Rachel Burke monitoring agave phenology during graduate school with her dog Sadie.

Rachel Burke sitting in grass with her and with a clipboard and pencil looking up

Rachel Burke monitoring agave phenology during graduate school with her dog Sadie.

Photo: Joshua Jasso

Restoring Agave to Save Bats

Rachel Burke leads U.S.-based agave restoration work for BCI

CI’s Agave Restoration Coordinator, Rachel Burke, collaborates with stakeholders to lead United States-based agave restoration work. Before joining BCI in November 2023, Burke worked in wildlife habitat conservation for state and federal agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. Her graduate thesis work at New Mexico State University focused on building models of bat habitat and seasonal nectar availability in bat migration corridors. Now, her work at BCI focuses on the same nectar bats.

What is a typical day like for you as Agave Restoration Coordinator?

I get to do a little bit of everything when it comes to habitat work for nectar-feeding bats in the southwestern U.S. I spend most of my time digging into agave suitability and soil maps to plan and prioritize agave planting sites, coordinating with restoration nurseries for expanding our agave grow-out efforts and building relationships with landowners and land managers. We are coordinating migratory corridor monitoring along potential migratory pathways for nectar- feeding bats where we collect environmental DNA (eDNA) from flowering agaves and hummingbird feeders in potential foraging areas, so I spend quite a bit of time strategizing field surveys for that effort.

What are some of the main challenges nectarivorous bats face in the U.S.?

Climate change is the major underlying challenge wildlife faces, especially in arid environments. It amplifies every other threat species face. Nectarivorous bats need protected roosts and healthy foraging grounds in multiple locations across Mexico and the U.S. Fortunately, many roosts in the U.S. are in remote protected areas. However, many foraging grounds face threats from drought, wildfire, non-native invasive species, and extractive land uses. The long life cycle of agave makes it difficult to adapt to such dramatic changes in the landscape, especially at the pace needed to offset the impacts of climate change.

Rachel Burke standing in dry grass next to various plants

Ecological monitoring on a limestone hill of agave.

Photo: Jennifer D’Annibale

Could you tell us about some opportunities you see for agave restoration work?

We prioritize planting sites around known roosts for the Endangered Mexican long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) and higher elevation areas around the northern edge of nectar bat ranges. We are building partnerships with landowners to plant agaves, especially along potential migratory corridors for the Mexican long-nosed bat, and will prioritize various areas as we learn more about historic agave distribution in west Texas.

What are you most excited about in your work moving forward?

I am excited to expand partnerships with land managers in key areas. Working more closely with land managers will help us integrate agave restoration into broader landscape health initiatives and amplify the impact of our agave restoration efforts. Our agave program has expanded awareness around the importance of agave for nectarivorous bats. I am excited to harness the inertia around agave conservation to implement effective recovery actions for the Mexican long-nosed bat.

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