Bat Activity on High Elevation Reforested Coal Mines in the Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia

The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a practical guide to reforesting surface mined lands. Bats, a group of mammals with declining populations, could benefit from mine reforestation. To determine if the FRA can provide suitable bat foraging habitat, we surveyed bat activity at created depressional wetlands on 1-year-old and 8-year-old FRA reforested lands (FRA1; FRA8), wetlands in naturally regenerating forest on traditionally reclaimed mined land (similar to 40 years old; REGEN), and wetlands in mature forest not previously mined (MAT). We passively recorded echolocation calls for 12 nights across 16 sites between June and August 2021. We analyzed bat activity using the number of recordings, pulses, and feeding buzzes in conjunction with nocturnal insect abundance and biomass, microhabitat characteristics, and landscape characteristics via generalized linear mixed effects modeling. Both FRA1 and FRA8 had activity levels similar to MAT. REGEN had significantly greater foraging activity than the other three land classes, possibly due to its distance from roads and proximity to forest edges. Insect abundance and biomass were comparable across sites, indicating FRA practices do not hinder the establishment of a prey base for bats. Overall, bats are utilizing the restored mined land for foraging. Reforestation of mined lands, complemented with wetland creation, provides habitat that could benefit bat species conservation in Appalachia.