AR-News: (OH - US) Pregnant Bat Halts School Construction

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    Pregnant Bat Halts School Construction 

ASHTABULA, Ohio (UPI) -- An endangered pregnant bat found at a $44 million site of a new Ohio school has brought construction to a halt. 

In all, three bats have been found on the site of the future Lakeside High School in Ashtabula, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has ordered all work to stop until an assessment is done. 

FWS spokeswoman Angela Zimmerman said the next step is a jeopardy analysis, to ascertain whether the endangered Indiana bat would be put in jeopardy by the project's construction. She said the analysis could take anywhere from six to eight weeks. 

Normally, bats can be tagged to locate their homes, but FWS discourages tagging pregnant bats. 

The situation has gotten to U.S. Rep. Steven LaTourette, R-Concord, who is demanding a meeting in Washington with wildlife officials, the Ashtabula Star Beacon Daily News said. 

"Right now, a 123-acre site and a $44 million project are being held hostage by one pregnant bat," LaTourette said. "I'm sure the bat experts down in Columbus are busy folks, but there can't be that many bat cases in Ohio more urgent than this." 

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