU property, is critical habitat hibernaculum for the endangered northern long-eared bat.

-Regenerating stands of jack pine in the Baraga Plains area of the Copper Country State forest AND in sections of the Ottawa National forest are managed for the endangered Kirtland's Warbler. Both of those management units are adjacent to MTU's Alberta forest unit.

-MTU land comprises a portion and is adjacent to the Baraga plains state wildlife refuge, a key migratory corridor for international waterfowl. MTU coordinates with MI EGLE to restrict access during important dates for migration https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/publications/pdfs/huntingwildlifehabitat/SWGAs/Baraga_Plains_SWMA_map.pdf

Animals and Birds:
-gray wolf (endangered)
-northern long-eared bat (endangered)
-tricolored bat (vulnerable, elevation to endangered proposed)
-common loon (threatened)
-evening whipor-will (special concern)
-Kirtland's warbler (endangered)
-Least Bittern (threatened)
-Northern Goshawk (threatened)
-Spruce Grouse (threatened)

plants
-bladderwort (threatened)
-Black sedge (endangered)
-Compass plant (endangered)
-Floating marsh marigold (endangered)
-Mountain cranberry (endangered)

There are several key areas of importance. First, we manage stands of jack pine, which host an abundant population of spruce grouse (listed as threatened by MI DNR). These stands of jack pine also serve as important breeding habitat for Kirtland’s Warbler, a species listed as threatened by MI DNR. For both species, we are engaged in cooperative management of these areas between MI DNR, and NFWS (Ottawa NF). We have also documented an activity center of gray wolves (listed as endangered) in jack pine forests owned by MTU and are continuing to monitor and assess the use of these areas as wolf habitat.

Another location of biodiversity importance owned by MTU includes a large stand of eastern hemlock and white cedar that serves as an important winter deer yard complex. Adjacent to the winter deer yard complex, is a diverse stand of mixed age aspen, oak, and maple. These floristic diversity and structural complexity of this forest has created a biodiversity hotspot characterized by large and diverse assemblages of breeding migratory songbirds, dense population of ruffed grouse and small mammals, and the carnivore community reliant on the grouse and small mammals: fisher, American marten, black bear, red fox, etc.

Additionally, we own numerous wetland complexes that are sites of longitudinal studies and are managed to maintain and enhance plant and animal diversity. These areas serve not only as important biodiversity locations, but also as critical learning spaces for students and ongoing faculty research. See" https://www.mtu.edu/forest/about/faculty-staff/faculty/chimner/

We have done intensive acoustic and camera trap monitoring in floristically rich locations that have been identified as hotspots of wildlife diversity on our forests.

Arrays of Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs) and classifiers, including Raven Pro and Sonobat live, to identify birds and bats. We also run numerous live traps to measure small mammal diversity, as well as also deploy numerous arrays of camera traps for large mammals. We also operate two long-term mistnetting stations in forests owned by MTU to assess avian diversity. Lastly, we regularly conduct ad hoc audiovisual surveys for amphibians and reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Taxonomically broad and long-term. We have operated our first mistnetting operation and small mammal trapping efforts since 2018, ARU arrays have been deployed since 2020. Systematic deployment of camera traps has been occurring since at least 2015, while ad hoc audiovisual surveys have occurred for decades. Regarding annual effort, we run our two bird banding stations (each with 10 mist nets, 12x3m) at least 5 times per year. Our mammal trapping efforts occur at 2 to 10 sites, depending on the year, where we regularly deploy 40 individual Sherman traps per site, and visit each site at least 5 times per year. We deploy systematic grids of camera traps (13 camera traps in total) for 5-6 weeks each year.

Additionally, there are numerous abandoned mine hibernacula in the area, several are part of ongoing studies out of MTU focused on reducing the impacts of white-nose syndrome on bat overwintering bat populations. Those assessments extend beyond the hibernacula: during the spring, summer, and early fall months, many of these bats, including the federally endangered northern long-eared bat will day roost in standing dead trees, or "snags".

We are leveraging our biodiversity data for multiple management initiatives. First, we are in continual collaboration with EGLE (MI DNR) and NFWS to co-manage the aforementioned Jack Pine stands that play a key role in supporting numerous endangered species. We actively manage those stands as Kirtland’s Warbler habitat to provide the growing population additional breeding locations in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

In similarly cooperative fashion, we align management plans and research activities with MI DNR for the biodiversity hotspot adjacent to the winter deer yard complex as a Grouse Enhanced Management (GEM) site, to maximize the habitat quality for wildlife.

Management for endangered bats is dynamic given the decline of tricolored bat, and the conversation is ongoing. for now, we are managing to minimize any potential impact on dead trees or snags that could serve as roosts for long eared and tricolored bats. With many hibernacula in abandoned mines on and in close proximity to MTU property, we are in consultation with USFWS and EGLE to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan for the tricolored bat that is all but certain to be listed as endangered in the next year due to white nose syndrome's impact on the population.