This Weekend - MidWest BatFest 2014!

Join us as we celebrate everything about the special bats that call Missouri home.  During this two-day event at World Bird Sanctuary and Onondaga Cave State Park, you will find out all about why bats are important, what we can do to help them survive – and you will even meet live Missouri bats that are currently in rehabilitation!

This celebration is a partnership between World Bird Sanctuary, Missouri Bat Census, Missouri State Parks, Missouri Department of Conservation, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the US Forest Service.

Attend each venue and get your BatFest Passport (available free at each venue) stamped to be entered into a prize drawing.

MidWest BatFest 2014 activities:

Saturday, April 5^th

Onondaga State Park:

Bats at Onondaga Cave State Park
Photo: www.mostateparks.gov

• Discounted cave tours with BatFest Passport
• Live bats and education programs by Incredible Bats
• Bat Kids Craft
• White-nose Syndrome decontamination demonstration
• White-nose Syndrome in Missouri presentation
• Sunset Public Bat Mist-netting Demonstration at Onondaga State Park

Exhibitors:

• Ozark Task Force – Cave Restoration display
• Missouri Cave and Karst Conservancy
• Missouri Bat Census

World Bird Sanctuary:

• Sunset Public Bat Mist-netting at World Bird Sanctuary

Sunday, April 6^th

World Bird Sanctuary:

Pallid Bat, brought to World Bird Sanctuary for "Bat"urday 2013.
Photo: World Bird Sanctuary

• Kids craft activity
• Environmental education program featuring bats, barn owls, snakes – presented by World Bird Sanctuary
• Missouri Bat Census presentation – Urban Bat Preservation
• Bats of Missouri presentation featuring live Missouri bats
• White-nose Syndrome in Missouri presentation
• Missouri Bat Census bat-house building activity – throughout the day
• “Battle for Bats” video running throughout the day in Visitor Information Center
• RNA Free Electronics Recycling drop-off point

Exhibitors (booth space):

• Missouri Cave and Karst Conservancy
• Missouri Bat Census

Onondaga State Park:

• Discounted cave tours with BatFest Passport

For the latest news and program updates about this exciting new event, “like” our MidWest BatFest 2014 Facebook page.

Submitted by:

Catherine Redfern