RC&D Working with Conservation Partners to

Close the Gate on Potential Critical Habitat Disturbance

and Protect the Indiana Bat Habitat in Eastern Kentucky

Updated 12/10/2008

The Indiana bat is a small dark gray or grayish brown bat with a wingspan of nine and one-half to ten and one-half inches.  During the summer, females form nursery colonies under the bark of living or dead trees.  Nursery colonies are often located in wooded areas along streams or rivers or in upland forest areas.  The females have only one young during June.  The Indiana bat is insectivorous and feeds on a variety of small insects. 

During the winter, Indiana bats hibernate in caves and mines.  They usually hibernate in large dense clusters of up to several thousand individuals.  The bat’s hibernation period is September through April.

Bone Hole Cave serves as a hibernating cave for this federally endangered species.  The cave is located on a tract of land recently purchased by the Kentucky Division of Forestry and incorporated into the Tygart's State Forest in Carter County, Kentucky.  This newly purchased tract has brought the total acreage of the forest to 874 contiguous acres. 

In October of 2007, Laurel Cave at Carter Caves State Park, property adjacent to the forest, was the site of an act of vandalism when 100 hibernating Indiana Bats were killed.  These actions prompted local, state, and federal agencies to develop a partnership and had Laurel Cave gated to prevent human entrance during the critical hibernating period.

Forestry and Wildlife officials were concerned that the 181-acre tract was publicly owned; Bone Hole Cave could be subject to similar acts.  These concerns led to the Gateway Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council spearheading a project to seek funding for the protection of this rather large opening of Bone Hole Cave.  In a partnership effort, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program was able to provide funding for the project.  The WHIP contract with the Division of Forestry targeted more than $31,000 in funds to the project.  The Kentucky Division of Forestry, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the American Cave Conservation Association and other conservation partners provided additional funds and in-kind services for the implementation of the project.

American Cave Conservation Association’s (ACCA) cave gate expert, Roy D. Powers, Jr., designed the gate and led the construction efforts.  He is the primary inventor and refiner of the ACCA-style angle-iron bat gate. He is an assistant professor of Electronic Engineering Technology at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Virginia and has served as a speleological consultant to numerous federal, state, and private organizations in 42 states and 4 foreign countries.  He has constructed more than 200 gates in 21 states.

All the steel used to construct the gate was hand carried, piece by piece, to the site, and individually placed for welding, by Kentucky Division of Forestry, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and other partner employees and volunteers.

The successful implementation of this project is attributed to the numerous partnership efforts of all involved and the availability of NRCS WHIP funds to protect the critical habitat of threatened and endangered species.  The critical habitat at this site will be protected for many years to come.

Tony Burnett, Coordinator

Gateway RC&D Area

Grayson, Kentucky

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