Bat Encounter: Live at the Gardens!
By Rob Mies
Organization for Bat Conservation
Bats are some of the most diverse, ecologically important, and unique mammals on Earth. There are over 1,200 different kinds of bats worldwide, making up roughly a quarter of all mammalian species. They are the primary predators of nighttime insects, pollinators of hundreds of plants, and seed dispersers of tropical fruit trees. Yet due to centuries of myths and misunderstandings, bat populations have been drastically declining and in need of immediate conservation assistance.
Myths of bats are based off of lack of information. For instance, bats are not blind, in fact, they can see quite well. Bats will not get tangled in human hair and do not build nests. Bats in the United States do not drink blood and very few contract rabies. To the contrary, bats are clean, caring, timid animals if left alone. Bats will bite in self defense, so keep your distance.
Nectar and fruit eating bats are responsible for the health of rainforests around the world. We rely on bats for spreading seeds of pollinating bananas, durian, mangos, balsa, baobob, and many more. A recent study estimated that insect-eating bats in the U.S. provide farms an average of $23 billion annually in pest control.
Unfortunately, bat populations have declined dramatically due to urban sprawl, pollution, human persecution, and a deadly fungus. Five years ago, researchers first noticed bats dying outside a cave in New York. Today, we call this phenomenon “White-nose Syndrome,” referring to the white fungus on the skin of the bat. This cold-loving fungus wakes hibernating bats too often, depleting important winter fat and has killed over one million bats.
The good news: there are many things you can do. Putting up bat houses will provide necessary alternative roosting habitat, gardening organically will reduce possible contamination, and educating friends and family will dispel myths and promote an accurate portrayal of bats.
For more information: www.batconservation.org
Gather the family and join Rob Mies at the Gardens for one of his two appearances on Sunday, October 23rd (4:00 – 5:30 pm and 7:00 – 8:30 pm). Joining Rob will be the Malayan flying fox, the largest bat in the world with a 6-foot wingspan! You will also meet the endangered golden bat and many more beautiful species. Stick around afterwards and tag along with Rob as he walks the Gardens to locate local bat species living amongst us!
Register online or call 720-865-3580. Tickets are limited, so register early!
Bat Encounter: Live!
Sunday, October 23rd:
Guest Blogger: Rob Mies
Organization for Bat Conservation
Rob Mies started working with bats in 1992 while working at Eastern Michigan University studying the endangered Indiana bat in the swamps of Michigan. His research has also taken him to other parts of the Midwest, Costa Rica, Australia, and the Mauritius Islands in the Indian Ocean. Rob Mies co-founded the Organization for Bat Conservation over a decade ago to educate people about the uniqueness and importance of bats. The Organization for Bat Conservation is the largest grassroots bat conservation organization in North America. The organization presents over 1,500 award-winning live animal programs each year around the United States. Since 2002, the Organization for Bat Conservation has collaborated with the Cranbrook Institute of Science to open the only public display of bats in Michigan called the “Bat Zone.” Visitors come to the Bat Zone to see live bats from around the world, take part in educational programs, and learn how to protect and conserve bats and their natural habitat.
Rob Mies is the author of several scientific papers, along with the book “Understanding Bats” (1996), and the producer of OBC’s award-winning video “Bats: The True Story” (1998). Rob also co-wrote the field guide “Beginner’s Guide to Bats,” (2002). Rob was featured in television documentaries by Paramount Pictures “Wild Things” (1997), and Germany’s “Nature Adventure” (2002). He has been a guest on The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Martha Stewart Living, and the CBS Early Show. In addition, Rob Mies is an advisor and member of the American Zoological Association Bat Taxon Advisory Group, North American Symposium on Bat Research, Midwest Bat Working Group, and the Michigan Bat Working Group.
Rob Mies is the Organization’s conservation biologist and director. He was the driving force to start the “Great Lakes Bat Festival” in 2001. The festival features bat expert presentations, live animal programs, and family activities. It is held each summer and draws people from around the Midwest and beyond. In addition, the Organization for Bat Conservation, under Rob’s direction, supports conservation work in Malaysia, the Mauritius Islands, and projects in North America.
No Comments to “Bat Encounter: Live at the Gardens!”