KCBP Hosts Workshops in Advance of Annual Bat Counts
The Kootenay Community Bat Project is gearing up for annual bat counts this summer with free workshops to attract and train volunteers.
Coordinator Elodie Khunert explains this is an especially important year to keep a close eye on our local bat population:
“To see if our population are doing good or are actually still okay for now, now that the fungus that causes White Nose Syndrome has been discovered in BC.”
Our provincial government announced in April that the fungus was detected in bat excrement around Grand Forks. White Nose Syndrome has already spread to 38 states and eight provinces, so far putting three bat species on Canada's endangered list.
Khunert says annual bat counting is right around the corner:
“Well the first sessions for the Kootenay bat count is from June 1st to June 21st and the second sessions when the pups are flying is, for now at least, July 11th to August 6th. It might change depending on if it’s really rainy, it might take a little bit longer for the pups to fly or to be born.”
These workshops are a first for the Kootenay Community Bat Project.
“We were planning to but were kind of short of time the previous years….” explains Khunert “…. So definitely this year we’re onto it and I think we’ll try to do that every year so that we attract a few more volunteers and just new faces of people that are interested in trying it out but don’t know how.”
The public is reminded to report any dead bats to the Kootenay Bat Project for white nose syndrome surveillance efforts.
Click here to find the list of workshops across the basin.
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