Bat Success Stories

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Kimberly Smith

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Some endangered bats in the United States are making a comeback thanks to conservation efforts involving non-profit organizations working with government agencies, says a University of Arkansas professor.

Kimberly G. Smith, professor of biological sciences in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, recently presented an invited talk on endangered bats in the United States at the International Seminar on the Conservation and Management of Endangered Bats held in Gwangju, South Korea.

“Over the last 25 years, the United States has emerged as one of the world leaders in bat conservation,” Smith said. Of the 45 bat species found in the continental United States, four species and two sub-species of big-eared bats qualify as endangered based on the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and another 20 are considered to be near-threatened. Three endangered species of bats occur in Arkansas: gray, Indiana and Ozark big-eared bats.

Like many mammals, bats have declined in number due to habitat loss and decreasing foraging areas, but they also face a unique problem — disturbance in their cave roosts. Bat species that hibernate in the winter need caves where they will not be disturbed — if aroused from winter sleep, the bats might not have enough energy to make it until spring, because they have few fat reserves and high metabolic rates.

“A bat could use a month’s worth of energy in a matter of minutes,” Smith said.

Some species, like the endangered gray bat, form maternal caves in the summer where females give birth to young and bachelor caves where males roost. Disturbance of the maternal caves can cause females to abandon their young.

Also, former practices in industrial mines sometimes doomed bats. Mining companies used to use dynamite or concrete to seal off the openings of abandoned mines.

“In doing so, they entombed a lot of bats,” Smith said.

Bat Conservation International, a non-governmental organization founded in the United States in 1982, has worked with government agencies, educational institutions and private industry to develop programs that promote sustainable use of natural resources that benefit both bats and people.

In 1994, the nonprofit organization and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management created the Bats and Mines Project to protect bats that use abandoned mines as caves. These organizations have built local partnerships with federal and state agencies, mining companies and private organizations, and this collaborative effort has led to the installation of more than 1,000 bat-friendly gates on old mines. As this project has evolved, pre-closure surveys have become commonplace, and old mines have become bat sanctuaries.

“As a direct result, the Indiana bats and sub-species of big-eared bats are now showing real signs of recovery,” Smith said.

The organization also has worked with state and federal highway departments to build bat-friendly bridges where the animals can safely roost, resulting in a decrease in the decline of some bats, such as the western Townsend’s big-eared bat. Many bat species can be attracted to existing bridges by adding bat-friendly structures, or new bridges can be designed with structures that cost almost nothing, Smith said.

Another program, the North American Bat Conservation Partnership, seeks to identify the most essential needs for bat research, conservation and education in Mexico, Canada and the United States. This project brings together universities, conservation groups, state and federal agencies and private industry for documentation, conservation and management of bats, with the eventual goal of having local wildlife agencies develop their own bat conservation plans.

In addition, Bat Conservation International encourages the use of bat boxes and bat houses to attract roosting bats. At least 13 species of bats use bat houses in the United States, and more than 100,000 bats roost in them annually, Smith said.

In 1995, Smith gave a talk on Conservation of Mammals in the United States at the first International Wildlife Conservation Symposium in Seoul, South Korea. One of his former students, Changman Won, Ph. D., is now in charge of endangered animals for Korea and he suggested Smith as the presenter from North America for this symposium.

For information on Bat Conservation International, visit http://www.batcon.org.