TX HR1422

Texas House of Representatives commends Bat Conservation International (BCI), founded in 1982 and headquartered in Austin, for over four decades of protecting bat species in Texas and globally

BCI helped secure over 1,400 acres for Bracken Cave Preserve near San Antonio, home to the world's largest bat colony of approximately 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats

Texas hosts 33 of the 47 bat species found in the U.S., and bats provide pest control services estimated to save Texas agricultural producers hundreds of millions of dollars annually

Over 140,000 people visit Austin's Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge annually to view the world's largest urban bat colony

BCI partners with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Nature Conservancy, and private landowners to combat white-nose syndrome and implement habitat protection practices