The Townsend’s Big-eared bat is one of ten species wintering in the Okanagan

 “Go bats!” workshop to help local bats

by Paula Rodriguez de la Vega

The Okanagan is noted for its large lakes, rugged cliffs and sagebrush-covered hillsides. The diversity of habitats also makes this area attractive to bats. Fourteen species of bats live here in the summer, more than occur anywhere else in Canada. People realize that bats have an important role to play as insect predators and are fascinating to watch, which has lead to a growing interest in putting up bat houses.  The Osoyoos Desert Society and Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (OSCA) are offering a bat house-making seminar on Saturday, March 31st. Featured speaker will be Oliver biologist Mike Sarell, who has spent the last six months working for a province-wide initiative to find out more about wintering bats. Until recently, it was thought that most local bats either migrated to warmer regions for the winter or hibernated right through the winter in local caves and mines. Evening surveys conducted by Sarell and other bat biologists across southern B.C. show that there is some bat activity all winter long.  The study was funded by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Columbia Basin Trust and Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation due to concern about the catastrophic mortality in some bat species in eastern North America due to white-nose syndrome. Since 2006, a fungal disease originating in Europe has devastated colonies of hibernating bats in the eastern U.S.A. and four Canadian provinces. Three Canadian bats have recently been declared endangered, including the Little Brown Myotis (Little Brown bat), which was the most common bat species in North America. The fungus spores that cause white-nose syndrome are thought to have been spread from Europe to North America by people who explore caves as a hobby. The disease is estimated to have killed at least six million bats in North America so far.  The B.C. bat survey is an attempt to get better data on the prevalence and behavior of resident bats. “Before this survey we had no idea what most bats were doing in B.C.” said Sarell. “We look for active bats with ultrasonic bat detectors. We didn’t think we would find much activity but there’s lots of bat activity here, even some activity on really cold nights.” Sarell said that the Okanagan does not have large natural caves here. Talus slopes and deep rock crevices appear to be used for winter sites by at least ten species of bats that he has observed. These sites need to be protected from rock quarrying and other activities that could disturb winter roosts.  Sarell will give a talk on the rich diversity of bat species in the Okanagan and the surprising research findings from this season’s field work at the March 31st workshop. He believes that with the threat of white-nose syndrome, we should be doing all we can to protect and create bat habitat for both summer and winter bat populations.  For a $15 fee, pre-cut bat house materials will be given to participants to assemble at the workshop and take home. Instructions for locating and installing the bat houses will be provided and people will be encouraged to monitor their boxes and report back on whether the boxes were occupied.  To register for the March 31 workshop in Osoyoos, contact the Osoyoos Desert Society mail@desert.org or call 250-495-2470. Space is limited so register early.

Photo submitted by Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (Bigstock)