“That’s right,” Aunt Elizabeth said, “especially since Sarah’s mother came over this afternoon begging me to change my mind.”
Professor Noble sighed. “You’re really caught in the middle, aren’t you?”
Aunt Elizabeth went on to tell him about the threatening phone call she’d received that afternoon. Then she asked Nancy to describe her encounter with Hank Tolchinsky, which Nancy did.
Professor Noble frowned.
“Do you know him?” Nancy asked.
“I had the same run-in with him that you did while I was observing the bats,” Professor Noble said. “Not a particularly nice character, but he is within his rights to want us off his land if we’re trespassing.”
“That’s a diplomatic answer,” Aunt Elizabeth said. They all laughed.
When the laughter died down, Nancy spoke up. “Could you tell me how you got involved in this?” she asked Professor Noble. “I’ve heard that a petition has been made to the Fish and Wildlife Service, but I’m not sure how it works.”
“I’ll be glad to explain,” Professor Noble said, smiling. “It’s not complicated.”
Nancy settled into her comfortable chair, wanting to hear everything he said so she could be prepared for the meeting that evening.
“A couple of months ago,” Professor Noble began, “some people in Fairport decided that Old Fairport Road needed to be widened. I suppose you’ve heard about the accidents? And what happened to Tommy Connor?”
Nancy nodded.
Professor Noble went on. “A motion was raised at a town meeting to look into the possibility of widening the road. Mrs. Porter posed the question that conservationists always ask when changes are going to be made to the environment: Would the changes affect the animals or plants that live there? No one knew. But the motion passed, even though John Stryker tried to get enough support to keep it from passing.”
“I’ve never understood why he was against the road widening,” Aunt Elizabeth broke in. “Usually I have to fight him tooth and nail on conservation issues.”
Professor Noble nodded and went on. “And so Mrs. Porter called and asked me to do a quick biological assessment of the area. That’s when I discovered the gray bats.”
Aunt Elizabeth excused herself to make coffee. “Keep going,” she said, leaving the room. “I’ve heard this before.”
“When I let the town council know I had found bats, and endangered bats at that, there was an uproar,” he continued. “In order to widen the road, the town council had to file a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for what they call an Incidental Take permit. They’d have to prove that taking down those trees wasn’t going to endanger the bats’ habitat.”
“Will it?” Nancy asked.
“I think it will,” Professor Noble said. “But the town called in some experts from the state fish and game agency to help them prepare the permit application and develop a habitat conservation plan.”
“Do they think they can take the trees down without endangering the bats?” George asked.
“They do, but I think they’re wrong,” Professor Noble said. “That’s why I’m going to the meeting tonight. To give my side of the story.”
“Why is taking down a clump of trees so devastating to the bats?” Nancy asked. “Aren’t there other trees?”
“Those tall oaks are the only kind of tree for miles around where they can roost,” Noble explained. “They won’t roost in smaller trees. I also suspect there’s a cave nearby where they hibernate for the winter. Otherwise they wouldn’t be where they are.
“But thanks to Mr. Tolchinsky,” he said with a wry grin, “I haven’t been able to find the cave. For all we know, it could be in the path of the road widening. If it is, then we have a much more solid case to preserve the land as it is for the sake of the bats. But I only have two more days to find it.”
“Why is that?” Nancy asked.
“Because the deadline for filing the petition to prevent the road work is two days from now.”
“And then what happens?” Nancy asked again.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service reviews the application and makes a decision. Usually it doesn’t take them very long. But in a case like this, where there are serious objections, it can sometimes go on for years.”
“Please don’t say that.” Aunt Elizabeth came back in with a tray of coffee, cups, and a strudel.
When everyone was settled with dessert, Nancy asked Professor Noble something she’d been wondering about. “How did you get interested in bats?”
Professor Noble put down his cup. “When I was a child, we lived in a house at the top of a hill. In the backyard were a couple of old oaks. At twilight my parents and I used to sit out on the back porch and watch the bats take flight for the evening.”
“Sounds a little spooky to me,” Bess said with a laugh.
“Kind of,” Professor Noble said, smiling. “My parents weren’t naturalists, but they had a great appreciation for the natural world and all its inhabitants. And I’ve found I developed a lot of sympathy for bats. They’re like the underdogs of the natural world. Few people understand how important they are.”
Aunt Elizabeth looked at the clock on the mantel. “We should go now,” she told the group.
Bess began to collect the dishes, but Aunt Elizabeth said, “Leave the dishes where they are. There’s going to be quite a crowd, and if we want to find a good parking spot, we’ll have to get there early.”
As they hurried to get ready, the doorbell rang. “Now, who could that be?” Aunt Elizabeth said. She headed for the door.
Nancy heard her open the door and then a piercing scream. She rushed into the vestibule and found Aunt Elizabeth collapsed against the door frame, her hand on her chest.
“What is it?” Nancy asked, putting an arm around her.
Aunt Elizabeth pointed out the door. Hanging from a rafter of the portico was a bat, twisting in the night breeze.
Pinned to it was a note. In bold square letters it said: Stop! Or you’ll be hanging next!
