Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) has been partnering with federal, state and nonprofit partners on bat conservation efforts from cave gating to habitat research.
As we celebrate Bat Week, an annual international celebration designed to raise awareness about the need for bat conservation, we’re sharing recent highlights of KNLT’s work to protect these vital creatures.
Cave Gating

A cave gate is a barricade placed at the entrance of a cave to protect bats from human disturbance. KNLT Stewardship Coordinator Derrick Lindsay attended a cave gating workshop at Sauerkraut Cave at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky., to protect sensitive bat and cave beetle habitat.
The workshop, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kentucky Ecological Services Field Office, the American Cave Conservation Association and the Kentucky Department of Parks, provided training in gating techniques for participants from Kentucky, West Virginia and Alabama. In November, Derrick will use his welding and construction knowledge to assist with another cave gating project in collaboration with multiple agencies at Overstreet Cave in Jessamine County, Ky., to protect a gray bat colony.
Cave Research

KNLT has partnered with North Carolina State University to conduct research in Ice Box Cave located on Pine Mountain in Pineville, Ky. Working with Assistant Professor Skylar Hopkins, KNLT’s Derrick Lindsay and others conducted data logger deployment and biological surveys within the cave.
The team deployed three microclimate data loggers to monitor the air temperature, relative humidity, water temperature and water depth. The data loggers will collect data for the next two years and will provide valuable insight into how forest management and changing climates affect cave habitats. Through this research, the team has thus far detected several species, including the cave orb weaver, greenhouse millipedes, small and large sun flies, cave crickets, northern slimy salamanders and tricolored bats.
Bat Foraging Research

KNLT has worked on a bat foraging research project with Dr. LaRoy Brandt and Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) students for the past two years. The team’s research seeks to further understand the impacts of climate change on sensitive habitats on Pine Mountain. The multi-year research project on KNLT’s Warbler Ridge Preserve is monitoring the foraging activity of bats in relation to climate change by using ultrasonic recorders at select locations. The recorders monitor bat foraging activity in relation to climate change over a five to ten year timeframe.
The team collects and analyzes the data using special software that aids in bat identification. This project allows for a noninvasive technique to be implemented to further understand the impacts of climate change on sensitive and unique habitats and species. The recorders were funded through a grant from Southern Conservation Partners.
The team has detected species including the big brown bat, eastern red bat, hoary bat, silver-haired bat, gray bat, eastern small-footed bat, little brown bat and tricolored bat.
About Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
KNLT is a nationally accredited nonprofit working to protect biodiverse and climate resilient landscapes in ways that benefit communities. Through partnerships with individuals, nonprofits, government agencies and businesses, KNLT has protected more than 57,000 acres of wildlands throughout Kentucky and Central Appalachia.
For more information on how you can help KNLT protect wildlands, sign up now to receive our monthly newsletter. SUBSCRIBE
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