The History of the Covered Bridge After the purchase of an 80-acre tract of land west of the Sangamon River in the 1960s, the Lake of the Woods Covered Bridge was constructed to connect the two sides of Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve. Designed by German Gurfinkel, a civil engineering instructor at the University of Illinois, the bridge is a replica of the original Pepperel Bridge near Boston. In 1965, the bridge was dedicated in honor of then Lake of the Woods Superintendent, Harold Moon, who directed the actual construction. The work took 18 months and cost $55,000. The dedication ceremony was on schedule despite interruptions from two floods. In 1996, major repairs and renovations were made. The base of the bridge was reinforced to prevent erosion, the entire deck was replaced, and the walkway area was widened as part of the newly- constructed bicycle-pedestrian path. Over the years, this bridge has become home to a returning colony of bats. Bats at the Covered Bridge Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve What bat is that? Though no official survey has been conducted on the bats at the Covered Bridge, we believe our small colony consists primarily of big brown bats. Little brown bats and the even-smaller Eastern pipistrelles are two other species that likely reside here. Other bat species in Illinois include the Northern long-eared, Indiana, Southeastern, Eastern red, gray, silver-haired, evening, hoary, and Rafinesque’s big-eared bats. Big Brown Bat Little Brown Bat Eastern Pipistrelle Little brown bats enjoy eating insects that have an aquatic life stage, such as mosquitoes and mayflies, making this bridge an attractive roost. Starting each April, maternity colonies of hundreds of females gather in the rafters of barns or other buildings where they will give birth to and rear their young, called pups. Big brown bats are only big in comparison with other Illinois bats; their bodies reach lengths of up to three inches. They are one of the most widely distributed and most visible species of bats, often occupying man- made structures and feeding in urban yards and streets. Eastern pipstrelles are the smallest bats in Illinois, weighing only 4-10 grams, the average equivalent of about 7 small paperclips! They are nicknamed “butterfly bats” for their fluttering flight pattern.