Two Texas State Reps Go to Bat for Bracken Cave
Mexican Free-Tail Bats Emerging From the Bracken Bat Cave. Photo by Daniel Spiess/flickr
Two Texas state representatives have gone to bat for Bracken Cave, home of the world’s largest population of bats, which is being threatened by a new housing development.
San Antonio developer Brad Galo of Galo Properties has proposed Crescent Hills, a massive new 1,500-acre, 3,800-home subdivision in southern Comal County, directly next to the Bracken Cave Reserve.
If built, the homes would be directly under the main flyway of an estimated 20 million Mexican Free-tailed Bats that live in the cave during the summer.
A meeting on May 29th saw over 200 people pack San Antonio city council to oppose the development.
Additionally, over 15,000 people have signed an online petition by Bat Conservation International, owners of the cave, pleading for San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to stop the Crescent Hills Development.
Their chief concern is that this development would create a situation where someone or their pet will surely contract rabies which would undoubtably lead to calls for the bats to be removed or the cave being sealed.
Other issues raised were that the proposed development would be built on top of the sensitive Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, and the destruction of a known habitat of the endangered Golden Cheeked Warbler.
In response, San Antonio Rep, Lyle Larson and New Braunfels Rep, Doug Miller have sent a letter to San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and Comal County Judge Sherman Krause requesting for a delay so a study can look into the possible health and environmental problems.
Although there seems little hope of it going anywhere, Larson also filed a bill that would suspend development within five miles of the reserve that surrounds the cave.
Reps try to put brakes on bat cave project [mysanantonio.com] & People turn out to oppose subdivision near bat cave [mysanantonio.com]
Comments (1)
Developers, while a necessary part of our overall economy, are in business to make money, no bones about it. They seem to care little for environmental concerns or anything other than the bottom line. Witness the fight over Camp Bullis. This development needs to be stopped. When these developers buy properties they have to know what limitations there might be to their development. But they don’t seem to care. They bulldoze ahead and then want to cry foul when all of a sudden opposition to a development becomes apparent. I have no sympathy for such developers. Please do what you can to stop this indiscriminate destruction of something like the Bracken Bat Cave. The bats were here long before we or our ancestors were.
Comment