Take action
BAT WEEK IS AN ANNUAL, INTERNATIONAL CELEBRATION OF THE ROLE OF BATS IN NATURE
Bat Week is a great time to do something positive for bats. Build bat roosting boxes, pull weeds of out of bat habitat, plant native vegetation that attracts bats, create bat art, and ask your governor to proclaim your state’s Bat Week to help bats. Host a Bat Week Party or other special event to get others excited about bats. You can feature bat-themed games, foods and drinks that are made possible by bats, and/or costume contests, – anything that highlights our amazing bats!
Spread the word! Use your voice on social media (#BatWeek) and share your enthusiasm for bats during Bat Week to help them get great attention at a time of year that they are often seen as scary, not super!
Be creative! Get involved! Be a Bat Hero!
Bat Week Toolkit
Help others get involved with content from this easy-to-use toolkit!
Host a Bat Rehabilitation Workshop
President Leslie Sturges is an experienced speaker and presenter. She has presented at numerous symposia, workshops, and association meetings.
Host a Bat Festival
Bring a bat festival to your site and celebrate the world of bats with your community! Get started planning today!
Take an Urban Bat Walk
Check with your local nature center, museum, zoo or other educational institution to see if a bat expert is able to lead a walk.
Organize a Bat Club
By putting together a group of people who share your passion for bats, you can help make a difference in the health of bats and the health of our environment.
Become a Bat Advocate
Bats need your help! Throughout the world, bats are seeing their homes and habitats destroyed at a huge rate, and the use of pesticides is limiting bats’ access to healthy food.
Build a Bat House
Building and installing a bat house can make a difference for bats and help promote a healthy environment.
North American Bat Tracker
Document your bat sightings! IMPORTANT!! Do not touch bats! Provide a picture of the bat and/or a picture of the habitat you see bats using.
CREATE A BAT MURAL
This beautiful mural captures the amazing diversity of bats in the United States. There are 47 species of bats in the United States and all of them are beneficial to people.
Pull for Bats - Invasive Species
Bats need to eat lots of different insects to stay healthy. When invasive plants move in, they push out our native plants. Native plants support a huge variety of yummy insects that bats and other wildlife need.
Honey Suckle
With no natural controls, this plant leafs out in early spring, grows fast, spreads fast, and forms dense thickets that crowd out our native forest plants. Exotic honeysuckles yield loads of berries in the fall which birds eat and drop, helping to spread the plant further. Berries are rich in carbohydrates, but they do not provide migrating birds the high-fat nutrient-rich food they need for long flights.
Garlic Mustard
First year plants are low-growing rosettes with rounded, kidney-shaped leaves that are scalloped on the edges. Leaves smell like garlic when crushed. This plant quickly takes over an area forming a dense mat. WARNING: this plan is considered armed and dangerous! It produces chemicals that stop the growth of other native plants and even trees. Chemicals are also toxic to the eggs and larvae of certain butterflies. Growing in full sun or shade, this plant is a triple threat.
Oriental Bittersweet
This nasty vine climbs over and smothers other plants and shrubs which may cause them to die because of too much shade. It can even climb high into the trees adding too much weight. Trees may be uprooted or blown-over in high winds or snowfalls because of the extra weight. Boo! bad for bats, bad for trees and bad for us!
Teaching and learning about bats is rewarding! Be creative! Get involved! Be a Bat Hero! Here are more materials to help share the good news about bats creatively:
Project EduBat Trunk
Visit a school classroom or set up a table at a local event with all the materials and activities you need to give a bat chat!
Actions At Home
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Credit: Organization for Bat Conservation
Turn out the lights! Light pollution affects insect populations, disrupts bats as they migrate, and deters sensitive bat species
- Share positive bat facts with your friends, family, and anyone who will listen, especially during Halloween when they are often portrayed as scary.
- Help others understand that bats are beneficial and need our help.
- Be sure to highlight bats on your favorite social media, especially during Bat Week
- Get familiar with all the different foods made possible by bats
- Learn more about local bat-friendly habitats and ecological relationships through classes, lectures, and publications such as Bats Magazine
- Join a master naturalist or master gardeners program
- Participate in citizen science projects to help monitor bats and bat habitat
- Volunteer! Parks, zoos, nature centers, conservancies, rehabilitation centers, and museums rely on volunteers to help educate visitors and care for animals
Speak up for bats!
