Interagency Task Force, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Develop Habitat Conservation Plan for Indiana Bats
INDIANAPOLIS -- A local colony of endangered Indiana bats will receive habitat protection during road construction, development, and expansion projects at the Indianapolis International Airport under a plan unveiled Monday by state and local officials and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the federal agency that administers the Endangered Species Act.
The Indiana bat Habitat Conservation Plan will provide long-term conservation for the Indiana bat and will allow for airport expansion, commercial development and road construction in wooded areas where Indiana bats roost and search for food. The plan provides for restoration of additional forested areas bats need to survive and permanent protection for key blocks of bat habitat.
Developed by an Interagency Task Force and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the plan includes a variety of measures that will avoid or lessen the impact of commercial and airport development and road construction and provide for future conservation of the bat and its habitat near the airport. The plan includes:
- Permanent protection of 373 acres of existing bat habitat
- Planting and protection of 346 additional acres of hardwood trees used by Indiana bats
- Monitoring the Indiana bat population in the project area for 15 years
- Monitoring of plantings for 5 years
- Public education and outreach
In return for developing the plan, the Fish and Wildlife Service has issued an "incidental take" permit for take of Indiana bats that will occur as the result of the airport expansion activities. The Endangered Species Act prohibits the "take" of - harming, harassing, or killing - a listed species but allows incidental take as long as a Habitat Conservation Plan is in place that will provide long-term conservation for the affected species.
The Interagency Task Force was composed of representatives of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, Indiana Department of Transportation, the Federal Highways Administration, the City of Indianapolis, and the Hendricks County Board of County Commissioners.
"What could have been the proverbial train wreck -- a clash between progress and conservation of endangered species -- is instead a remarkable example of partners searching for ways to achieve vastly different goals," said William Hartwig, director of the Services Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region. "I commend the Interagency Task Force for their creativity, flexibility, and for their commitment to make this habitat plan a reality."
Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner J. Bryan Nicol said, "Environmental sensitivity is a fundamental goal of INDOTs work every day to provide safe and efficient transportation systems that enhance mobility and stimulate economic growth. Our partnership here shows that protecting the environmental character of Indiana can be accomplished as part of that vital mission."
"Through great persistence, and the focused action of our partners in transportation and our partners in the environment, public agencies were able to create a working relationship that will provide many benefits," said Barbara Lawrence, director of the City of Indianapolis Department of Public Works. "All stakeholders will reap the rewards of this interaction whether they be private development, public development, our neighborhoods, or the Indiana bat."
"This agreement will help preserve and protect our local Indiana bat population now and into the future," said Indianapolis International Airport Project Director John J. Kish. "Its good for the Indianapolis airport, good for central Indiana travelers, good for the environment and good for the Indiana bat. This agreement helps ensure that airport expansion will be done in a environmentally responsible way."
Female Indiana bats roost with their young in large trees and hunt for insects in forested areas. A maternity colony of about 150 female bats and their young roost on and near Indianapolis International Airport land each summer. Planned airport expansion -- including the new Six Points interchange on Interstate 70, associated road construction, and related commercial development -- will impact a wooded area used by a summer maternity colony of Indiana bats.
Under the Endangered Species Act, plants and animals listed as endangered are considered likely to become extinct in the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of their range. Listed in 1967, Indiana bats were among the first animals identified as endangered under a law that preceded the current Endangered Species Act. Indiana bats numbering in the millions were once found throughout the eastern United States, hibernating in caves and spending summer months in forested areas.
Indiana bats still occur in areas of their former range, but their numbers have declined significantly and are still dropping. The total Indiana bat population is now estimated at about 380,000 - a 60 percent decline since the 1960s. It is believed that modification and disturbance of their hibernation caves and loss of summer habitat have contributed to their decline, although other factors, such as pesticide use, are also under investigation.
"Although many of us may never see an Indiana bat, these shy, gentle creatures have a fascinating life history and play a critical role in the human environment," Hartwig said. "Measures like the Habitat Conservation Plan can help us keep this species from extinction while ensuring that needed development proceeds."
Indiana bats are named for the state in which they were first identified. Indiana bats measure about 10 inches from wingtip to wingtip and like other bats, are voracious consumers of insects, eating about half their weight in mosquitoes and other flying insects nightly. Indiana bats breed in the fall before entering caves to hibernate. Females emerge in the spring and return to the same summer habitat each year, often to the same tree. Groups of up to 100 or more females form colonies under the bark of large dead or dying trees. Indiana bats are known to return to the same caves each year for winter hibernation.
More information about the Indiana bat, the new Indianapolis International Airport habitat conservation plan, and endangered species is available on the Services Great Lakes-Big Rivers regional website at http://midwest.fws.gov
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes - Big Rivers Region, visit our home page at http://midwest.fws.gov">
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