A thriving bat colony just minutes from Lakewood Ranch now has more room to roost, after Manatee County installed a large "bat condo" at Jiggs Landing Preserve in February.
The 7-acre preserve at 6106 63rd St. East is home to a healthy bat population that may number in the thousands, Manatee County Government said on X on Aug. 15. The bats serve as natural pest controllers for surrounding neighborhoods and farms, consuming insects nightly that would otherwise swarm Lakewood Ranch-area backyards.
The bat condo was built as an Eagle Scout project by Troop 146, led by project manager Aaron Rawley of Manatee County's Property Management division. A county team member named Liza, also of Property Management, led the installation on telephone poles at the preserve, according to the county's Explore and Play Facebook page.
The county called the project "a great example of what can happen when our community comes together for wildlife."
Why the bats are worth protecting
Insect-eating bats provide pest-control services worth more than $3.7 billion per year to U.S. agriculture, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A single bat can eat the insect equivalent of 200 quarter-pound burgers in one night, per the National Park Service.
That adds up fast when thousands share a roost.
A preserve with roots dating back to 1944
Jiggs Landing sits along the Braden River where it widens into the Evers Reservoir. The property dates to 1944, when Al "Jiggs" Metcalf and his wife, Agnes, purchased the 7-acre parcel and opened a fish camp the following year. Al reportedly earned his nickname because he resembled the character "Jiggs" from the comic strip "Bringing Up Father."
Manatee County purchased the property in 2007, saving it from planned condominium development. Parks and Natural Resources Department Director Charlie Hunsicker told Your Observer in a November 2025 feature that the site's destiny "before Manatee County intervened was another multistory condominium."
The preserve now features a free public boat ramp, kayak and canoe rentals, waterfront cabin rentals, a wetlands boardwalk, a nature-themed playground and guided boat tours. Wildlife photographer Janis Parker, who lives nearby, has documented herons, egrets, ospreys, roseate spoonbills, alligators and otters on the property.
Hours and contact information for visitors
Jiggs Landing Preserve is open daily, sunrise to sunset. The Jiggs Landing Outpost, which offers bait, cabin rentals and boat rentals, is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to sunset. The outpost phone number is 941-727-4181.
Residents interested in county parks programming can visit mymanatee.org or call 941-748-4501.
