Post by L Roebuck on Sept 12, 2007 12:09:31 GMT -5
Bats, kangaroo mice, sage grouse on wildlife agenda
Geoff Dornan Appeal Capitol Bureau, gdornan@nevadaappeal.com
Bats, kangaroo mice and sage grouse will be among the beneficiaries from a series of Nevada Division of Wildlife projects approved Tuesday.
The projects are all authorized in contracts approved by the Board of Examiners. Largest on the list is a $140,000 contract in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service to build what was described as "bat compatible gates" on abandoned mines throughout the state.
Wildlife Diversity Administrator Laura Richards there are 17 species of bat in Nevada and that 14 of them are listed as "sensitive." Thousands of old mines in the state must be somehow closed off so people don't enter them and get injured or killed. But in the past, that meant permanently sealing the mine entrances.
"A lot of abandoned mines are maternity roosts for bats," she said.
The idea is to build gates that prevent people from entering old mines while allowing the bats free access.
Full Text
Geoff Dornan Appeal Capitol Bureau, gdornan@nevadaappeal.com
Bats, kangaroo mice and sage grouse will be among the beneficiaries from a series of Nevada Division of Wildlife projects approved Tuesday.
The projects are all authorized in contracts approved by the Board of Examiners. Largest on the list is a $140,000 contract in conjunction with the U.S. Forest Service to build what was described as "bat compatible gates" on abandoned mines throughout the state.
Wildlife Diversity Administrator Laura Richards there are 17 species of bat in Nevada and that 14 of them are listed as "sensitive." Thousands of old mines in the state must be somehow closed off so people don't enter them and get injured or killed. But in the past, that meant permanently sealing the mine entrances.
"A lot of abandoned mines are maternity roosts for bats," she said.
The idea is to build gates that prevent people from entering old mines while allowing the bats free access.
Full Text