BatsLive
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A Distance Learning Adventure
Bat emergence at Bracken Cave in Texas
Bats are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies worldwide. As primary predators of night-flying insects, bats consume enormous quantities of agricultural pests and reduce the need for chemical pesticides.
Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals. Bats are threatened worldwide, and their colonies and habitats are destroyed - both intentionally and inadvertently - because of myths, misinformation, and lack of scientific knowledge and understanding. Bat populations are declining almost everywhere in North America especially due to the devastating White-nose Syndrome. Losing bats has far-reaching consequences for natural ecosystems and human economies. Knowledge is the key to their conservation and protection.
BatsLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure is an exciting, free education program for children in the 4-8th grades and their educators, that will bring bat conservation to life in your classroom or community.
Join us to:
- Participate in a LIVE WEBCAST for students on May 17 from 1 to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.
- Participate in WEB SEMINARS for teachers, non-formal educators, and others on April 18, May 3, and October 11.
- Join in CITIZEN SCIENCE activities involving bats in your state.
- Check out all the FREE RESOURCES on this web site.
- Connect to the LEADING BAT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS in the world.
- CLICK HERE for a flyer about BatsLIVE.
Photo © Merlin D. Tuttle
Bat Conservation International
What's New
Watch the webinar conducted in January 2012 about the national White-Nose Syndrome response and learn about the most up-to-date guidance and techniques for winter WNS survey and data collection. More »
Bat Conservation International reports that the newly released federal budget for 2012 contains good news for bats. Congress is directing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to spend $4 million for the fight against White-nose Syndrome, the rapidly spreading disease that has killed millions of bats across eastern North America since 2006. More »
Rolf Mller, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, found that certain bats, such as the horseshoe bat, alter the shape of their entire outer ears in the space of milliseconds, to better hear the sound waves bouncing off objects and prey. More »
Text 242-242 or visit ChaCha at www.chacha.com/ for answers to your questions about bats! More »
Watch Bats! produced by Georgia Outdoors and Georgia Public Broadcasting, which puts viewers face to face with bats, and their incredible wing structure. They are the only mammal that can fly, but we also explore a mysterious disease that's taking them down by the thousands. More »
Partner News
Ann Froschauer, National White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) communications leader with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Carol Meteyer, wildlife pathologist with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center spoke on the radio program, “The Animal House,” about WNS. More »
2012 is being observed as the Year of the Bat. Education regarding the essential roles of bats in maintaining healthy ecosystems and human economies has never been more important. Bats are found nearly everywhere and approximately 1,200 species account for almost a quarter of all mammals. Nevertheless, in recent decades their populations have declined alarmingly. Many are now endangered, though they provide invaluable services that we cannot afford to lose. More »
Check out the new video on YouTube posted by the Lubee Bat Conservancy. More »
Check out the Welcome to the Underground curriculum from the Bureau of Land Management. How do bat mothers find their pups in dark caves? More »
For an outstanding study unit about bats for elementary students, check out the Shadows of the Night lesson plans from Ford Elementary School in Cobb County, GA. Students research how bats impact our environment, why they think it’s important to learn about bats, and more. More »
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