Longtime Whatcom County residents might remember visiting the “bat caves,” a location in the Chuckanut Mountains so named for its nocturnal inhabitants. While the cave was once publicly accessible, it’s been closed off for more than a decade, its access trail only identifiable by a weathered sign.
This is because the resident species, the Townsend’s big-eared bat, is rare — and sensitive to human activity.
Disturbances could lead to “interrupted maternity processes, hibernation, feeding cycles, et cetera, which would all affect the species’ reproductive and survival rates,” wrote Addie Cappello, a fish and wildlife biologist with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The species is also susceptible to white nose syndrome, a fatal fungal disease affecting hibernating North American bats. It hasn’t yet been observed in Townsend’s big-eared bats, but since spores cling to clothing and gear, Cappello said biologists “definitely don’t want to introduce the possibility.”
So if you stumble upon a trailhead for the bat caves, respect the bats and heed the posted warnings. Instead, DNR Communications Manager Courtney James suggested aspiring spelunkers check out the Washington 100 (wa100.dnr.wa.gov), which catalogs 100 unique, publicly accessible geological features.
WTD is published online Mondays and in print Fridays. Have a suggestion for a "What's the Deal With?" inquiry? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
