Near the Kooy Bridge in Den Helder, a bat bunker has recently been constructed. It is a sturdy and robust building made from reused culvert parts leftover from the municipality of Hoorn.
The bunker offers a nice winter shelter for bats. It is especially suitable for the pond bat, which is found in this area.
Pond bats hunt insects flying over the water at night. During the winter months, food is scarcer and bats hibernate to save energy. They prefer to do this in a safe environment with a stable climate. The bat bunker is ideal. It is dark, humid, and the thick walls prevent freezing inside.
100 Years of Protection
Since summer 2024, the Province of North Holland has replaced the banks of the North Holland Canal between the Kooy Bridge and the lock near Oostoeverweg in Den Helder. This work was completed in the summer of this year. The new bank reinforcement protects the shore against erosion and washing away for another 100 years. This work is part of a project where large parts of the banks within the province are replaced in a sustainable way.
Biodiversity and Reuse
Sustainable bank replacement means considering biodiversity and CO2 reduction. Along this part of the North Holland Canal, a so-called wetland bank has been created, and second-hand sheet piles and electrified equipment have been used. And the bat bunker Opens an external link was built entirely from reused materials — a great example of circular working.
