|
U.S. Office of Surface Mining,
Mid-Continent Region |
||
|
|
HISTORY Indiana Bat and Coal Mining Fish and Wildlife Federal Register Notices: Draft
Revised Indiana Bat recovery Plan Office of Surface Mining Responses to USFWS:
Response to
5-year Review Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bat Conservation International On December 15, 1998, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) signed a MOU with Bat Conservation International, Inc. in order to establish a framework for cooperative efforts between the two organizations to maintain and increase the conservation of bats and their habitats. Under this agreement, OSM would (1) Consider the conservation of bats and their habitats in the development and implementation of abandoned mine land (AML) reclamation standards and recommendations to States and Indian Tribes; (2) Provide assistance in the development of AML programs to help manage bats and their habitats; (3) For Federal Programs, monitor non-emergency AML shaft and portal areas for bat activity prior to reclamation; (4) As appropriate, require the use of bat gates to seal the shafts of portals where bat habitation is known and would be endangered if sealed otherwise. OSM will encourage the States and Tribes to do the same; and (5) Promote the education of OSM staff, State agencies, and Indian Tribes as to: the beneficial aspects of conserving bats, tested methods to safeguard bat habitat and public health, and ways to mitigate for loss of bat roosts and habitat. Bat Conservation and Mining Steering Committees On March 1, 1999, OSM convened its first multi-agency, multi-interest group, steering committee made up of people who have experience in this area in order to initiate planning for a technical interactive forum on the subject of Bat Conservation and Mining. To date, OSM has cosponsored three technical interactive forums related to bat conservation and mining. On November 14-16, 2000, the OSM and BCI cosponsored a technical interactive forum on Bat Conservation and Mining in St. Louis, Missouri. The Objective was to initiate increased cooperation between concerned State and Federal agencies and conservation groups interested in protecting bats in conjunction with mining and reclamation. On March 4-6, 2002, OSM cosponsored a forum on Bat Gate Design with the U.S. DOI Fish and Wildlife Service and BCI in Austin, Texas. The objective was to develop a manual on how to best protect important caves and underground mines used by bats through the use of gates and other bat friendly closure devices. On November 16-18, 2004, OSM cosponsored a forum on the Indiana Bat and Coal Mining in Louisville, Kentucky. The objective was to provide information on increasing efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Federally endangered Indiana Bat (Mysotis sodalis) and the need to better interagency coordination with State Mining Regulatory Authorities during the permitting, mining, and reclamation activities of surface coal mines that potentially impact Indiana Bat habitat. To contact us: Questions Concerning Bat Conservation & Mining Technology Transfer at OSM should be directed to: Kimery Vories Phone: 618-463-6463 x 5103
|
|
Accessibility