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Bat Mine
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“bat friendly” mine closure structures let bats
in to hibernate while keeping people out. The structure on the left was
installed at the Quincy mine in Hancock, the “cupola” structure on the
right was installed on the Seneca #3 mine near Mohawk
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Michigan’s Upper Peninsula’s abandoned iron and copper mines no longer yield
mineral riches, but they are a valuable resource for the Midwest’s bat
population. Each fall, thousands of bats from Michigan, surrounding
States, and Canada come to the western Upper Peninsula to hibernate. The
abandoned mines, with their miles of underground tunnels and adits, offer an
ideal environment for hibernating big and little brown bats. The mines are
also attractive to curiosity seekers, vandals, mineral hunters, and other
trespassers who create an accident and liability potential. As a result, mine
owners have traditionally bulldozed mine openings closed keeping out bats.
Realizing the need to protect this important habitat, NRCS in Michigan requested
Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) funds to install “bat friendly” closures for
abandoned iron and copper mines. The program gained national attention from the
when Radio Expeditions, a radio program produced by National Public Radio and
the National Geographic Society, did a two part feature on the project in June
of 2000. Since then, NRCS has continued the practice, using matching funds
through WHIP.
“To date, 18 mines in the western Upper Peninsula have had the closures
installed,” said Lynn Sampson, NRCS State biologist.
The most recent closure was completed in the fall of 2004 at the Seneca #3 mine
near Mohawk on the Keweenaw Peninsula, that “may become a local tourist
attraction,” according to District Conservationist Bruce Petersen. The newly
completed bat closure is located just off of U.S. 41 -- the major road to the tip
of the peninsula. Keweenaw County has agreed to build a paved tourist turnout
and an educational kiosk to educate the public about the area’s mining heritage
and the importance of bats. The county has also approached the company which
holds the surface rights to the site for a gift of four acres to construct the
tourist turnout.
Installing the bat friendly closures will be a long-time project for the
partners involved. The western Upper Peninsula contains a vast number of closed mines, many
in isolated and almost inaccessible areas. A bat working group, made up of
representatives from NRCS, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Bat
Conservation International, and the Organization for Bat Conservation has worked
together to design bat friendly closures and determine what mines contain bat
populations that need protecting.
Your contact is Brian Buehler,
NRCS public affairs specialist, at 517-324-5244.
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