by Rick LoBello

Will ongoing development plans at Big Bend National Park impact endangered nectar feeding bats?

Summertime in Big Bend National Park is a very important season for a colony of endangered Mexican long-nosed bats that live in the Chisos Basin area of the park. Mexican long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris nivalis) migrate from Mexico every year and are highly dependent on agave century plants (Agave havardiana)for food, particularly during the summer. When I visited the park on two different trips in May of 2025, I saw a number of century plant agaves starting to bloom just in time for the arrival of the bat colony that flies to the park every year to raise their newborn young.

The Mexican long-nosed bat is endangered primarily due to habitat loss, including the destruction of roosting sites and the reduction of food sources, particularly agave plants, which are crucial for both the bats and tequila production. Human activities like agricultural expansion and industrial practices in agave farming also negatively impact these bats.   (Learn more about the potential impacts)