Habitat Restoration Day on Little Hump Mountain

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) and a slew of volunteers spent a full day chainsawing, mowing, trimming, and cutting to create additional habitat for the rare and “near threatened” golden-winged warbler.

The golden-winged warbler is an early successional species that is dependent on a unique habitat consisting of sparse trees, shrubs, and abandoned fields. Unfortunately, the golden-winged warbler’s habitat is rapidly disappearing, as old farmsteads and other early successional habitats are developing  back into forested land.

Under the leadership of SAHC’s seasonal ecologist, Chris Coxen, volunteers created additional habitat space for these incredible birds in the hopes to increase nesting pairs in the area next spring and summer on Little Hump Mountain. The project was extremely successful, as associate director, Kristy Urquhart explains, “we accomplished more than we thought we would do in a short amount of time.”

And not only was the day a hopeful success story for the golden-winged warbler, but the group also worked to clear an overgrown road that can now be used for leading hikes on in the future.  ”I’m personally excited not only for helping to preserve such a unique bird in our ecosystem, but also for the possibility of having a wildlife refuge trail for future hikes on Little Hump Mountain”, says Urquhart.

The group consisted of employees from SAHC, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Highland Brewing Company, students from Warren Wilson College, and volunteers from the surrounding area. Urquhart continues, “Our team was a total pleasure to work with and accomplished a lot in only one day.” We send a big thanks to everyone who came out to help to make the day such a big success!

SAHC Expands Habitat for Endangered Bat

The Virginia big-eared bat (Plecotus townsendii) is an endangered bat that only lives in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Virginia big-eared bats prefer caves in karst regions (areas underlain with limestone bedrock and many caves and sinkholes) dominated by oak/hickory or beech/maple/hemlock forest. These bats usually hibernate in tight clusters near entrances of caves that are well-ventilated and where temperatures range from 32 to 54 degrees F. In summer, maternity colonies are found in the relatively warm parts of caves.

Human disturbance is probably the biggest factor contributing to the decline of these bats. Disturbance during hibernation causes bats to lose stored fat reserves, and repeated disturbance can cause the bats to die before spring (when insect prey are again available). If female bats are disturbed during the maternity season, they may drop their young to their deaths or the whole colony may abandon a roost for a less suitable location.

SAHC expanded the bat’s habitat in the Highlands of Roan with the recent purchase of the 136-acre Views at Cranberry tract, located within one half mile of the Cranberry Iron Mines tract on which the NC Wildlife Resources Commission holds a 200-acre conservation easement in order to protect this endangered creature.