Across the United States, former gold, coal and other mines are becoming important refuges for bats and other wildlife.
asserted
gold → become → bats
Their tunnels, shafts and crevices can provide shelter in areas where natural caves are limited.
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caves → provide → areas
However, unstable structures and environmental hazards make these sites dangerous for people and potentially harmful to ecosystems.
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sites → make → ecosystems
Bat Conservation International (BCI) works with state and federal agencies to protect these underground habitats while reducing the risks they pose.
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they → work → risks
Keeping people out of dangerous mines while allowing wildlife to use them remains a key challenge.
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wildlife → keep → them
Special barriers called ‘bat gates’ address this problem by blocking human access while allowing bats to fly in and out freely.
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bats → call → access
At the same time, a national inventory is being developed to map abandoned mine features, identify potential hazards and help authorities prioritise sites that need safety measures.
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that → develop → measures
How conservationists are protecting bats in abandoned US mines
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conservationists → protect → mines
According to Bat Conservation International, its Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) programme works with state and federal agencies to protect people and wildlife at abandoned mining sites.
uncertain
programme → accord → sites
The programme supports the safeguarding process, from identifying mines and conducting biological and cultural surveys to meet environmental requirements and building closures.
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programme → support → requirements
Before entering a mine, the team first assesses whether it is safe to proceed.
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it → enter → mine
Specialists then search for bats and signs of their presence, such as guano and piles of insect wings left behind after feeding.
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Specialists → search → feeding
They also record historical and archaeological evidence found at the site.
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They → record → site
These surveys help identify valuable underground habitats while preserving evidence of the mines’ past.
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surveys → help → past
The surveys help authorities reduce risks to people while protecting the underground habitats that bats and other wildlife rely on for shelter.
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bats → help → shelter
Abandoned mines are providing shelter for bats and other wildlife
Dark, enclosed spaces make former mines suitable habitats for a wide range of wildlife.
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mines → abandon → wildlife
Bats that usually roost in caves and cavities may rely on these underground sites in areas where natural caves are limited.
uncertain
caves → roost → areas
Mines can offer additional roosting options and reduce competition for shelter.
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Mines → offer → shelter
Their isolation can provide wildlife with shelter in places where human disturbance is less frequent.
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disturbance → provide → places
This is especially important during hibernation, when human activity can make it harder for bats to survive the winter.
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bats → make → winter
Bat Conservation International (BCI) has recorded many other animals using these sites, including foxes, bobcats, weasels, ringtails, coati, javelina, snakes, frogs, owls, swallows, and insects.
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International → record → foxes
Some mines also support distinct underground microbial communities.
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mines → support → communities
Which bat species live in abandoned mines across the United States
Several cave-roosting bat species use abandoned mines, particularly in the western United States.
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species → live → States
BCI identifies Townsend’s big-eared bats, California leaf-nosed bats, pallid bats, big brown bats, and various Myotis species among those frequently found in mines.
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BCI → identify → mines
Nectar bats are also occasionally spotted, especially in the southwest.
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bats → spot → southwest
The distribution of abandoned mines reflects the country's mining history.
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distribution → abandon → history
Coal mines occur throughout the United States but are most common in the east.
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mines → occur → east
The west has a particularly high concentration of abandoned mines, with estimates ranging upwards of 500,000.
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estimates → have → 500,000
Many date to the 1800s and early 1900s, although some mining activities are much older.
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activities → date → 1800s
Balancing public safety with wildlife conservation
Abandoned mines can contain unstable rocks, poisonous gases, and dangerous drops.
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mines → balance → rocks
Open shafts and tunnels may also collapse, while some sites create environmental hazards such as acid mine drainage, which can contaminate soil and water.
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which → collapse → soil
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), its USMIN project is building a national inventory of abandoned hardrock mine features using information from federal, state and tribal agencies.
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project → accord → agencies
The inventory aims to improve risk assessment, support land management decisions and help prioritise hazard mitigation and ecosystem restoration.
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inventory → aim → mitigation
At individual sites, bat gates provide one way to address safety concerns without removing wildlife habitat.
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gates → provide → habitat
Their horizontal bars allow bats to fly through while preventing people from entering.
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bats → allow → people
The approach helps authorities balance public safety with the protection of underground ecosystems.
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authorities → help → ecosystems
The Aporia
