TDCJ responded correctly to “Bats in Buildings” calls, as the bats returned to the warehouse in their spring migration, by opening the historical colony flyway that the warehouse bats had used for over a decade. We are pleased that they allowed the colony to re-inhabit most of their historical space, preventing mass dispersal throught the city.
At a meeting since our last blog post on the topic, TDCJ stated that they would work with our group to ensure the safety of the bats, but they would not spend a penny on professional bat exclusion to safeguard colony. Austin Bat Refuge offered to line up pro-bono bat exclusion advice, knowing that this would be a tricky proposition, with no assurances the bats would inhabit mitigation roosts discussed in our last blog post.
We contacted RD Wildlife, of Albequerque New Mexico, to ask if they would be willling to give their professional advice on the best way to safeguard the bats, while accomodating TDCJ unwavering desire to demolish the structure. Justin Stevenson gratiously agreed to take on this monumental challenge pro-bono! Austin Bat Refuge flew Justin in to Houston, met him at his hotel and drove him up to Huntsville to meet the prison staff and tour the structure. We provided respirators and protective gear and made sure all decontamination protocols were rigorously adhered to. Justin then met with prison officials and gave his initial impressions of the situation.
His report has just been forwarded to prison officials and our working group, outlining at least a 2-3 year timeline, after installation of appropriate numbers and styles of bat houses, using incremental steps and monitoring the bats behavior to make adjustments during the process. And this will be a process!
In an amazing expression of heartfelt goodwill, he has committed his professional consultation, to ensure the safety of the colony, at no charge to the prison system!
We are proud to know this human being and to call him our friend!
