Pennsylvania's cave bats have fallen on hard times since white-nose syndrome has invaded their hibernacula throughout the state. But steps have been taken to secure their troubled future. Organizations partner for cave bats Williams Company is the latest to chip in funding to save troubled resource. Another partner has joined the Game Commission in its ongoing efforts to protect from intrusions the limited and fragile numbers of hibernating Pennsylvania cave bats. The Williams Company, which owns and manages instate natural-gas pipelines, has joined the Wildlife for Everyone Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in providing funding for high-tech trail cameras to guard bat hibernacula throughout the Commonwealth. The real-time trail-cameras send an alert and photo to agency wildlife conMARCH 2016 servation officers whenever an intrusion occurs. Of course, they're not always people - other wildlife preys on hibernating bats, too - but the cameras guarding bat hibernacula have been tremendously effective since they were put into use. Now a significant number of the state's important bat sites are receiving round-the-clock protection. As a result, bats hibernating in abandoned mines and caves in the Commonwealth have a better chance of surviving to spring, when they re-emerge after an about six-month hibernation. 41