National Bat Week is observed each year from October 24th - October 31st.
You can check out the Ohio Bat Working Group's website at: https://u.osu.edu/obwg/
You will find a video series created to address a variety of topics related to bats in Ohio, with the purpose to aid educators in preparing and delivering bat programs. Video topics include:
- Bat Biology
- Bat Habitat and Life Cycle
- Bat Species of Ohio
- Threats to Bats
- How Bats are Studied
- Bat Houses
- Bat Gardens
- Bats in Buildings
- If You Find a Bat in Your House
- How to Capture a Bat in Your House
- How to Capture a Bat on the Floor
Some upcoming bat related events you may want to get on your calendar include:
October 27th, 10 am - 12 pm, Ohio Woodland Steward's Escape to the Forest webinar series - Managing Forests for Bats.
Ohio is home to 10 species of bats and all depend on forests for their habitat needs. Join Marne Titchenell (OSU), Eileen Wyza (ODNR), and Angela Boyer (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) as they chat about what landowners can do in their forests to support bats in light of recent population declines.
The virtual program is free. You can register by clicking on this link: https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GtnFv2vHTv2QYawfL_gqoQ#/registration
On October 29th, from 3:00 - 7:00 pm, Ohio Bat Fest will be held at the OSU 4-H Center in Columbus, Ohio. The free event is for all ages, and registration is not required. Additional information is available by clicking on this link: https://www.ohiobatfestival.org/
The Ohio Bat Working Group is a collaborative effort between multiple partners. The following are current committee members, those responsible for organizing and facilitating the annual working group meeting:
- Marne Titchenell, Wildlife Program Specialist, Ohio State University Extension, titchenell.4@osu.edu
- Sarah Stankavich, Fat Bat Project Coordinator, Bat Conservation International,
- sstankavich@batcon.org
- Katrina Schultes, Forest Biologist, USDA Forest Service, katrina.schultes@usda.gov
- Melissa Moser, Grants Administrator, ODNR – Division of Parks and Watercraft,
- melissa.moser@dnr.ohio.gov
- Erin Hazelton, Wind Energy Administrator, ODNR – Division of Wildlife, erin.hazelton@dnr.ohio.gov
- Jeff Brown, Senior Ecologist, Environmental Consultant, rjeffreybrown@yahoo.com
- Eileen Wyza, Wildlife Biologist, ODNR – Division of Wildlife, eileen.wyza@dnr.ohio.gov