Priority Species

Connecting Habitat, Readiness, and Long-Term Landscape Stewardship

Camp Atterbury supports large blocks of forest, riparian corridors, wetlands, and transitional habitat that are important for priority species, including the Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat. These same landscapes also support the installation’s long-term training mission by helping maintain compatible land conditions around Camp Atterbury.

This section examines how habitat, development patterns, and land use change intersect across the surrounding landscape. As suitable habitat changes outside the installation boundary, conservation opportunities on nearby private lands become increasingly important for supporting species recovery, maintaining habitat connectivity, and reducing future regulatory constraints on training.

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Pre-1940s: A Patchwork Landscape Before Camp Atterbury

  • Before Camp Atterbury was established, the area was mostly a patchwork of small farms, pastures, and scattered woodlots in Johnson, Bartholomew, and Brown counties, just north of the more forested southern Indiana.
  • Indiana bats and Northern long-eared bats utilized riparian forests, oak-hickory stands, and upland hardwood habitats throughout southern Indiana for roosting and foraging.
  • Caves in southern Indiana provided important winter hibernation habitat, with bats seasonally moving between hibernation sites and surrounding summer forests.
  • Brown County and the future Camp Atterbury landscape contained extensive forest and bottomland habitat that would later support both military readiness and priority species habitat.

1940s–1960s: Installation Establishment and Habitat Retention

  • Camp Atterbury was established in 1942, transforming agricultural lands into military training space but forest cores were preserved inside the new installation boundary.
  • Because Atterbury preserved large forest blocks within its boundary, upland and riparian roost habitats remained largely intact within and adjacent to the installation.
  • From the 1940s through the 1960s, development on the installation was concentrated in cantonment, road, and range infrastructure, so much of the interior forest and riparian habitat stayed relatively intact.
  • As a result, conditions remained suitable for Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat roosting and foraging in and around Camp Atterbury.

1967–1990s: Federal Listing and Early Conservation Planning

  • Indiana bats were federally listed as endangered in 1967 following documented population declines. In 1983, a federal recovery plan emphasized protecting hibernation sites, maternity roosts, and connected forest habitat across the species’ range, including areas surrounding Camp Atterbury and Brown County.
  • During this period, both Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat populations experienced continued declines associated with habitat change, hibernacula disturbance, and other environmental stressors.
  • Surveys conducted at Camp Atterbury in the late 1990s documented Indiana bat maternity colonies, identified roost trees, and confirmed foraging activity along Nineveh Creek, the Driftwood River, and ponds near the multi-impact training range.
  • As suburban growth and transportation infrastructure expanded in Johnson and Bartholomew Counties, habitat fragmentation increased across portions of the surrounding landscape. Brown County, however, retained substantial forest cover that continued supporting regional habitat connectivity.

2000s–2010s: Development Expansion and Habitat Fragmentation

  • During the 2000s and 2010s, suburban and transportation-related development expanded across portions of Johnson County, converting some forested areas into residential, commercial, and transportation infrastructure.
  • Development along the US-31 and I-65 corridors introduced additional lighting, noise, and landscape fragmentation near portions of existing bat habitat.
  • Indiana bat populations reached historically low levels during the early 2000s, reflecting the cumulative effects of long-term habitat change, disturbance pressures, and increasing fragmentation across portions of the surrounding landscape.
  • The emergence of white-nose syndrome in Indiana in 2011 introduced an additional regional stressor that further affected Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat populations.

2015–2020s: Dual Listings and Increasing Landscape Pressure

  • The Northern long-eared bat was federally listed as threatened in 2015 and reclassified as endangered in 2023 as populations continued experiencing regional declines.
  • As development and infrastructure expanded around portions of the surrounding landscape, ESA compliance considerations became increasingly important for long-term planning and land management around Camp Atterbury.
  • Residential growth and associated infrastructure contributed to changes in forest structure and connectivity north and east of the installation, including the loss of some potential roost trees and narrowing of forested corridors.
  • Brown County continued retaining substantial forest cover, though increasing rural subdivision patterns introduced additional considerations for maintaining long-term habitat connectivity.

