RECOMMENDATIONS 



Security of Azure Cave is a high priority management concern for the Little Rocky 

 Mountains. Azure Cave is now known to be one of the largest bat hibernacula in this region of 

 North America. Fall, winter, and spring are the most critical periods for bat use of Azure Cave. 

 Summer use of the cave is minimal. In 1998, Azure Cave experienced at least one unauthorized 

 entry some time during summer by an unknown number of individuals. Fortunately, the cave 

 was not entered when bats were hibernating, but that scenario could have occurred. In fact, 

 several parties could have entered the cave at any time of the year with little likelihood of 

 detection or deterrence. The mechanism whereby the gate was locked was especially vulnerable 

 to any party of moderate motivation for gaining entry. The recommendations that follow are 

 essentially those from the previous report. They are worth repeating here. 



1 ) The gate on Azure Cave does not quite follow recommended construction specifications (e.g., 

 Tuttle and Taylor 1994), especially as it pertains to security from human intrusion. 

 Replacement of the gate with a recommended design should be considered as a future 

 management priority. 



2) Secure the gate with a protected lock, not an exposed chain. Experience has now shown that 

 a chain is easily bypassed. Mechanisms for protecting gates from unauthorized entry are part 

 of recommended gate designs. 



3) Change the lock on the cave gate every year or two to reduce likelihood of unauthorized 

 access with "lost" or duplicate keys. Visit Azure Cave once a month to check gate integrity, 

 especially from April-October when the site is most accessible. 



4) Maintain a logbook of visitors to Azure Cave at the Malta Field Office (or appropriate 

 jurisdictional office). This will provide a record of authorized activity at the cave upon which 

 future changes in admission policy can be based. It also provides data with which population 

 trends in the overwintering bat population might be correlated. 



5) Conduct counts of hibernating bats in Azure Cave every 2-3 years in the presence of active 

 mine expansion, or every 3-5 years in the absence of mining threats or other disturbance. It is 

 preferable to conduct the count in April, so that counts can be compared across years (there 

 are three complete April counts available: 1978, 1997, and 1998). Dramatic declines should 

 be cause for alarm. The party conducting the counts should include at least one experienced 

 bat biologist. No more than three persons should be in the party entering the cave, to 

 minimaze disturbance while maintaining a reasonable level of safety. 



6) Continue to monitor bat activity at nearby ponds every 2-3 years, so long as mine expansion 

 is a reasonable possibility. Water sources in the area are extremely significant to the bat 

 fauna of the Little Rocky Mountains (Hendricks and Genter 1997), including the individuals 

 occupying Azure Cave. Management for bats should include availability and access to water, 

 even to the point of constructing new ponds if mine expansion proceeds and eliminates some 

 water sources. 



7) Continue with surveys of other caves and abandoned mines, which may provide significant 

 roost sites for bats during summer. Information gained will also provide a more complete 

 picture of the significance of Azure Cave to the bat fauna of the Little Rocky Mountains. 



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