Building the better bat box in Atlanta Gas Light and Nicor Gas service territories
Bats may be one of nature’s most misunderstood mammals, but their role in our environment is no myth. According to The Nature Conservancy, bats play an essential part in pest control, plant pollination and seed dispersal.
Their collective impact is staggering.
The Nature Conservancy reports that bats save the U.S agricultural industry $23 billion annually in pesticide costs by eating their bodyweight in insects every night – a win-win for the environment and the economy.
Yet, bat populations are in decline around the world, in part because they are losing critical habitat. That’s why employees within Southern Company Gas service territories are taking action.
"Bats play an essential role in pest control, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. The Nature Conservancy estimates that bats eat enough pests to save more than $23 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the U. S. agricultural sector."
“Batman” – teamed up with EverGreen creating over 38 habitats for bats.
This year, Southern Company Gas environmental expert Allen Jacks – lovingly known as “Batman” – teamed up with EverGreen, the company’s environmental volunteer network, to help bats living in its Georgia and Illinois territories thrive by building and installing essential habitats carefully placed in areas where bats like to roost and raise their young.
“The bat houses provide roosting opportunities for the bats, as well as shelter and habitat that they are losing so much of," explained Jacks.
With Jacks’ support, employees of Southern Company Gas subsidiaries Atlanta Gas Light and Nicor Gas constructed 38 habitats across nature preserves in the energy companies’ respective states, providing shelter for over 6,000 bats at about 150 bats per bat house.
One of the locations for these new homes is Linwood Nature Preserve, which spreads over 30 acres of urban forest on the shore of Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. The wooded area serves as a safe habitat for bats to flourish, as well as a quiet respite for visitors.
Reflecting on the initiative, Margaret Rasmussen, executive director of the Redbud Project: Model for Green Space Preservation that has developed Linwood Nature Preserve, said, “This initiative reminds us that when we preserve habitats, we preserve the green spaces our communities rely on.”