Cory Holliday
Cave and Karst Program Manager
Tennessee
Cory Holliday Cory Holliday is The Nature Conservancy's cave and karst program manager in Tennessee. © The Nature Conservancy/Terry Cook
Areas of Expertise
wildlife surveying, modeling, cave and karst conservation, research
Publications
Biography
Cory Holliday began his career with The Nature Conservancy, conducting biological inventories in Tennessee caves. That was in 2004. Working underground became a passion as he helped to discover dozens of new species and better understand the state's subterranean ecosystems.
By 2008, Cory was leading a team charged with developing a statewide tool that identified key ecological factors for every known subterranean species in the state. From there, his focus turned to a specific species, bats and the effects of white-nose syndrome.
Working for an international organization, Cory has had opportunities to pursue cave and karst work abroad including developing a management plan for Chiquibul Cave, which has been adopted by the government of Belize. Cory has also chaired organizations such as the Tennessee Cave and Karst Working Group and the Tennessee Bat Working Group. He currently holds a position with the conservation cabinet of the National Speleological Society and has won numerous awards for his work.
In the News
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Why These Bats Are Being Tracked
Cory Holliday talks about efforts to save bats suffering from white nose syndrome. Watch Now
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The State of Caves
The Fall 2023 issue of Nature Conservancy magazine features Cory Holliday and groundbreaking efforts to conserve caves in Tennessee. Check It Out
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Why You Want Bats in Your Yard
A Washington Post piece features input from Cory Holliday on the many reasons why we want to create a supportive environment for bats. Check It Out
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Modeling, Migration and Movement of Gray Bats
Cory Holliday is the lead author in a paper, published in The Journal of Wildlife Management, that predicts how bats move across the landscape, useful when considering conservation actions and the siting of development. Find It Here