Almost every major forest region of the US has at least one well-known endangered animal identified with it. The Pacific Northwest spruces and firs have the spotted owl, the Southern Pines have the red-cockaded woodpecker, and our region, the Central Hardwoods, has the Indiana bat. This small animal, weighing not more than an ounce, was first discovered by scientists at Wyandotte Cave in southern Indiana and was therefore given the name we now know it by.

Interestingly, although Indiana seems to be the center of this bat�s range it has the largest distribution of any globally rare species in the country, stretching from Oklahoma to Maine and as far south as southern Alabama. We can never know how many Indiana bats there were before settlement but it was almost certainly in the millions. I�ve been told that one bat biologist estimated Wyandotte Cave alone may have housed as many as 2 million bats each winter.

For reasons that still remain murky the Indiana Bat has suffered a severe decline in numbers. Since first designated as �endangered� by the federal government in 1967 the number of bats has declined by half or more. Indiana bats use only a relatively small number of caves for hibernation and by counting the bats in these caves scientists estimate that by the mid-1990�s only about 353,000 still existed, down from the millions of years past. Most of the over-wintering sites, especially those very significant, have been protected. But still the number of bats continues to diminish. These animals are cave-dwellers part of the year and forest dwellers for the remainder, so perhaps the key to this mystery lies in the forest.

Indiana bats don�t use caves to any extent during the summer and instead use trees. Males and females go separate ways in the summer months with some females traveling up to a few hundred miles from where they hibernated. They will sometimes congregate in numbers of over a hundred beneath the loose, decaying bark of a standing dead tree, giving birth to usually just one pup. The males don�t stray so far, but still spend the summer ranging through the forest each night in search of insects.

Like many animals Indiana bats seem to prefer certain characteristics of a forest. Studies have shown they home in on large standing dead trees and especially those that are exposed to a large amount of sunlight. Moving regularly between these trees on different nights they apparently like to shuffle beneath the bark when roused from sleep attempting to find just the right temperature as the sun beats down on the tree and moves across the sky.

They also like shagbark and shellbark hickory because of its bark pattern. Timber harvesting by itself doesn�t seem to be necessarily detrimental to this mammal. At the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky they have found bats roosting in the splintered wood of trees damaged during a harvest. They also have evidence indicating that Indiana bats find a type of harvesting pattern known as shelterwood particularly appealing.

We at the Nature Conservancy manage some timberlands through our Forest Bank program. Some are our own land and other owned by individuals. Our approach to forestry is to include Indiana bat in our thinking, but not to focus on it in an undue manner. Forest management guidelines written primarily to address any single species isn�t wise, whether it�s for Indiana bat, white-tailed deer, or yellow-poplar. Focusing solely on one species invites the law of unintended consequences to bring all sorts of unpleasant surprises. All of our actions in the forest, even if we do nothing, will benefit some species while harming others. I list here a few of our practices we hope benefit the Indiana bat, but more than that we believe they�re in keeping with good forestry principles.

Always keep big trees scattered in the forest. This doesn�t mean keeping all the hollow American beech, which are commonly the large trees I see left after a harvest in Indiana. Leave some oaks and hickory. Indiana bats roost primarily in trees greater than 20� in size. Larger trees are useful for regenerating the next forest and should continue to increase in value as well.

Retain all large snags. Snags are simply standing dead trees, or most nearly dead anyway. These are great habitat not only for bats but for woodpeckers and many other mammals. They are also important to the forest floor once they finally collapse.

Do Timber Stand Improvement. We consider this a great financial and conservation investment. By killing larger cull trees, overabundant grapevines, and some otherwise undesirable trees we�re creating snags bats may ultimately use and focusing the resources necessary for growth on the best remaining trees.

Manage for Oak-hickory. Much of the forest in Indiana has historically been a forest type known as Oak-hickory. Where canopy trees are largely oaks and hickories, but the smaller trees below may not be, we plan our actions to ensure plenty of oaks and hickories remain after harvest to replenish the forest. Oak-hickory stands are thought by ornithologists to provide more habitat for migratory songbirds and are generally more species rich. The Indiana bat seems to be adapted most specifically to this forest type.

Attack invasive trees and shrubs. Tree-of-heaven, bush honeysuckles, and buckthorn try to push out valuable native trees and shrubs. Once these get established in a forest they can be quite difficult to eradicate. Careful use of herbicides can enhance the effectiveness of their control.

Reforest streamsides. Riparian zones of 100-200 feet next to flowing streams are fabulous wildlife habitat and are essential for bats. Agricultural field next to streams are frequently ideal for planting walnut and other hardwoods. Government incentive programs provide financial incentives to make it easier.  If you own a forest it�s not impossible at one time or another an Indiana bat passed through it or spent the day roosting invisibly in one of your trees. By practicing sustainable forestry you�ll not only do yourself a favor but might contribute to the recovery of Indiana�s namesake endangered species. The Spotted Owl became bitterly controversial � let�s not let our little Indiana bat be as well.

Allen Pursell is a Registered Forester and Forest Ecologist with The Natural Conservancy in southern Indiana.,