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Richard O. Rowlands Preserve at Aitkin Cave

Small footed myotis
Small-footed myotis
© BCI

The Richard O. Rowlands Preserve at Aitkin Cave is a "bat haven" in rural central Pennsylvania. Records dating back to the 1930s identified Aitkin Cave as one of the premier bat hibernacula in Pennsylvania. The cave serves as a winter home for several species of bats: the rare small-footed bat; the rare Keens bat; the little brown bat; the big brown bat; and the recently-sighted Indiana bat. A rare cave isopod, a shrimp-like creature found in the underground streams of the cave, is also found here.

In 1987, The Nature Conservancy erected a steel gate to guard the cave's entrance with small openings for the bats to come and go. Prior to the gating, the heavy recreational use of the cave during hibernation (September–April) caused major disturbance to the bats resulting in a decline in the number of bats found at the cave. (If bats are disturbed too often during the hibernation period, the fat supplies that they require for survival until spring are exhausted.)

The rare small-footed myotis has the distinction of being the smallest bat in eastern North America. It is only three inches long and weighs 0.1–0.3 ounces—about the same as a hummingbird. Since the gating of the cave, Conservancy scientists have seen more than a 300 percent increase in the number of the threatened small-footed bats found at the preserve.

The acquisition and ongoing stewardship of the preserve were made possible through the generosity of Richard O. Rowlands, a long-time conservationist and Conservancy supporter originally from Scotland who now lives in State College, PA. The Nature Conservancy dedicated the cave and its surrounding 43 acres as the Richard O. Rowlands Preserve in May of 1993. This was the first Nature Conservancy sponsored acquisition of a cave in Pennsylvania.

The cave is accessible to cave enthusiasts, with advance permission of The Nature Conservancy, during the summer months only. From May to August, you can traverse the limestone tunnels without fear of disrupting the bats. Please contact the Pennsylvania Chapter by calling (717) 232-6001. Written inquiries should be sent to: The Nature Conservancy, 2101 North Front Street, Building #1, Suite 200, Harrisburg, PA 17110.