A sanctuary for millions of bats
Just north of San Antonio, Texas, Bracken Cave Preserve shelters the largest colony of bats on Earth. Each summer, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats gather here to raise their young. Their nightly emergence creates one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet. This extraordinary sanctuary is already protected by Bat Conservation International, but protecting it is only the beginning. Caring for this sensitive habitat requires ongoing stewardship, land management, research, and careful protection of the surrounding landscape.
Your support helps ensure that Bracken Cave remains a safe haven for millions of bats and a global center for bat conservation.
The world’s largest bat colony
Each summer evening, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from Bracken Cave in a breathtaking river of wings visible for miles across the Texas sky.
Inside the cave, mothers raise their pups in dense clusters across the cave walls and ceiling. By mid-summer, the colony can reach 15-20 million bats, making Bracken Cave the largest known concentration of mammals on Earth.
Protecting this extraordinary colony ensures that these bats can continue to thrive and perform their vital roles in ecosystems across Texas and beyond./
Essential for ecosystems and agriculture
Mexican free-tailed bats travel hundreds of miles across Texas each night feeding on moths and other agricultural pests. These bats provide billions of dollars in natural pest control to farmers and ranchers every year.
From cotton fields to corn crops, their nightly flights help protect food systems while reducing the need for chemical pesticides.
Safeguarding Bracken Cave helps sustain one of nature’s most powerful partnerships between wildlife and agriculture.
Experience the summer bat flight
During the summer months, Bat Conservation International offers visitors the opportunity to witness the spectacular evening emergence of millions of bats from Bracken Cave.
From a carefully managed viewing area at the preserve, guests can watch as the bats spiral into the sky and begin their nightly journey across Texas to feed. These guided experiences help people from around the world connect with bats and understand why protecting them matters.
Learn more about visiting Bracken Cave Preserve and reserving a bat flight viewing experience.
A global center for bat conservation
Bracken Cave Preserve is more than a refuge—it is a shining example of how cave conservation, community, and scientific research can work hand-in-hand.
The preserve serves as a center for:
- Scientific research on bat behavior, migration, and ecology
- Training and education for the next generation of bat conservationists
- Public engagement that inspires people to care about bats and nature
- Protecting Bracken ensures that this living laboratory continues advancing conservation for bats worldwide.
Stewardship that never stops
For millions of bats, Bracken Cave is home. For Bat Conservation International, it is a cornerstone of our mission to conserve bats and the ecosystems they support. Your gift helps protect and steward this remarkable sanctuary—ensuring that the skies above Bracken Cave will continue to fill with bats each summer evening for generations to come.
Preserving Bracken Cave and the largest bat colony in the world
In 2014, working with The Nature Conservancy, the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and many regional donors, we acquired 1,500 acres of land threatened by development. Last year, we welcomed over 5,000 visitors and volunteers, but we need to improve the preserve’s infrastructure to continue showcasing this incredible wildlife destination.
The Bats
The Bracken Team
Fran Hutchins – Director, Bracken Cave Preserve
Fran has been with Bat Conservation International since 2006, directing educational bat flight programs and the restoration work on BCI’s Bracken Cave Preserve and working with Central Texas landowners protecting other bat roosts. His work at the preserve protects the largest colony of bats in the world.
He is often asked to speak at various events, sharing his passion for informing the public about bats. This extended’s to schools, zoos, Scouts and organizations from around the world. He has been featured on Texas Country Reporter, Travel Channel, several documentaries as well as Texas Highway Magazine.
In 2013 he was recognized by the US Forest Service for Wings Across the Americas / BatsLIVE education program.
Fran is also a Caver and Texas Master Naturalist and Eagle Scout.
Krystie Miner – Project Coordinator
Krystie began working with BCI in January 2023 as the Project Coordinator for Bracken Cave Preserve. She coordinates volunteers to lead tours of Bracken Cave and to help with numerous other research, conservation, education, and citizen science projects. She also aids in other BCI projects as needed, including White-Nose Syndrome surveys and swabbing agave plants for eDNA.
Krystie has a background in wildlife research and conservation and has been working with bats since 2014. She has a B.S. in Ecology from Boise State University and an M.S. in Conservation Biology from Texas State University. She resides in San Antonio, Texas, where she is within a half hour drive to Bracken Cave and spends her spare time exploring the hill country with her dog.
