Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Midwest Bat Festival 2015



In collaboration with Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, US Forest Service, US Fish & Wildlife Service, BatWorld Ozarks and Missouri Bat Census Group, World Bird Sanctuary is presenting MidWest BatFest 2015.

Now in its second year, MidWest BatFest 2015 is an educational and awareness-building event hosted over two days at two different venues, with the purpose of educating the public about the importance of bats to our ecosystems, the threats they face, and what we as individuals can do to help them.

According to the USGS report released in March of 2011, insectivorous bats are estimated to save the US agricultural industry $3 billion per year in pesticide usage.  MidWest BatFest partners believe that our mutual interest in preserving bat species and their habitats make for a productive working partnership to raise awareness about the importance of bats and what we can do to help rapidly declining bat populations.  We will be presenting programs, featuring live bats, that demystify bats in Missouri, and update our attendees about the impact of white-nose syndrome on bat populations in the MidWest, and why this should matter to everyone who lives here.

Program of Events
Saturday, April 11th at World Bird Sanctuary: 10am – 9:30pm


Meet live Missouri bats at MidWest Batfest 2015

·      Exciting Ecosystems! Presented by World Bird Sanctuary at 10:30am and 3:30pm.
Environmental education program featuring bats, barn owls, snakes.
·      Bats of Missouri Presented by Missouri Department of Conservation and BatWorld Ozarks , with live bats at 2:30pm
·      Urban Bat Preservation
Presented by Missouri Bat Census, presentation at 11:30am
·      White-nose Syndrome Update
Presented by US Fish & Wildlife Service at 1:30pm
·      MoBat Census bat-house building activity and children’s craft activity presented throughout the day
·      Exhibitors:
o      Missouri Cave and Karst Conservancy
o      Missouri Bat Census
o      Wildlife Command Center
o      Wildlife Rescue Center
o      National Speological Society
o      Mark Twain Cave Complex
o      NSS 2015 Convention
o      NSS WNS Response
o      Ozark Karst Task Force


Sunday, April 12th at Onondaga Cave State Park: 10am – 4pm


Enjoy discounted cave tours at Onondaga Cave State Park during MidWest Batfest 2015.

·      Discounted cave tours (Saturday and Sunday)
o      Adults - $10  (normally $15)
o      Seniors/Teens - $8  (normally $13)
o      Children 5 - 12 years old - $6  (normally $9)
o      Children 4 and under are free
·      All About Bats, featuring live bats Presented by Missouri State Parks and Incredible Bats at 11am and 2pm
·      Bird of Prey Display Presented by World Bird Sanctuary  from 11am – 2pm
·      Bat Kids Craft presented by Onondaga State Park
·      White-nose Syndrome decontamination demonstration
·      White-nose Syndrome Update Presented by Missouri Department of Conservation at 1:30pm
·      Exhibitors:
o      Missouri Cave and Karst Conservancy
o      Missouri Bat Census
o      Wildlife Command Center
o      National Speological Society
o      Mark Twain Cave Complex
o      NSS 2015 Convention
o      NSS WNS Response
o      Ozark Karst Task Force

Special Presentation: Public Bat Mist-netting at World Bird Sanctuary AND Onondaga Cave State Park
Saturday, April 11th
6:30pm – 9:30pm


Watch as bat biologists capture wild bats, record important data, and release the bats again.

Watch bat biologists as they trap bats in mist-nets, capture their data (including species, sex, age, size, etc.) and then release them.  This information is used in identifying trends in bat populations, as well as identifying problems so that proactive solutions can be found to help bats.

Admission to all programs, mist-netting and demonstrations is free. Cave tours at Onondaga Cave State Park are discounted for MidWest Batfest weekend.

We encourage visitors of all ages to come and learn about the importance of bats, what amazing creatures they are, and how we can help them, at MidWest BatFest 2015!

Submitted by Catherine Redfern, World Bird Sanctuary Fundraising & Social Media Consultant



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