The bats will be “excluded” from the old bridge prior to demolishing it.
The bat houses can accommodate between three and four thousand bats.Īfter building a new Matlacha Bridge in a location just a few feet to the south of where the current bridge lies, the LCDOT will demolish the old bridge. In order to remain in compliance with environmental rules and so that LCDOT can replace the over-water habitat that will be lost during the bridge demolition, LCDOT will erect two bat houses over the water on existing pilings at the Snook Inn property, which was purchased by the county in March 2007. Marks, a co-founder of the Florida Bat Conservancy along with her husband, George, supports LCDOT’s plans to protect the bats and replace their lost habitat. A known colony of Florida bonneted bats lives in a bat house in North Fort Myers and could have spread out to Matlacha, Marks said. This species of bat, while not seen or heard at the bridge, is afforded special protection under the law. Cyndi Marks, a bat expert with the conservancy, said there is a possibility that another species of bat, the Florida bonneted bat (Eumops folridanus) also may roost under the bridge. The experts volunteered their time to identify and count the bats with special sonar equipment.Īlthough Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) are not state or federally listed as a threatened or endangered species, the bats still are protected by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission regulations. The experts determined that Matlacha is home to approximately 2,000 Brazilian free-tailed bats. To prepare for the move, Hiatt invited experts with the Florida Bat Conservancy to survey the bats living under the Greater Pine Island bridge. Once the former restaurant site is cleared, it will be used as a staging area during construction of the new bridge and demolition of the old bridge.īetsie Hiatt, environmental manager with LCDOT, hopes erecting the bat houses before bridge construction begins will encourage the bats to move seamlessly into their new habitat without being disturbed by the construction project. The entire building will be razed except for a small historic portion of the structure which will be restored to its original condition and returned to the site. Demolition is scheduled to begin as early as next week on the non-historic parts of the former Snook Inn property.
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