A brand new TWRA survey confirmed the presence of two federally endangered bat species and one proposed for the list in Fentress County
Biodiversity Coordinator Dustin Thames said the 2026 Bat Blitz involved a partnership with the Tennessee Bat Working Group to capture and study animals across the landscape.
“Capturing these endangered species in these areas shows that they’re important areas that need to be protected,” Thames said. “Large expanses of forest around caves are critical for bats and to maintain healthy bat populations we really need to protect these areas across Tennessee.”
The research team documented 316 individual bats, including the endangered Indiana and Grey bats alongside the proposed endangered Tricolored bat. Thames said the findings highlight the importance of the Upper Cumberland to the bat population. The area contains the high density of caves and forests these species require.
“We don’t encounter these endangered species very much,” Thames said. “There simply aren’t very many of them on the landscape.”
The survey results will be integrated into statewide databases to help the agency identify which specific land tracts offer the most conservation value. Thames said mathematical models consistently indicate that protecting land in the Upper Cumberland is the most efficient way to support a variety of imperiled species.
“Our models repeatedly show that, if we can purchase or protect land on the Upper Cumberland, we’re really getting the best bang for our buck,” Thames said. “We’re efficiently helping protect a variety of bat species, a variety of imperiled species.”
The regional bat population has faced significant pressure from White-nose Syndrome, which has caused the Northern Long-eared bat to decline by nearly 100 percent in the state. Thames said human activity also poses a threat, as people entering caves during the winter can disturb hibernating bats and cause them to wake up more frequently than they naturally would while fighting the disease.
“These human disturbances along with White-nose Syndrome sort of has a synergetic effect and it just, it’s a major threat to bats and we really encourage people to sort of stay out of caves in the winter,” Thames said. “But if you do have to go in the caves in the winter and you see bats, it’s best to go ahead and leave and to be quiet so you don’t disturb the bats.”
Beyond their ecological value, bats contribute more than $20 billion annually to the United States agricultural economy by consuming insects. Thames said they are the only animals capable of hunting night-flying insects on the wing, using echolocation to manage pests that would otherwise damage local forests and farms.
“I think that once people understand bats and read about how incredible they are, the things that they do, I think everybody will be fascinated and really want to protect them more,” Thames said.
Thames said private landowners can assist conservation efforts by allowing dead trees with sloughing bark to remain standing on their property to serve as habitat.
Thames said the agency utilized federal White-nose Syndrome grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to fund the research effort.
