Imperiled Species

Conservation Issue

A gatehouse on the Historical Entrance to saltpeter Cave at carter Caves State Resort Park, KY – after BCI replaced the former vertical ‘jail bars’ with modern and bat-friendly angle iron gate bars.

Among the 47 species of bats that inhabit the United States and Canada, four species and three subspecies are listed as federally Endangered.

All of these bats face conflicts with humans as their habitats are increasingly destroyed or altered. Most also face such grave, new dangers as increasing numbers of wind turbines and the spread of White-nose Syndrome.

A GateKeeper beam-break array from inside Wyandotte Cave, Crawford County, Indiana, with the cave entrance in the background

Four Endangered species and subspecies make seasonal use of caves and abandoned mines, which are also facing human impacts.