Conservation
Bats in Your Building?
Single Bat?
It’s fairly common to discover that a single bat has made their way into your house. Bat Conservation International offers an easy to follow guide on how to help the bat get back outside. Check it out here.
Or a Colony?
If you discover that you have multiple bats that have taken up residence in your building, follow this link for an excellent step-by-step guide to managing bats in buildings. The pamphlet was prepared by the British Columbia Community Bat Project.
Build a Bat House
This 2-page flyer on the bats of Indiana contains information on how to build your own bat house, where to buy a bat house and also where the house should be placed for best use.
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Want to build a bat box? Click here for plans for a traditional box that will hold 100 bats. Be sure to place it 10–15 feet above ground in an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun per day. We recommend a post or the side of a house or barn. Bats may avoid boxes on trees due to shading and the easy access for predators like snakes and raccoons. |
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Feeling ambitious?! Here’s a plan for a bigger box in a design that is very effective for forest-dwelling bats. This “rocket box” mimics a dead tree with sloughing bark, providing bats with roosting space on all four sides. This design will hold ~200 bats. |
Are You a Caver?
We encourage you to adhere to cave closures and advisories, as specified by state and federal agencies. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has created a page for Cavers here. If you do enter WNS-affected caves, please decontaminate your gear! Check out this report from US Forest Service on the Effects of Pathogen Decontamination on the Strength of Climbing Rope and Harness Equipment. Also, see the White Nose Syndrome page maintained by the National Speleological Society for more information pertinent to cavers.
More Information and Other Bat Conservation Organizations:
White-nose Syndrome.org – A coordinated response to the devastating bat disease.
Bat Conservation International – Their mission is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.
Bats and Wind Energy Cooperative – An alliance of state and federal agencies, private industry, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations that cooperates to develop solutions to minimize or, where possible, prevent mortality of bats at wind power turbines.
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