By Andrew Berry
Bernheim’s 14,500 acres provide ample habitat for bats, including caves, cliffs, streams, wetlands, lakes, dead trees for maternity roosts (raising baby bats!), and billions of insects. We use acoustic monitoring to detect and better understand our bat populations and have found that Bernheim Forest is home to 12 species of bats, including rare bats such as Indiana bat, Gray bat, and Rafinesque’s Big-eared bat. We also worked to add 143 acres of prime bat habitat this past year. Let’s all remember to celebrate the bat this Halloween for its important ecological contributions and for just being a cool animal.
Bats aren’t just creepy creatures made for Halloween, they are a vital part of a healthy ecosystem. Join in the Bat Week celebration by watching the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCyiWaCiA8s