Gray bat. - Courtesy photo by Adam Mann, Environmental Solutions and Innovations

(From left) Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Bloomington Field Office Supervisor Scott Pruitt, and Indiana DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Glen Salmon at the Charlestown Landing Boat Ramp dedication. - FWS photo by Lori Pruitt

Abbey Kucera, Federal Assistance Branch Chief, accesses the Ohio River via the newly dedicated Charlestown Landing Boat Ramp. - FWS photo by Scott Pruitt

Abbey Kucera, Federal Assistance Branch Chief, delivers comments at the Charlestown Landing Boat Ramp dedication. - FWS photo by Scott Pruitt

Hoosiers came together in June to celebrate the opening of Charlestown Landing Boat Ramp and Overlook at Charlestown State Park in southern Indiana. 

The boat ramp, which was funded by a combination of state and federal dollars, will greatly expand current access to the Ohio River.  Two overlooks providing scenic views of the river were also constructed at the site. 

The new facility is the latest in a series of cooperative activities at the site between the Service, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Defense. 

It all began back in 1996, when the Bloomington, Indiana Field Office signed an agreement with the Department of Defense to conduct bat surveys at the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant at Charlestown in Clark County, Indiana. 

In 1997, biologists from Bloomington discovered gray bats on the facility; this was a rare find as the state supports only one known maternity colony of this federally endangered species.  

Staff conducted additional surveys in 1998 and in 2004, when biologists found the federally endangered Indiana bat at the site.  The Army, which is in the process of closing the base, has worked closely with the Service to conserve the bats and meet Endangered Species Act requirements during the closure process. 

As part of that process, a large portion of the base was given to the State of Indiana to expand Charlestown State Park.  The Service worked with the Defense Department and the state to ensure that habitat for listed bats was protected and enhanced through the park development process. 

Staff from Bloomington's Environmental Contaminants have also been involved in this site, working closely both with Defense and the state to ensure that areas contaminated during ammunition production at the site were remediated to alleviate potential for contaminants to adversely affect the endangered bats at the site, and to provide areas where the public could safely enjoy the newly expanded state park. 

The portion of the base that became part of Charlestown State Park includes Ohio River frontage, where the state wanted to construct a boat ramp and overlooks to provide public access to the waterfront.  Both endangered bat species were known to use the forested areas adjacent to the river for foraging and travel corridors, and there was concern with maintaining forest cover to the river for the bats.  The state and the Service worked closely to incorporate bat habitat considerations into the boat ramp design, which included provisions for minimizing the tree clearing for the boat ramp and associated developments.  Trees were planted in some areas to create additional travel corridors and enhance existing forested corridors for the bats.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels delivered the keynote address at the dedication ceremony, which was attended by representatives of Federal, State, and Local government agencies, conservation organizations, and private citizens.  Abbey Kucera, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 Federal Assistance Branch Chief, provided comments at the dedication.  A Federal Assistance grant provided partial funding for the facility. Scott Pruitt, Bloomington Supervisor, and Lori Pruitt, a Bloomington biologist, also attended the event.

Thanks to this successful partnership, both boats and bats now have access to the Ohio River at this site.  The Service and the State plan to continue our partnership, including plans for developing educational displays at Charlestown State Park to educate the public about the endangered bats that live there.