Welcome to our resource page for bat-friendly closures on caves and abandoned mines. Explore academic publications, schematics, safety resources, and a comprehensive agency guide with regulatory information and guidelines. But let’s start off with the “Agency Guide”, a brief but comprehensive overview of the gating process and philosophy.
BACKGROUND RESOURCES
| Downloadable Resource | Title |
|---|---|
| Powers 1996 | A Study of Acoustical Confusion |
| Kennedy 2004a | Training Opportunities for Cave and Mine Gators |
| Kennedy 2004b | Pre- and Post-Gate Microclimate Monitoring |
| Roebuck et al 2002 | Cave Gate Airflow Disturbance - A Qualitative Study |
| McCracken 1989 | Cave Conservation: Special Problems of Bats |
| Stihler 1993 | Endangered Bat Populations in West Virginia Caves Gated or Fenced to Reduce Human Disturbance |
| MacGregor 1993 | Responses of Winter Populations of the Federal Endangered Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis) to Cave Gating in Kentucky |
| Powers 1993 | Design Improvements for Gating Bat Caves |
| Mohr 1977 | The Protection of Threatened Cave Bats |
| Gates et al 1984 | Status of Cave-dwelling Bats in Maryland: Importance of Marginal Habitats |
| Nieland 1980 | Evaluation of Cave and Surface Resources |
| Herder 2000 | Monitoring the Effectiveness of Bat-compatible Mine Gates |
| 2023 Powers Fence handout | Modern Cave Gates and Fences |
| Buecher and Buecher 2004 | Bat Roost Protection: Closure Design Using Soft Closures |
| Currie 2001 | An Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Constructing Bat Gates at Mine Closures |
| Powers 1985 | General Cave Gate Considerations |
| Beard 1996 | The Gating of Caves |
| Pugh and Altringham 2005 | The Effect of Gates on Cave Entry by Swarming Bats |
| Kennedy 2021 | The Agency Guide to Cave and Mine Gates, a 12-year History |
| Spanjer and Fenton 2005 | Behavioral Responses of Bats to Gates at Caves and Mines |
| Managing Abandoned Mines for Bats | Managing Abandoned Mines for Bats |
| NRCS Bats _ Mines Brochure | Bats and Mines -- Evaluating Abandoned Mines for Bats: Recommendations for Survey and Closure |
| Tuttle and Stevenson 1978 | Variation in the Cave Environment and its Biological Implications |
| Spanjer 2004 | How do Bats React to Cave Gates? |
| Kennedy 2005 | Bat Gate Modifications and New Designs |
| Kennedy 2012 | Comparison of Cave Gate Materials |
| Martin et al 2006 | Impacts of Passage Manipulation on Cave Climate: Conservation Implications for Cave-dwelling Bats |
| Kennedy 2006 | On Cave Gates |
| Spanjer Thesis (No Appendix) | Behavioral Responses of Bats to Cave and Mine Gates |
| Elliott 1996 | The Evolution of Cave Gating |
| Burghardt 2003 | Bat-compatible Closures of Abandoned Underground Mines in the National Park System |
| Tuttle 1977 | Gating as a Means of Protecting Cave Dwelling Bats |
| Kennedy 2004c | Restoration, Not Just Conservation, of Bat Caves - Need, Methods, and Case Study of a Myotis sodalis Hibernaculum |
| Grandison 2004 | Monitoring the Effectiveness of Bat-Compatible Gates in the Silver Reef, East Reef, and Tushar Mining Districts in Southwestern Utah |
| 2006 Elliott cave gating criteria | Cave Gating Criteria |
BEST-PRACTICE BAT GATE SCHEMATICS
| Resources: | Category: |
|---|---|
| Cupola Design Sides Option A | Cupola Design |
| Basic Gate | Basic Gate Design |
| Basic Gate Bar Spacing | Basic Gate Design |
| Chute Design Side 1 of 4 | Chute Design |
| Chute Design Base 4 of 4 | Chute Design |
| Chute Design Top 2 of 4 | Chute Design |
| Chute Design Bottom 3 of 4 | Chute Design |
| Cupola Design Sides | Cupola Design |
| Cupola Design Top | Cupola Design |
| Cupola with Chute | Cupola Design |
| Pin Anchors | General Design |
| Removable Bar Design | General Design |
| Skirting and Footers | General Design |
GENERAL STICK-WELDING INFORMATION
| Downloadable Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Welding instructions | Welding Instructions |
| Stick_Welding_Tips | Stick Welding Tips |
| acetylene cylinders | Acetylene Cylinders |
| oxygen cylinders | Oxygen Cylinders |
| Oxy-Acetylene instructions | Oxy-Acetylene Instructions |
| Miller stick welding guidelines | Miller Stick-Welding Guidelines |
| Haynes welding manual | Haynes Welding Manual |
| Fundamentals of arc welding | Fundamentals of Arc Welding |
JOB-SITE SAFETY DOCUMENTATION
| Downloadable Files: | Description: |
|---|---|
| Tailgate Safety Meeting Form | Sample Tailgate Safety Meeting Form |
| First-Aid Record | Sample First Aid Record Form |
| Safety Training Acknowledgment Form | Sample Safety Training Acknowledgement Form |
| Key Cave Gate Site Safety Plan | Sample Site Safety Plan |