Table Of Contents
Conservation & Management
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Because bats are active mostly at night, they present unique challenges to wildlife biologists and naturalists trying to study their habitats and behavior. And reliable information about the resources and natural history of local bat species is essential for managing for their protection or continued survival. Recognizing this, BCI has developed a comprehensive curriculum for an introductory field workshop designed to train serious students of bat conservation in current bat research and management techniques. In this intensive 6-day, 5-night program, BCI biologists and professional colleagues conduct a combination of lectures and discussions, field trips to examine bat habitat, and hands-on training to capture and identify bats.
Participants gain experience with various capture techniques, including mist-netting and harp-trapping. They use and compare the relative efficacy of night-vision scopes, bat detectors, Anabat and SonoBat recording equipment, radio-tracking devices and light-tagging materials to study bats. An array of additional bat-study equipment and resources will also be demonstrated. Each workshop venue highlights local bat conservation and management initiatives as valuable case-study examples. More information about specific activities at each location is given below. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for these workshops; information and applications may be downloaded below.
Please note: a basic level of fitness is required for the workshops. Participants should be able to hike one mile over uneven terrain.
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Our field location at the American Museum of Natural History’s renowned Southwestern Research Station in the Chiricahua Mountains puts us within easy commuting distance to diverse habitats, from lowland deserts to coniferous forests and an amazing diversity of bat species. Activities emphasize bat identification and habitat assessment. You can expect to catch and release as many as 18 species in a single evening, then return to your lodging and watch endangered long-nosed bats visit hummingbird feeders outside the front door.
Participants have also enjoyed spotting ring-tailed cats, coatis and trogans. Workshop leader Janet Tyburec and biologists from Arizona Game and Fish and elsewhere share a wealth of knowledge on species identification (including by echolocation calls), bat conservation, management, education, public health and nuisance issues, artificial habitats and much more. Participants will practice radio-tracking a bat back to its roost, view an emergence of Mexican free-tailed bats from a local cave and learn bat-capture techniques that can be applied to any habitat in North America.
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Two sessions:
May 5 - 10 2009
May 11 - 16, 2009 FULL
Cost:
$1395.00(US)
In partnership with the National Park Service at Mammoth Cave, we focus on underground environments and their importance to bats, including the federally endangered gray and Indiana myotis. Students explore cave habitats and learn to assess past bat use by identifying hibernation staining and quantifying historic guano piles. All fieldwork here is part of a vital, long-term inventory program for the Park Service.
This workshop is limited to 20 people per session
One Session:
July 14-19, 2009
Cost:
$1395.00(US)
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The rolling hills and mixed agricultural fields of Central Pennsylvania offer a perfect opportunity to see how bats and humans can coexist without conflict. Many thousands of little brown myotis call this area home, yet few of them are surviving in natural roosts, opting instead for manmade structures such as buildings, barns, attics and old churches where they live and rear their young. Nearby mines and caves provide ideal hibernation sites that are critical for these and five other species of bats.
We’ll net, trap and release bats over trout streams and beaver ponds and observe endangered Indiana myotis swarming at a mine entrance. We will watch 20,000 little brown myotis in a spectacular dawn return to their roost at a restored church and examine them up close. We will visit both summer and winter sites, as this is when colonies are beginning to break up and are on the move. The dawn returns at maternity roosts and the evening swarms outside hibernacula are spectacular sights. Coupled with netting activities to intercept migrating tree bats, we expect to catch up to eight different bat species during this workshop.
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This workshop is limited to 20 people per session
One Session:
August 14-19, 2009
Cost:
$1395.00(US)
The cost of the workshop covers course materials, food, lodging and all transportation in the field. Applicants must make their own travel arrangements to and from the workshop site. Participants are encouraged to carpool and BCI will facilitate connecting those wishing to ride-share. Single-room occupancy accommodations are not available. Housing is dormitory style with 4 - 6 people sharing a room.
Because participants will be handling wild bats during the course of these workshops, rabies pre-exposure vaccinations are required. For information on obtaining this vaccine, contact your local health department, travel clinic, or personal physician. Prices for the vaccine series (3 separate injections) vary from state to state but can be quite costly. Please plan accordingly for this additional expense. See "Pre-exposure rabies vaccination info" below for additional information about the rabies vaccine.
Registration for these workshops is on a first come, first serve basis. The workshop sessions frequently fill to capacity so be sure to submit your form as soon as possible. Submission instructions are provided on the registration and scholarship forms below. Once your registration materials have been received, you will receive an e-mail confirmation (within 5 business days) along with a request to provide a $300 deposit and detailed information on payment options.
For more information contact the Education and Workshops Coordinator at workshops@batcon.org) or 512-327-9721.
Additional information and forms:
 | 2009 Registration form (pdf) |
| 2009 Scholarship application form (pdf) |
| 2009 Scholarship application details (pdf) |
| Pre-exposure rabies vaccination info (pdf) |
| PA Agenda (pdf) |
| KY Agenda (pdf) |
Please note:
ALL refunds regardless of payment method will be charged a 10% administrative surcharge. Cancellations made 45 days prior to the workshop will be granted a refund. Participants canceling after this deadline will only be granted a refund if BCI is able to fill the spot in the workshop. Cancellations must be in writing and sent via e-mail, post or FAX and are effective upon receipt.
What past participants had to say about the workshop:
"This is an excellent mix of classroom lecture and hands on field work experience."
"The event was excellent and exceeded my expectations."
"I don't believe I've ever learned more in a five day period."
"The course content, hands on experience and teaching are great."
"The hands-on experience was very pertinent and I feel a lot more comfortable setting up nets, traps and handling bats."
"It exceeded my educational expectations."
"The lectures were great - always interesting and very informative."
"There was a wide variety of expertise among the bat professionals."
"Very good for serious bat workers and educators."
"Without a doubt, take this course."
"The netting and trapping field trips were incredibly instructional."
"Instructor to student time was excellent."
"The instructors' knowledge and enthusiasm made for a very good workshop experience."
