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A resolution opposing plans to destroy the remaining portion of the warehouse occupied by bats on 14th St. and Ave. I was proposed Tuesday, though it did not pass.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has worked with Texas Parks & Wildlife and the City of Huntsville to address concerns about bats roosting in the 85 year-old cotton warehouse located at the Huntsville Unit for some time. The dilapidated building has served as the seasonal roost for a colony of nearly a million Mexican free-tailed bats for decades and measures have been taken to protect this declining species as the warehouse threatens to collapse.
Due to a fire in 1997, rebar and metal within the structure began to buckle. Vegetation has occupied the roof, which has resulted in several large pieces falling in, making way for water damage after storms. Jack-stands have been placed throughout the building to provide support.
According to Texas Prison Museum researcher Jim Willett, the southern end where the bats currently reside also caught fire in December of 2000. A portion of the building was demolished in March and TDCJ plans to complete the demolition this winter.
Bats have not migrated, as hoped, to bat houses built nearby. Black paint and lack of venting likely contributed to the heat that rendered them uninhabitable. Experts have been hired by TDCJ to insure the bat houses are properly re-built as a suitable alternative for the bats this summer.
TDCJ Chief of Staff Jason Clark said, “it's our hope that the bats stay in Walker County. We understand they’re important to the community in a lot of different ways. We hope for an effective transition.”
Since the demolition of the northern end of the warehouse, city council member Daiquiri Beebe and the Huntsville Bat Society have raised concerns about the future of the bat colony and the efficacy of the nearby bat houses.
“If they move forward with their ineffective plan, their headache will become a problem for the citizens of Huntsville. They know their plan will not work and that releasing the bats into the community will become a problem for the residents and business owners of Huntsville,” said Beebe.
She predicted that the people of Huntsville will find hundreds of bats in their homes and be forced to call and pay private exterminators to remove the bats.
Clark said that some bats are expected to leave. He believed that the bat houses should provide enough housing for the colony. However, there is no guarantee the bats will use them.
Founder of Bat Conservation International Merlin Tuttle said, “Bats tend to be roost-limited. They've got more food than roosts available. When you knock out a big roost you probably are putting a significant dent in the population. Most of the places they roost are already occupied at capacity, so when you lose that roost you're probably losing that many bats from the Texas population and lots of pest control.”
Tuttle said the bat population could face a decline regardless of protective measures due to the unpredictability of bat behavior.
A reduced bat population could also impact local agriculture. A 2011 peer-reviewed study by Justin G. Boyles, Paul M. Cryan, Gary F. McCracken and Thomas H. Kunz called Economic Importance of Bats in Agriculture stated that bats in Walker County provide an estimated $2.1 - $3.4 million in reduced costs for pesticide spending.
“We share the same goal which is to do no harm to the bats. It's our intention to equitably transfer these bats to the man made roosts,” said Clark.
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