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“BAT BOXES ARE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW GOOD PRACTICES, INFORMED BY THE BEST RESEARCH COLLECTED AND CURATED BY THE ACBP, CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.”
— Cory Olson, Program Coordinator, Alberta Community Bat Program
“So far, we haven’t found that catastrophic die-off, so it could very well be that we have a bit of a refuge population that, if properly managed, can still be here in decades to come,” says Olson. The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome is only beginning to enter Alberta, so the next few years will be critical to understanding what effect it will have on our bats.
This year, the ACBP is making big improvements to bolster its conservation efforts. With funding from Edmonton Community Foundation, it can launch an intuitive online training program, update its existing guides and produce a video tutorial on how to make the best-in-class bat boxes.
Olson says it’s vital that people get the most up-to-date information on bat conservation. Bat boxes are a great example of how good practices, informed by the best research collected and curated by the ACBP, can make a difference.
While similar in theory to birdhouses, bat boxes tend to be much larger and taller. They can house up to 350 bats and need to be constructed with multiple chambers so that the bats don’t overheat on hot summer days.
Picking the right location for your bat boxes is just as important — and Olson recommends building more than one. Just like humans, these mammals like having
options in real estate.
Still, equipping people with the right
bat-helping tools is only half the battle — the other challenge is dispelling some of the negative myths.
While they don’t fight crime or pick fights with the Penguin or Joker, bats
are ecological superheroes in their own right. Olson says that people camping
at night will often notice a dark figure swooping overhead, especially if they have a fire going. That’s actually your bat protector snatching up pesky insects like mosquitoes and biting flies!
During the peak of summer, bats eat their body weight in insects every night. With several million bats living
14 LEGACY IN ACTION