Endangered Bat Could Delay Georgia Department of Transportation Projects
summitmetroparks.org
An endangered bat could potentially delay up to $459 million dollars worth of work by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The Indiana bat that’s triggering the possible delay was tracked last summer as it flew from Tennessee into Gilmer County, Georgia. Wildlife officials will now have to determine if Indiana bats have established active habitats within 58-project zones. Jill Goldberg is a spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“To do that we need to set up what’s called an Anabat. It’s an acoustic device that can catch bat frequencies as well as put up what’s called a mist net. It’s a very fine net that can capture a flying bat without harming it.”
Wildlife officials will start the process in May because the bats normally leave their hibernation sites between May and August. Goldberg says studying and collecting data from each of the sites could cost the department between $4.6 million to nearly $7 million dollars. She says federal officials will then decide what happens next.
“There is that limited time when the bats are out, in May to August, so it may be something that you can’t work during that time when they’re there. It just depends on what they’re doing there and where they are in the project.”
Some of the projects that could be potentially affected are in Cobb, Cherokee, and Bartow counties.
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