Campers on Williams Island should still pack bug spray, but they may notice fewer insects around now, thanks to a local high school student and the bat habitat he created.
Baylor School freshman William Ingraham recently completed his Eagle Scout project to build and place bat boxes near frequented camping areas on the 450-acre island.
Williams Island is an archeological area just a few miles northwest of downtown Chattanooga that belongs to the Tennessee River Gorge Trust.
“What’s really good about bats is they consume huge amounts of insects,” said Tennessee River Gorge Trust volunteer Larry Roberts, who helped Ingraham with his project. “If you dislike mosquitoes, you should love bats.”
Members of Boy Scout Troop 30 put the finishing touches on a bat box on Williams Island.Ingraham found the idea for bat boxes while searching the Internet for Eagle Scout project ideas more than a year ago.
His inspiration for where to build them came from personal experience.
“The previous winter I had gone out to Williams Island, and everyone there got swarmed by wasps,” Ingraham said. “It was not that pleasant, so I had the idea to erect bat boxes on Williams Island.”
Bats typically eat their own body weight in insects each night, and some species can eat 60 medium-sized moths or more than 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in a night. Their existence is threatened by human development and disease such as white-nose syndrome, which kills more than 1 million bats each year.
Roberts, a former teacher and sustainability coordinator at Baylor, provided Ingraham with guidance on where to place the boxes. They decided on spots near put-ins for boaters and the campsite.
“Habitat is important for bats,” Roberts said.
There are no bridges to the island and camping is free but must be approved by the Tennessee River Gorge Trust. Ingraham encouraged campers to avoid going up next to the boxes, because, in some cases, the bats may abandon the boxes if people get too close, he said.
Ingraham, 14, received help on the project from other members of Boy Scout Troop 30.
He isn’t the only local Scout using Williams Island as a place to work on projects.
Jacob Judd, of Troop 279, put up trail markers on Williams Island this month as part of his Eagle Scout project.
Roberts sees the potential for more projects on the island.
One would be construction of a three-strand or “jungle” rope bridge over a drainage stream.
Another, he said, would be building a raised observation platform near a beaver pond on the island.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing,” Roberts said, “that kids get involved, and are doing things with their hands.”
Contact staff writer David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.