Wappapello Lake is the host of many bat species. Some of these species are threatened or endangered.  To better facilitate the needs of the endangered Indiana bat, gray bat, and the threatened northern long-eared bat is in our area, the Corps of Engineers work in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to monitor and protect these bats. As part of this effort, the agencies spend two weeks in early summer trapping for bat species across the project lands. The agencies collaborate and determine locations that would be ideal for the bat species. Once these areas have been selected, multiple mist nets are set up at each location and bats are humanly captured, identified, measured, catalogued and then promptly released uninjured. If an Indiana bat, gray bat, or northern long-eared bat is successfully captured a telemetry transmitter may be attached for further tracking. The transmitter usually lasts for about a week and will be used to track bats back to their daytime roosting location. Researchers are better able to understand, monitor and hopefully help protect each species through these efforts.