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Eagle Scout candidate seeks wetland permit to install bat boxes in Simsbury parks
Summary
At the June 17 Conservation Commission meeting, Simsbury High School senior Catherine Bridal presented an Eagle Scout project seeking a wetland permit to install four bat boxes on two poles in Meadow Pond Park and Town Forest Park and described placement, attraction methods and disease precautions.
At the June 17 meeting of the Simsbury Conservation Commission and Wetlands and Watercourse Agency, Eagle Scout candidate Catherine Bridal asked the commission to accept an application (CC-25-16) for a wetland permit to install four bat boxes mounted back-to-back on two poles at Meadow Pond Park and Town Forest Park.
The project is part of Bridal’s Eagle Scout requirements and is meant to provide roosting habitat near water. Bridal said she plans to install poles by hammering them into the ground, then sliding a center pole into the first pole rather than setting concrete footings. "The ideal lengths of a bat box is somewhere between 12 to 20 feet. So my intent is probably to get a 15 foot pole and then insert it into the ground 3 feet deep so that it will just be 12 feet standing," Bridal said. She added the final height will depend on available poles.
Commissioners heard details about the boxes’ siting and how Bridal would attract bats. Bridal named several bat types she hopes the boxes will serve and said she may plant native, white-flowering plants to attract moths, and noted another method she researched was smearing guano into the boxes. She cautioned the commission about disease risks: "there's various diseases that are highly contagious between bats ... you don't want to absolutely bring in parasites or disease or fungus," Bridal said.
Commissioners asked about proximity to lights and recreation. Bridal said Meadow Pond Park has no street lights at the planned site and that she avoided sites adjacent to soccer fields to reduce human disturbance. The commission also confirmed Bridal may continue fundraising for the project.
The commission moved CC-25-16 to the top of the agenda and took up the application for presentation; no final permit decision appears in the meeting transcript. Next steps described at the meeting included Bridal providing supporting documentation and accommodating any agency or staff requests during permit review.
