Buffalo Bat Habitat awarded $393,000 grant to protect bat colony in Ripley

RIPLEY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Since 2024, the Buffalo Bat Habitat has made it its mission to protect our bat population. Now, a nearly $400,000 grant is making that mission a little easier. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) awarded the $393,942 Open Space Conservation Grant to advance permanent protection of the Ripley Bat Farm, an 84-acre property on Lake Erie. The grant will support the Buffalo Bat Habitat's larger overall mission to protect one of the region's largest little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) maternity colonies. "If you're afraid, learn about them. And after that, if you want something to be afraid of, contemplate a world without them," Founder and President Brian Caughel said. "I have 10 grandkids, and I don't want them to inherit a world without bats." Buffalo Bat Habitat The bat population once numbering nearly 2,000 individuals declined to fewer than 40 bats by 2016. One of the leading causes behind the sharp decline was the spread of White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that can be fatal to hibernating bats. Ripley Bat Farm is home to a colony of little brown bats that has demonstrated remarkable resilience amid the spread of WNS. During the recent monitoring season, the colony was estimated at approximately 300 to 350 little brown bats. "We need to provide a place where the bats can roost from spring to fall," Caughel said. The state grant will support the acquisition of 62.8 acres of the property, including associated expenses such as legal fees, appraisals and surveys. WKBW However, the organization is still raising funds to purchase 4 acres of land. Additionally, the Ripley property is still privately owned at this time and not open to the public. A GoFundMe has been established to cover the remaining costs of the project. Both Caughel and Executive Director Jonathan Townsend emphasized the importance the bat population plays in our region. "In Western New York, bats can provide 10 to $14 million of agricultural benefit in each county of Western New York," Townsend said. “And the bats are doing these services free of charge just by doing what they do every night." Townsend added that acts by regular residents can go a long way in improving the population's chance at rebuilding. "If you want to help bats, you can plant some native gardens on your property. You can help other nonprofits with native plant restoration. You can work to put up a bat house on your property. If you put up a bat house that's designed to hold a maternity colony of bats and you get some mamas to move in, their daughters are going to move in with them, and that colony will grow and it will be there for as long as the bat house will be there," Townsend said.