San Antonio Saves the Bat Cave, Protects Drinking Water in One Deal

But on Halloween, their nightmare ended when a $20.5 million real estate deal, backed by the city of San Antonio, private donors, non-profit groups and more, saw the transfer of land near the Bracken Bat Cave from Galo Properties to the Nature Conservancy.

Home to 20 million Mexican free-tail bats, most of them pregnant mothers and nursing newborns, the cave is in one of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. — and nearly became neighbors with a 3,800-house subdivision. Read more at nextcity.org.