- Colorado is home to 18 species of bats.
- Three Colorado bat species (Fringed myotis, Hoary bat, and Townsend’s big-eared bat) are US Forest Service Region 2 Sensitive Species – which means that there is concern about their long-term viability on Forest Service lands.
- We’re actually not sure how other Colorado bat species are doing and could use your help!
Bats face numerous threats in Colorado, such as habitat loss and climate change. In addition, hibernating bats in Colorado may be impacted by white-nose syndrome (WNS), a pathogen that has killed millions of bats in the eastern and midwestern U.S. since 2006. WNS was just detected in a Colorado bat on April 24 of this year.
Unfortunately, relatively little is currently known about the population status of most species of bats in Colorado. This prevents land managers and conservation organizations develop strategies and programs to protect bats and their habitats.
Thankfully, we have a community science project where you can help collect data about Colorado bats!
Partner:
Here are just some things you can do to learn more about and protect bats:
Join Us:
Join us for an evening bat conservation event in Wheat Ridge!
When: Tuesday, May 16, meet at 7:30 pm, we’ll start moving around at 8:00 pm, and you’ll be on your way home by 9:00 pm
Where: Meet near the parking lot at Crown Hill Park, 9357 W 26th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
Other details: This is a paved trail and accessible for folks using mobility aids
Registration: This is a free event, but it is limited. Register to save your spot.
Join our friend, Aaron Sidder from Bat Conservation International, for a bat event! Aaron will lead a discussion on the ecology of bats, where they live, what they do, and why they’re important. He’ll also bring in some tips for making your home, yard, or park more bat-friendly. While we circumnavigate on the trail, Aaron will show attendees how to identify species bats in real-time with an Echo Meter Touch Bat Detector and how to report a bat roosting site on the Colorado Bat Watch website!
For everyone’s safety, we ask that all attendees be fully vaccinated or have a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours of the event.
You will need to bring water, anti-mosquito protection of your choice, layers if necessary, and anything else you may personally need.
Aaron is an ecologist for Bat Conservation International and a board member here at Rocky Mountain Wild. He is an experienced field ecologist whose research has taken him to the Everglades, Southwestern deserts, and the top of the Rocky Mountains.
Read:
For Adults:
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s news release about white-nose syndrome in Colorado
- More information and decontamination protocols afor white-nose syndrome from White-Nose Syndrome Response Team
For Kids:
- “5 Reasons Why Bats are the Best” from National Geographic Kids.
- “Meet Some Bonkers Bats!” from National Geographic Kids.
Do:
For Adults:
- Join Colorado Bat Watch! Colorado Bat Watch is a collaborative effort to study and conserve bats. You can get involved as a community scientist! Sign up to receive emails about the program here.
- Adopt a plush little brown bat to help support our community science program, Colorado bat Watch!
- Order your #SaveTheBats tee. The proceeds will go to help fund our Colorado Bat Watch project.
- Build a bat house. Use this great guide from Bat Conservation International to build a bat house to help those bats who can’t find space in a forest.
- Plant native plants. Native plants attract native insects that are food for bats. Check out the guide for gardening for bats from Bat Conservation International’s webpage here.
- Purchase a bat sticker, shirt, cup, or other goodies to support Rocky Mountain Wild’s work!
For Kids:
- Check out the How to Draw a Bat tutorial! And send your finished drawing to Chris and we’ll post it on our social media.
- Color in your own bat, and this one too! Consider sending it to Chris and we’ll post it on our social media.
- Did you know bats are really important pollinators? It’s true. Check out Captain Planet Foundation’s Pollinator Quest to learn more about pollinators, ways in which we’re harming them, and how we can help them!
Listen and Watch:
For the Whole Family:
- “Bats Take Flight,” from Science Friday (7 minutes)
For Adults:
- Bat Power Hour and AMA – Colorado Endangered Species Week 2020 (79 minutes)
For Kids:
Join us for the rest of the Colorado Endangered Species Week events!