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"Bat boxes installed near Oregon to protect species"

"Not everybody loves bats. In fact, many people are creeped out by the flying mammals that come out at night and snack on insects. Magnolia Rain Goodin is not one of those people. In fact, the 18-year-old from Elk Grove Village recently worked on a service project aimed at creating bat habitat in Better Place Forests on the Rock River near Oregon."

"Bat deaths caused by wind turbines disrupt natural food chains"

"A new study led by the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) has found that the numerous deaths of bats caused by wind turbines (WT) in Germany have a negative impact on the populations of affected species, as well as far-reaching consequences for the biodiversity of rural areas."

Bats Are Humans' Best Defense Against Mosquitoes

In Halloween movies, a bat swoops in as the sun goes down, then transforms into a vampire, hungry for your blood. The truth is, in Charleston, it's the mosquitoes that are the most bloodthirsty creature around, and that bat may just be your best defense.

Bats Are Migrating Earlier, and It Could Wreak Havoc on Farming

Every year migratory bats travel from Mexico to Bracken Cave near San Antonio, Tex., where they spend the summer consuming insects that would otherwise devour common food crops. But the bats have been showing up far earlier than they did two decades ago, possibly because of a warming climate, new research suggests.

Bats & Blooms

"Zoo Miami is known for international wildlife conservation, but they’re also managing patches of Pine Rocklands for rare Florida Bonneted Bats who just need safe homes and decent food. There are some blooms you want (like native plants) and some you don’t (harmful algae blooms). Find out the common cause of algae overgrowth in fresh and saltwater, from Florida to the Great Lakes."

Bats Hitch a Ride on Storm Fronts When Migrating

''Researchers tracking female bats in central Europe found they migrated much farther in a single night than previously thought. The findings could help protect bats from wind turbine collisions.''

Bats In Your Attic?

Big brown bats and little brown bats are year-round residents of Maine and New Hampshire. The other six species that call our region home actually migrate to warmer climes or hibernacula during the winter. Of the eight species that call our region home, six species are now listed as Special Concern status: eastern small-footed myotis (Myotis leibii), little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), Northern long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), red bat (Lasiurus borealis), hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), silver-haired bat (Lasionycterus noctivigans), Eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus). Maine is considering listing the little brown bat and the Northern long eared for endangered listing. The crash in populations can be attributed to White Nose Syndrome, and there is much to be learned about the habitats and behaviors of these special species. The Center for Wildlife is proud of our work with bats (and all of our species!) because treating each individual can make a big difference to local ecology. Bats can consume their body weight in insects each night, which means a great deal to human health (think mosquitoes and EEE or West Nile), agriculture (USDA estimates bats provide 3 billion dollars worth of agricultural pest control each year in our country), and forestry (picture over-population of gypsy moths).

Bats: Nature's Agricultural Allies

A bat in flight.Bat colonies living in the roofs of farm buildings are at best a barely tolerable nuisance to many farmers. What they overlook is the fact that bats are the major predators of night-flying insects, including many that are important agricultural pests.