None The Nature Conservancy in Tennessee Press Releases Search All Press Releases Gina Hancock 2021 21st Ave. South, Suite C-400 Nashville, TN 37212 (615) 383-9909 ghancock@tnc.org ghancock@tnc.org

The Nature Conservancy joins the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers To Construct Eight Cave Gates

Nashville, TN—14 May 2002—Beginning May 15, The Nature Conservancy will partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct eight steel gates at a cave system owned by the Corps near the Cordell Hull Dam in Jackson County.

The gatings at the two separate cave systems will be designed to protect a maternity colony of federally endangered Gray bats. The state endangered blind crayfish as well as several rare invertebrates will also be protected through the project.

"Disturbance to maternity colonies can cause the mothers to drop their young or abandon the cave for less suitable roosts," said Heather Garland, Cave Program Coordinator for The Nature Conservancy.

Since 1985, cave gatings have been one cave protection strategy employed by The Nature Conservancy to protect these fragile ecosystems. Tennessee has more than 8,000 documented caves, more than any other state in the nation.

"Gating a cave is done as a last resort. We only gate a cave once every other type of protection strategy has been tried. Many summers we have erected gates at threatened cave systems and we wanted to build on our partnership with the Corps to help them in their protection efforts," said Garland.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will provide the steel needed for the project and The Nature Conservancy will cover the cost of the cave designer and assistant. Roy Powers, cave designer with American Cave Conservation Association, has provided his services at cost. The Corps will cover all other expenses as well as working with Tennessee Tech students serving as volunteers on the project.

The Wallace Research Foundation in Tucson, AZ provides financial support for The Nature Conservancy’s cave program.