Project Profile: Mitigate Three Abandoned Mine Hazards at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

A historic fan house at one of the New River Gorge National Recreation Area mine portals to be gated.

NPS Photo

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Revegetation of Hazard Mine Lands | FY22 $167,000

The National Park Service will mitigate three abandoned mine hazards at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, improving public safety and health and restoring the surrounding landscape. The park’s maintenance staff are constructing and installing new gates for the three above-ground openings that lead to historic underground coal mines. The gates are designed to allow bats to safely enter and exit the mines for roosting and hibernating.

Why? The mines are extremely hazardous because of falling rocks, dangerous gases, and the potential to become lost or trapped. While dangerous to people, the mines provide critical habitat for several species of rare bats. Four of these species, the Indiana bat, the northern long eared bat, the tri-colored bat, and the Virginia big eared bat, are federally listed as endangered. Another species, the eastern small-footed myotis, is state listed as being extremely rare and critically imperiled. Since white-nose syndrome was confirmed in the park in April 2011, surveys at mines have shown sharp declines in bat populations.

What Else? Bats are important to ecosystems as pollinators and agricultural pest control. Remediation of the mine hazards at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve will help the park in its ongoing efforts to improve public safety and protect bat habitat.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration

This project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – Ecosystem Restoration, signed on November 15, 2021. It is a historic investment in the restoration and protection of the environment.