What We Do

GateKeeper beam-break system emitter and detector heads installed on the gate at James cave, Edmonson County, KY from inside the cave.

Bat Conservation International builds productive professional relationships with federal, state and other entities by assisting in funding, planning and conducting habitat protection, enhancement and restoration to benefit bats and ecosystems.

We work closely with colleagues from a range of disciplines to improve bat-habitat management through research and education, and by continually assessing emerging threats and our current state of knowledge.

Examples of Success
Bat Conservation International has worked for decades to conserve critical bat habitats in North America. Some of our achievements include:

• Appalachian Saltpeter Caves Project – Bat Conservation International’s efforts to identify, locate and assess caves that do not currently house bats have resulted in the discovery of several priority hibernacula that were previously unknown to state and federal agencies. Many of these sites were identified by surveying roosts that previously held bats or exhibit physical features that suggesting they may once have sheltered significant colonies. This project also identified several sites not currently used by bats that probably can be restored to conditions suitable for bats. Cooperating with this project is cited in the Indiana Bat Draft Recovery Plan (2007) as a Recovery Action.



• Cave Microclimate and Habitat Research and Restoration Efforts – Our pioneering work, with federal, state and non-government partners, to monitor temperature and humidity in 21 caves and mines began in 1998. This project produced the most complete set of microclimate-monitoring data ever collected in bat hibernacula, information that continues to guide many conservation and restoration actions. Bat Conservation International’s collaborative efforts to study the microclimatic response to restoration of Saltpetre Cave in Carter County, Kentucky, following centuries of human disturbance has served as a model for cave-restoration projects. The cave was closed to human entry, bat-friendly gates were installed, and historical airflow was restored. Hibernating Indiana myotis populations in Saltpetre Cave have grown steadily from dozens when restoration began in 1998 to nearly 7,000 in 2007!



• Promotion and Installation of New Technology to Monitor and Manage Bat Habitat – Bat Conservation International installed and tested the GateKeeper beam-break monitoring system at important hibernation sites for eastern rare bats. The system aims infrared beams across cave openings and counts bats that pass through the beams. This promising new technology allows biologists to continually and remotely monitor bat activity and may eventually provide improved population estimates – without disturbing the bats.