----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Louise Power <power_lou...@hotmail.com>
To: texas cavers <texascavers@texascavers.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2013 2:16 PM
Subject: [Texascavers] FW: Save Bracken Cave Reserve
For those of you who are not BCI members, here is a more graphic explanation of
the Bracken Cave issue than the one Frank sent out yesterday. You know what
they say, a picture is worth a thousand bats.
Louise
________________________________
From: savebrac...@batcon.org
Subject: Save Bracken Cave Reserve
To: power_lou...@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 16 May 2013 14:06:17 -0400
What happens when you put 10,000 people
next to more than ten million bats?
No one knows for sure but, unfortunately,
we may soon find out.
Dear Bat Conservation International Supporter:
I’m the new director of Bat Conservation International and I am writing today
about our Bracken Cave Reserve in the Texas Hill Country.
As you probably know, Bracken is home to the world’s largest population of
bats. The nightly emergence of ten million Mexican free-tailed bats from
Bracken Cave, 20 minutes north of San Antonio in central Texas, is one of the
world’s great natural phenomena, and we need your immediate advice and help.
A San Antonio developer, Brad Galo of Galo Properties, has proposed a
1,500-acre, 3,800-home “Crescent Hills” subdivision to the immediate south of
our reserve, in the twice-daily flight path of these millions of bats. The
development also lies within the sensitive Edwards Aquifer-recharge zone and
puts at risk the many millions of public dollars that have been invested in
protecting the area. Quarter-acre zoning is out of keeping with the large
ranches that characterize the area and the interspersed, one- to three-acre
lots which currently constitute “intensive” development. The Galo property,
like our land and nearby Nature Conservancy property, is also important nesting
and foraging habitat for the federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler (the
yellow circles on the map).
View larger image
Texas law leaves little or no room for consideration of environmental issues.
The San Antonio Water System (SAWS) has granted Mr. Galo the water and sewer
hookups he needs for 3,800 homes, but SAWS is not permitted to determine if
adequate water supplies exist or to comment on the wisdom of putting nearly
4,000 homes in the middle of a protected recharge area. This project will
ultimately come before the San Antonio Planning Commission for approval, but
even the Planning Commission lacks the authority to take environmental concerns
into account. In fact, if the Commission does nothing, the development will be
automatically approved after 30 days.
We’ve been told by our attorneys that the San Antonio City Council and Mayor
Castro are our only real recourse, and that our hopes for persuading them to
take action rest in our ability to make this a significant public and media
issue. Aside from the ecological issues, we’re concerned about putting 10,000
people next to millions of building-loving adult bats and millions more
juvenile bats learning to fly that will be attracted to the insects gathering
around the porch and street lights of these homes. Should some poor child or
parent come into contact with a sick bat or a pet that picked up a sick bat and
contract rabies, it won’t matter that the bats have been there for 10,000 or
more years. There will be a growing call for the city health department to
deal with "this threat to public safety."
This, in fact, is the greatest threat to Bracken’s bats.
We need your help to make this case to the city of San Antonio. We are
presenting our concerns to the City Council at their public meeting, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, May 22nd at City Hall, and we need to fill the room with Bracken
supporters. If you live in the San Antonio area, I hope you will come to City
Hall next Wednesday to stand and be recognized as a supporter of bats and
Bracken. We hope those who come will also engage the media, the Mayor, the
Council and their staff members in side conversations.
Many of you do not live in the area, but you can help us make the case that
Bracken and its bats are a global jewel that must be protected. We need you and
other members to call, write and email the Mayor, City Council and Planning
Commission before and after the council meeting.
If you feel unable to comment on the proposed development per se, it will still
be a significant help to speak to the importance of Bracken and the ecological
and economic importance of bats and the global threats they face. I hope we can
count on you and your family to come to Bracken’s aid. Please come on the 22nd
or contact Mayor Castro and other city decision makers. Sign our online petition
Bracken Bat Cave is too important to allow such intensive development to occur
along its border. Please help us convince San Antonio that Mr. Galo’s proposed
subdivision is an incompatible use that is sure to put people and bats into
potential conflict, to the harm of both.
Please don’t hesitate to email us at savebrac...@batcon.org or call my
assistant, Shanna Weisfeld at 512 367-9721 x19, if you have any questions.
Thanks very much and best wishes.
Sincerely,
Andrew Walker
Executive Director
P.S. Here is some more information (pdf) regarding this issue.
P.P.S. If you are coming to central Texas this summer or early fall, don’t
hesitate to let us know if you’d like to visit Bracken. We’d love for you to
see it.
Bat Conservation International P.O. Box 162603 Austin, TX 78716
Phone: (512) 327-9721 | Fax: (512) 327-9724 | Email: i...@batcon.org
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