In my last
post I described the beauty and wonder of the bats at Bracken Cave, home to ten
million Mexican free-tailed bats, the largest bat colony in the world. Unfortunately, these bats face a huge
threat. A developer, Brad Galo of Galo
Properties, has proposed a large subdivision – 3,800 homes on 1,500 acres! –
immediately south of Bracken Cave, lying in the twice-daily flight path of the
bats. Bracken Cave is located in a rural
area with large ranches, interspersed with one- to three-acre lots that
currently constitute “intensive development.”
The quarter-acre zoning of the proposed Crescent Hills subdivision is
out of keeping with the current land use.
Additionally, the proposed development lies within the sensitive Edwards
Aquifer-recharge zone, an important public water supply. Furthermore, the developer’s property and the
Bracken Cave property are an important nesting and foraging habitat for the
federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler.
Texas law
allows little to no consideration of environmental issues regarding the
subdivision. The San Antonio Water
System (SAWS) granted Mr. Galo the water and sewer hookups needed for the 3,800
homes, but SAWS is not permitted to determine if adequate water supplies exist or
to take into account the wisdom of putting so many homes in the middle of a
protected groundwater recharge area.
The
biggest concern for the bats is putting 10,000 people next to millions of
building-loving adult bats and millions more juvenile bats learning to fly. The bats will be attracted to insects at
porch and street lights and to water in swimming pools. If a child or parent comes in contact with a
sick bat or a pet that contracted rabies from a sick bat, it won’t matter that
the bats have been there for 10,000 or more years. Public outcry will be to “do something” about
this threat to public safety.
Bat
Conservation International (BCI) is advocating for the bats of Bracken
Cave. Its attorneys have advised that
the only recourse is to appeal to the San Antonio City Council and Mayor Castro
and to make this a significant public and media issue. On May 29th at a packed City Hall,
61 people spoke against the development and on behalf of Bracken Cave and its
importance. The speakers represented BCI,
Texas Parks, the San Antonio Zoo, the Army’s Camp Bullis, Audubon Texas, Sierra
Club, Preserve Texas Heritage Association, the Heritage Group, and the
Esperanza Peach and Justice Center. No
one spoke in favor of the development.
The San
Antonio City Council and Mayor Castro have not yet taken any action regarding
Bracken Cave. However, Ron Nirenberg,
City Councilman from District 8, took the advice to visit Bracken Cave himself
to see what an incredible and irreplaceable natural resource it is. I take this as a hopeful sign.
Even if
you do not live in the area, you can speak out for the bats of Bracken
Cave. E-mail addresses for the Mayor,
City Council, and Planning Commission are as follows:
Additionally, you can sign BCI’s on-line
petition. As of the May 29th
City Council meeting, the petition had 13,300 signatures from 70 countries, and
it definitely made an impact. For more
information about saving Bracken Cave and a link to the on-line petition
(scroll down the page), please visit http://www.batcon.org/index.php/bats-a-people/save-bracken.html?utm_campaign=education&utm_source=external&utm_medium=redirect
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