When Indiana bats aren't hibernating in caves, they're often roosting in dead trees. In Indiana, many of these dead-tree bat roosts are in wooded areas near busy highways. To keep the endangered bats from flying into traffic as they chase insects, Indiana Department of Transportation biologists came up with an easy solution. At the I-64 Lanesville Rest Area and other Indiana bat locations, workers put up tall, "high-mast" lighting. When the insects fly high above the traffic so do the bats. Thanks to the taller lights, both the bats and their food supply are protected.
--Apr 25, 2003
|Illinois Natural History Survey photo|