Avangrid Renewables Protects Important Bat Habitat in New York
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In horror stories, as Halloween props, even as the secret identity of a super hero, the bat is arguably the most misunderstood creature in nature. But conservationists know the truth: that bats are critical to the ecosystem and protecting bat habitats has significant conservation value. This is the case with the Barton Hill Mine in Essex County, New York, an abandoned mine shaft offering a suitable environment for bats to utilize.
This summer, Avangrid Renewables took definitive action to protect important habitat with a population of bats known to reside in the mine. A team of specialists installed a metal gate across a large entrance to the Barton Hill Mine to protect several species of bats including the federally endangered Indiana bat, the federally and New York state threatened Northern long-eared bat, as well as little brown, big brown and eastern pipistrelle bats. The gating design is unique as it both prevents bat disturbance from human interference and provides adequate space for bat access.
Avangrid Renewables planned this project to mitigate potential impacts from the Roaring Brook Wind Farm, which is under construction, and the Deer River Wind Farm, currently under development.
“We are committed to responsibly sited wind energy, and we believe that our facilities can deliver economic and environmental benefits to communities,” said Melissa Fisher, Avangrid Renewables’ senior environmental permitting manager. “By gating the Barton Hill Mine, we are able to provide a conservation benefit to the state of New York and to important bat populations in the region.”
The US Fish and Wildlife Service and New York Department of Environmental Conservation has identified the project as having high conservation value, as the gate is expected to protect thousands of bats per year, and its completion reduces the nuisance qualities and potential safety risk of an open abandoned mine entrance.
Modern Cave Gates: How They Work
Designed by Jim Kennedy with Kennedy Above/Under Ground, LLC to successfully fit within the large, challenging entrance to the Mine, the Barton Hill Mine gate is an industry-standard, bat-friendly design that prevents unauthorized human access while still maintaining the unique ecosystem of the cave, particularly the airflow essential for maintaining the current temperature and humidity regime so critical for hibernating bats. The gate design is a vertically placed, two-dimensional grid of bars across the mine entrance.
The design is widely accepted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, US Forest Service, US Bureau of Land Management, The Nature Conservancy, National Speleological Society and numerous state conservation and wildlife management agencies and was approved by New York Department of Environmental Conservation prior to implementation and successful completion.
