The BC Community Bat Program is hoping more communities across the province become bat-friendly.
The initiative was first launched three years ago, but to this point, only two communities have been given the designation. The three main parts of getting a bat-friendly designation are protecting and creating habitat, providing information about bats, and promoting learning about them.
The province says several bat species live in close association with humans and some species rely extensively on man-made structures for roosting sites and raising offspring. However, they continue to face several threats, the biggest being white-nose syndrome.
That’s a deadly disease that has nearly wiped out several common bat species in eastern North America in just a few years. The disease has yet to be detected in B.C., but has been found in Washington state a mere 150 kilometres from the border.
B.C. has the most bat species in Canada (16 of the 18 Canadian species). About half of them are of conservation concern. They can eat over half their body weight in insects in one night and help keep pests in check that are problematic for agriculture and forestry.
October 24th to 31st marks International Bat Week, which is held to celebrate the role of bats in nature. People are also being asked to be on the lookout for dead bats as part of the winter WNS surveillance period. Anyone who finds a dead bat is asked to report it as soon as possible to the Community Bat Program at 1 855 922-2287 or: [email protected].
You can learn more about the BC Community Bat Program and the criteria to become a bat-friendly community here. You can also learn more about white-nose syndrome here.
