Bat Tunnel Restoration

Environmental & Science Education, STEM, Wildlife, Nature, Sustainability

Ed Hessler

There was a nice story on MPR by Kirsti Marohn about St. Cloud's plans to restore an old stormwater tunnel for bats. 

You might wonder why but bats as Marohn reports have been facing population declines from a killer fungal disease known as white-nose-syndrome. 

The tunnel is in a ravine that needs stabilization to reduce sediment inflows into the Mississippi. The plan is to construct "a new rerouted storm sewer to replace the existing brick-and-mortar tunnel that was built in the 1920s" (entrance shown and it is a beauty). That ravine is filled often enough with water to flood the tunnel.

Marohn includes links about the disease, related stories and Upper Mississippi River sediment problems. 

The St. Cloud Times has a more extensive story by Becca Most with more details and also includes several pictures and a map of the area.