A bat will eat about half its weight in insects on a summer night, and it can live more than 30 years. That's a lot of insects! But unfortunately, the disease called white-nose syndrome has taken a huge toll on Vermont's bat population.
Biologists Kent McFarland and Sara Zahendra of the Vermont Center For Ecostudies are joined by Vermont Fish And Wildlife Small Mammal Biologist Alyssa Bennett. They, along with volunteer bat counters, are at Bomoseen State Park at dusk to watch for and count bats. They talk about white-nose syndrome, the different species of bats found in Vermont and the important role they play in our ecosystem.
You'll find more information about bats and Vermont's Bat Colony Monitoring Program at these links:
- Vermont Fish And Wildlife Department bat information page.
- Report a bat colony in Vermont.
- Report sick or dying bats.
- Vermont Fish And Wildlife Department Bat Colony Monitoring Program.
- Guide To Identifying Vermont's Bats.
- Vermont Fish And Wildlife Department Species Account For Little Brown Bat.
- Learn more about White Nose Syndrome.
Outdoor Radio is produced in collaboration with the Vermont Center For Ecostudies with support from the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation.
