WCS Canada's Dr. Cori Lausen worked with animal enclosure specialists to keep people out of a high-biodiversity bat roost in an abandoned mine in southern BC by installing a full gate over the opening (which lets bats fly through freely), reducing the risk of White Nose Syndrome spreading to the mine's denizens. At the time of gating, the abandoned Queen Victoria Mine hosted more bats and more bat species than any other cave or mine in the province, making it an important conservation focus. After discovering bats also use the trees outside the mine, Cori succeeded in convincing forestry companies to leave the surrounding forests alone for the time being. Click on the 'Read More' link below to see a report on her efforts in the Nelson Star:

[Read More...]