Conservation work continues at caverns

Turner added that only one bat remained in the cave in 2018.

“That’s positive growth,” he said. “To have any success at all is quite remarkable.”

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy purchased the 13-acre property to repurpose the caves as hibernaculum, as well as to provide structural fish habitats in Spruce Creek and as public access for fishing. Michael Knoop, senior director of special projects with the conservancy, said the focus for the purchase was restoring the caves as hibernating areas for the area’s significantly depleted bat population.

“The bats were really our primary interest,” Knoop said.

From December 2017 to June 2019, the conservancy partnered with the Game Commission to rewild the caverns. Turner said the gift shop was immediately removed and three sealed apertures in the caverns opened, as well as steel, angle-iron gates were installed to allow for airflow and bat entry and inhibit human entry.

“This work was done in fall 2018 and was completed by January 2019,” Turner said.

Soon after the unsealing, efforts to increase the flow of cold air followed. In a study he co-authored, which was recently published in Conservation Biology, a scientific journal, Turner explains how the lack of adequate cold air in caves has contributed to white-nose syndrome wiping out 98% of the hibernating bat population in the state.

According to www.usgs.gov, “white-nose syndrome is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007, and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America.”

Turner said the Game Commission is still working on increasing the cold air flow throughout the caverns, alongside other endeavors of the Fish and Boat Commission.

The caverns were acquired by the conservancy in 2017 and the Fish and Boat Commission bought the property from the conservancy in 2019. Since then, the two agencies have worked to restore Spruce Creek and open the 1,200 feet that flows on the property to increase accessibility for the nationally-renowned wild brown trout fishery.

According to www.fishandboat.com, 0.1 miles from the upstream boundary at the property to the downstream boundary of the property is categorized as “Class A” wild trout waters, streams that support a population of naturally produced trout of sufficient size and abundance to support a long-term and rewarding sport fishery.”

Mike Parker, communications director for the Fish and Boat Commission, told The Daily News the fishery is managed with catch and release artificial lures only regulations. In addition to opening the trout fishery to the public, Parker said the project consisted of installing 25 habitat enhancement structures for the trout living in the creek.

“The structures provide overhead cover and enhance riffle, run and pool habitat, while also stabilizing eroding stream banks and reducing the total sediment load entering the waterway,” Parker said.

Additionally, Jennifer Farabaugh, conservancy watershed manager for the Chesapeake Bay, told The Daily News the conservancy and Fish and Boat Commission planted native trees and shrubs along 0.7 acres of the property that formerly served as the parking lot.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy purchased Indian Caverns from the Wertz family after the attraction closed as a commercial show cave in 2016. Harold Wertz Sr. purchased the cave in 1928 and opened it to the public to tour in 1929.