When it comes to finding a place to live, bats are a lot like real estate agents. It’s all about ECO-LOCATION … Location … Location.
When selecting the right cave, bats are looking for very particular things – a protective shelter, stable temperatures, and a comfortable spot to hang upside down and sleep/hibernate. All these amenities are available in Liberty’s bat cave in Southwest Missouri.
Seven years ago, Liberty became the proud owner of 20 acres which previously served as a limestone quarry. When the quarry ceased operations, the pit flooded and a colony of bats moved into the mineshafts. More than 78,000 (as of the most recent count) of bats have made the cave home.
Recently, Liberty hosted a visit to the quarry to view the bats leaving the cave for a night on the town. It was an opportunity for Liberty’s consultants, and representatives from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Missouri Department of Conservation to see what is being done to protect the gray bat – the largest of the species found in Missouri.
“We had about 20 people attend,” says Gregory Jarman, Manager, Compliance-Renewable and Environmental. “It’s a neat experience to bring everyone together to show them what they’re helping to protect.”
The gray bat is found in a limited range in areas in the southeastern United States, according to the wildlife service. Hibernating populations are generally concentrated in caves across northern Alabama and Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. Their summer range extends east into Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, southern Illinois and Indiana, and northwestern Georgia. They can typically be found roosting in caves, mines, quarries, storm sewers, and culverts. The quarry site offers a unique ecosystem that supports the health and future of the endangered population in Southwest Missouri.
The visiting group gathered at the top of the entrance to the quarry to watch the nightly mass exodus from the cave to hunt for food, water, and spend some time just hanging out in the great outdoors. They put on quite a show upon their exit, says Jarman.
“Our most recent count was pre-pup (“pup” being the term for baby bats), so all the little ones were out flying around too,” says Jarman. “We probably had more than 100,000 bats come out that night.”
Liberty also offers a Gray Bat Mitigation Bank for developers and/or operators of U.S.-based wind projects or other developments.
“It’s a very unique project, because we’re the only gray bat mitigation bank in the country,” Jarman says. “There are preserved areas and maternal colonies, but none have been set up as a bank and protected like we have.”
Liberty's bat cave is a great program that helps us – and others – meet environmental requirements while protecting this endangered species. That's a win you can sink your fangs into!