Issue5_Fall2015

by Rachael Hyland

Some people spend their summer at the beach, swimming or fishing. I spent my summer in Ohio, and was lucky enough to work for 2 weeks mist-netting bats. Before you get squeamish about how "disgusting" bats are, let me remind you that bats eat tons (literally tons) of nuisance bugs, such as flies, mosquitoes, and beetles that normally eat your vegetable garden, and save farmers around the US billions in pesticides. Also take a minute to learn about the disease- causing fungus known as White

Nose Syndrome that has been decimating bat populations around the eastern half of the US for almost a decade. Bats are an important part of the ecosystem, therefore when large scale projects involving tree clearing are proposed, such as the Utopia pipeline, it is necessary to conduct surveys for threatened and endangered bats that possibly inhabit the area. As someone who has spent several years helping with bat research from the comfort of a car or office, this was a fantastic

opportunity to actually get hands- on training. I got to hold my first bat (a female red bat), I learned how to set up and dismantle mist- nets (see time-lapse video), and I also increased my knowledge of the federal regulations regarding bat surveys. For 14 days straight I went to work around 7pm and didn't get back until almost 3, not ideal hours for most people, but it was definitely a treat for me. Learn more about white nose syndrome: https://www.whitenosesyndrome.org/