2040–2050: Future Habitat and Readiness Considerations

  • Scenario-based habitat projections indicate that suitable summer habitat conditions for Indiana bats and Northern long-eared bats may shift across portions of the eastern United States under different modeled future conditions.
  • Across all four scenarios, areas of projected habitat gain and reduction vary over time, illustrating how habitat connectivity and regional forest conditions may continue evolving throughout the century.
  • Land use change and continued forest fragmentation near transportation and suburban corridors may influence habitat connectivity in portions of the landscape surrounding Camp Atterbury.
  • Camp Atterbury’s role as a connected forest landscape may continue increasing as surrounding habitat conditions change, reinforcing the value of long-term habitat planning, conservation partnerships, and compatible land management strategies.
  • Management approaches such as reforestation, conservation easements, and maintaining forested buffers may help support habitat connectivity while also assisting with long-term ESA planning and mission sustainability.

Impervious Surface Growth and Bat Conservation Focal Areas

Forests in and around Camp Atterbury provide important roosting and foraging habitat for federally listed bat species, including the Indiana bat and Northern long-eared bat. Over time, land cover across the surrounding region has shifted through cycles of agriculture, forest regeneration, and more recent suburban and infrastructure expansion. These changes increasingly influence habitat connectivity and landscape conditions near the installation.

The interactive map below displays impervious surface change from 1984 to 2024 alongside U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Conservation Focal Areas (CFAs) for bats in Indiana. These focal areas identify watersheds and connected habitat systems considered important for supporting bat movement, roosting, foraging, and long-term conservation planning. (Source: USFWS Indiana Bat Conservation Focal Areas, revised 2025 )

Together, the map layers illustrate how development patterns increasingly overlap with forested corridors, riparian systems, and connected habitat areas associated with federally listed bat species. The hotspot windows highlight locations near Franklin/Whiteland, Edinburgh, and Trafalgar where impervious surface growth has expanded near mapped conservation focal areas and forest connectivity zones.

Understanding where development patterns intersect with conservation focal areas is important for long-term landscape planning, conservation coordination, and evaluating future Endangered Species Act (ESA) considerations associated with military training and surrounding land use change.

Explore impervious surface change around Camp Atterbury from 1984–2024 alongside U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Conservation Focal Areas for bats in Indiana. The timeline and hotspot windows highlight locations where development patterns increasingly overlap with forested habitat corridors and watershed-scale connectivity areas associated with federally listed bat species.

Camp Atterbury’s Ecological Network

The habitats that support Indiana bats and Northern long-eared bats are part of a broader ecological network of forests, streams, wetlands, and transitional edge habitats around Camp Atterbury. These connected habitats support multiple priority species and help guide restoration, conservation, and land management priorities across the landscape.

The five species highlighted below represent different parts of Camp Atterbury’s ecological setting, from forest canopies and riparian corridors to upland and edge habitats. Together, they show how habitat stewardship can support multiple species while also helping maintain compatible landscapes around the installation.


Featured Species

Click or tap a card to flip and learn about habitat, threats, and conservation needs.

Pressures on a Changing Landscape

Brown County remains one of the southern Indiana region’s most intact forest landscapes, continuing to support important roosting habitat and seasonal movement corridors for federally listed bat species. In contrast, increasing residential and infrastructure development in Johnson and Bartholomew Counties has altered forest connectivity, reduced the availability of mature roost trees, and increased the overlap between development patterns and habitat areas associated with protected species.

Looking ahead, projections suggest that suitable summer habitat conditions may continue shifting across the region over time. As surrounding land use changes, Camp Atterbury’s role as both a military training landscape and habitat anchor for priority species will become increasingly important. Proactive conservation planning, habitat management, and coordination with surrounding landowners and partners can help maintain landscape connectivity, support long-term training flexibility, and reduce future Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance constraints associated with military readiness and land management activities.

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