That sounds like a lot of work, Tom. We have had a terrific volunteer base to help us complete this project. Students from Eastern Kentucky University, the University of Kentucky, and Morehead State University have come out to help us identify appropriate places to build ridgetop wetlands, analyze soil samples, and work through the legal documentation we needed to do this project. Once the new wetlands were built, volunteers from the Rowan County Wildlife Club seeded them and spread straw along their edges to prevent erosion. Now the project is very nearly completed.
Wetlands give the bats a place to drink.
Indiana bats roost on ridgetops in the summer, and if there is no water close to where the bats roost, they have to fly farther to reach low riparian areas, which expends valuable energy. So we hope that by restoring ridgetop wetland ecosystems, it will become easier for the bats to nurture their young. Not only do Indiana bats drink directly from the wetlands, but they also forage for insects right over the water. Restoring wetlands ecosystems on the ridgetops increases the diversity of insects that are available to the bats, which is also critical to their survival. I'm glad you brought up insects, Tom.