Huntsville bat colony saved, for now
Jul. 26—Until recently the Mexican Free-Tailed bat colony inside an abandoned cotton warehouse adjacent to the Huntsville "Walls" Unit has been scheduled for demolition under a Bat Exclusion Project. This project has been postponed after the Texas Department of Criminal Justice decided that more local input from community members would be best for developing a proper decision for the colony in question.
Council Member and representative for Ward 2, Russell Humphrey, presented to city officials during a closed session for legal advice regarding the bat colony and the exclusion project. Afterwards, Council member and representative for Ward 1, Daiquiri Beebe reached out to State Representatives Kyle Kacal and Ernest Bailes for assistance with communications with TDCJ officials. The representatives contacted TDCJ and spoke about the issue at hand.
TDCJ has now decided to suspend the exclusion project to further integrate community input in future decisions for the Huntsville bat colony.
Director of Communications for Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Amanda Hernandez said, "After careful consideration and discussion with stakeholders, TDCJ is pausing plans to relocate the bat colony into the nearby man-made roosts by next spring. While the agency had developed a plan based on recommendations from experts in the field, we are taking additional time to ensure community members and advocates are engaged in the discussion. We hope a shared plan can be developed. There is no specific time table, but we do know that the warehouse has significant structural issues and an equitable solution must be found before there is a total collapse."
Local activists and advocates for the protection of the Mexican Free-Tailed Bat colony were excited for the opportunity to work alongside government officials to prepare for a better future. Beebe, one of the primary organizers of the Huntsville Bat Society, was also excited to hear about the postponement. With over one thousand local members, The Huntsville Bat Society is the foremost advocacy group for these protections and took an active part within the community by protesting and participating within City Council procedures to pause the exclusion project.
"I just want to say that the citizens have spoken, they care about the bats and the community. We're grateful that TDCJ is willing to pause their project so that a better solution can be found," said Beebe.
Local activists and government entities are already proposing and discussing methods for re-homing the colony including stabilization of the TDCJ warehouse and a man-made cave.