Monday October 23, 2023
Oregon Public Broadcasting —
An old shed stands at the bottom of the J.C. Boyle Dam near Klamath Falls. The building is unremarkable in just about every way — except that it’s home to a colony of bats.
“There’s a data gap on bats in the Pacific Northwest,” said Kaly Adkins, a conservation biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife.
That makes the shed valuable in a couple of bat-friendly ways.
First, the 1950s space is tiny, small enough that Adkins had to stoop to enter on one recent fall day. Bats like to hide away, so prefer these kinds of confined quarters.
Second, it has a corrugated metal roof, so the shed gets nice and warm in the summer, perfect for rearing bat pups.