PILOT KNOB, Mo. -- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff will lead two guided hikes to the top of Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 6, and Oct. 10.
Hike participants will meet at 9:30 a.m. each day at Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site. During the hike, staff and volunteers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will discuss how past mining has created critical habitat for endangered Indiana bats. This important refuge with its unique geology and mining history provided hibernation habitat that continues today.
Space is limited; participants must pre-register to reserve their spot for the hike by calling the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge at 573-222-3589.
Hikers will walk up steep terrain with loose rock and uneven footing. Participants must be physically able to make this hike.
Details on time and meeting location will be provided to registered participants.
Pilot Knob National Wildlife Refuge is located in Arcadia Valley near the junction of Missouri Route 21 and Missouri Hwy W. Pilot Knob NWR is managed by the staff at Mingo NWR.
For more information about the refuge, contact 573-222-3589 or email the refuge at mingo@fws.gov. Visit the refuge's website at www.fws.gov/refuge/pilot_knob for refuge updates.
Pilot Knob NWR was established in 1987. This 90-acre refuge, located at the top of Pilot Knob Mountain, was a donation from the Pilot Knob Ore Company. After being heavily mined in the 1800s and into the 1900s, the iron mine shafts became less active with miners and more active with a different critter....Bats. Upon establishment of the refuge, the mission became to protect the important hibernation sites in the abandoned mine shafts for the federally-endangered Indiana bat and other bat species.
To avoid risk of disturbing the refuge environment and of spreading diseases to bats, the refuge is typically closed to all public access.