Bat Hibernacula & Gate Workshop (PA) Sept 21 - 25, 2026
Bat Hibernacula & Gate Workshop (PA) Sept 21 - 25, 2026
$775.00
/
Step 1: there is a fee to attend this meeting. Please checkout each person separately to secure your seat. Payment is required to guarantee your seat. PGC/DCNR employees check with your supervisor before registering.
Step 2: Each attendee -must- complete the pre-event survey. This will help plan and steer special segments of the class.
CLICK HERE to complete the pre-event survey.
Each attendee should complete the pre-meeting survey. This will help plan special segments of the class. Select the "Bat Gate" & "PA" options to find the relevant form. Special dietary needs should be listed here, but consider bringing your own snacks as we cannot accommodate all requests.
A limited number of registrations are available for sponsoring organizations; current PA Game Commission, PA DCNR, and PA DEP employees.
National Bat Hibernacula & Gate Workshop
Sponsored by: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Kennedy Above/Under Ground, LLC, and Bat Conservation and Management, Inc.
Engineering wildlife-friendly closures is much more difficult that it appears. The wrong approach can cause bats to abandon a site, and recognizing how to improve potential bat hibernacula can turn a mediocre site into critical habitat .Since 1997 a series of National Bat Gate Workshops have been organized, sponsored, and taught by some of the best cave and mine gaters in the world, with a cumulative total of over 100 years gating experience and over 1,000 successful gates built.
Lectures include bat gate evolution, gating do’s and don’ts, cave microclimate, bat cave and mine assessment techniques, project management, bat biology, and similar topics. We discuss closure options other than gates, and when they should and should not be used. Technical details of design, construction and logistics will be presented, along with case studies of restorations in PA and nationwide. Excellent handouts and certificates of completion will be provided to all participants.
Fieldwork features hands-on hands-on experience completely building one or more closures on abandoned mine entrances. Participants are involved first-hand with site management, materials handling, personnel safety, gate design, placement, construction techniques, and site restoration.
Field Tour is a special visit to other nearby mines or tunnels which have been protected and the immediate vicinity enhanced to be more attractive for Pennsylvania's hibernating bats.
The workshop therefore encompasses far more than physically building a bat-friendly enclosure, and is especially valuable for agency resource managers, conservationists, cavers, consultants, land developers, and gating contractors. All participants should be aware that they will be expected to do hard manual labor, and should come prepared to lift and carry heavy objects, and work in dark, cramped, and sometimes wet conditions. Helmets, headlamps, leather work gloves, and work boots are mandatory. Old work clothes and a small pack with snacks, etc. are recommended at the field site. Field lunches and beverages will be provided on site. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from our lodging/lecture space in Wilkes-Barre to the gating site, but car pooling is available. Because we will be possibly visiting bat hibernacula that is WNS positive, follow all USFWS recommended decontamination procedures (wash clothes or seal in plastic for later wash) before returning to a WNS-negative area for bat work. (WNS info is at the White Nose Syndrome website at https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/static-page/decontamination-information.) White Nose Syndrome is a devastating disease that has already killed millions of bats, making our protection efforts at these hibernacula even more important.
Date and Time: Monday September 21-Friday September 25, 2026: 5 full days and evenings. Lectures occur on day 1, with gate construction fieldwork and field trips during the subsequent days. Each evening a gourmet dinner is provided, and during dessert one additional special lecture is provided. The first presentation is noon Monday September 21.
Location: Lectures and meals are provided at the Kirby & Kirby Episcopal House, 381 Sunset Rd, Mountain Top, PA 18707. Overnight lodging is provided at the Kirby House (a restored historic mansion), usually 2-3 people per room, with two rooms sharing one bathroom. On-your-own lodging is available from numerous nearby hotels. The field site is located just west of Glen Lyon, PA.
Course objectives: Participants will learn how to assess bat hibernacula, identify important sites, how to not destroy important hibernacula, and most intriguing how to enhance sites to be more suitable for bats. Participants will understand the pros and cons of various cave and mine closure options, concentrating on bat-friendly closures. They will understand the closure process from initial assessment and prioritization to design, logistical planning, construction, and follow-up maintenance and monitoring. We will visit several examples of modern mine closures. You will gain hands-on experience in constructing a bat-friendly gate.
Topics Covered:
Cave and Mine Assessment for Bats
Historical setting of Project Site
The importance of Project Area to bats
Mine & Cave gating history, successes and failures
Microclimate monitoring and restoration
Bat Cave Assessment
PA Bat Hibernacula
PA Case Studies of Restoring and Enhancing Hibernacula
Gating details
-
Equipment and personnel
-
Site safety: note you may be exposed to heights, cliff faces, unexpected open shafts, falling/collapsing rock, ladders, airborne metal shards, sharp edges, bee stings, welding glare & smoke.
-
Closure design and placement
-
Materials and anchoring options
-
Removable bars and swinging doors
-
Signage and surveillance
Meals: Breakfast (4), sack lunch (4), and dinners (4) are provided, but you must sign up for meals. Beverages are available at the Project Site. We suggest bringing your own snacks and beverages if desired or if you have special dietary restrictions.
Event Instructors: Jim Kennedy, Kennedy Above/Under Ground; John Chenger, Bat Conservation and Management. Additional Instructors: Greg Turner & Mike Scafini, PA Game Commission.
Costs: Limited number of slots are available for current PA Game Commission and PA DCNR employees. $775.00 for all others early bird registration until August 1; $975.00 afterwards. Registration fee is not refundable after August 1. The registration fee for all our workshops is one cost regardless how many days someone participates, or if they take advantage of the provided lodging, food, or other resources offered.
How to Register: ONE registration per order please to capture individual participants information using the shopping cart button on this page. After registering, please complete the participant pre-event questionnaire and select the "bat gate" option: https://batmanagement.com/pages/registration Please register by ordering online; if sold out, email sales@batmanagement.com to be placed on a waiting list should slots become available. Participants will receive additional registration form for skills, meals, and additional how to prepare info. Feel free to contact us any time if you have additional specific questions about the workshop or how to prepare.
All participants are expected to have personal insurance coverage. All participants are expected to sign a liability waiver and photo release at the start of the workshop.
What past participants are saying . . .
“An informative course with knowledgable presenters. You will grasp the concepts behind the basics of cave and mine bat management as well was what it takes to have a bat-friendly gate installed”
“There is manual labor required with some heavy lifting, so be prepared to get some hands-on experience. Very gratifying and extremely enjoyable learning experience”
“This is a good way to get a base-line knowledge of the subjects, but you’ll learn how much you don’t know through the process. Come prepared to to engage as much as possible, and ask leading questions”
“I would highly recommend this to anybody. This offers a unique skill to provide to current or future employees that also happens to be beneficial for general conservation work“
“The venue was great. Staff was friendly and meals were excellent. Availability of field consumables was perfect. I’m already looking forward to doing it [the workshop] again when you guys come back”
“Food/drink all exceeded expectations.. Wonderful property & staff. All expectations were surpassed. Thank you”
Upcoming Events
Other events and workshops by Bat Conservation and Management
%20Sept%2021%20-%2025,%202026){kind=link}