What
We pull cold winter air into the first 40 metres of the mine with two fans, mix it with the mine's own air, and hold a treatment zone a few degrees colder than the rest of the mine. Sensors report every minute over satellite internet.
Why
White-nose syndrome, caused by a cold-loving fungus, has killed millions of hibernating bats in North America since 2006. The fungus grows more slowly in colder air, so a colder place to hibernate may give bats a better chance of making it to spring.
Then and now
The old sign at this mine counts about 15,000 bats. Since white-nose syndrome arrived, far fewer hibernate here. [Current count and source from Joe's manual] This project asks whether engineering the conditions inside a hibernaculum can help the survivors.