In 2023, Bat Week spread its wings bigger than ever before by bringing on board partners across Latin America, from Mexico and the Caribbean to Costa Rica, Colombia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Brazil, and more.
Pedro Adrián Aguilar Rodríguez represents the Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología A. C. (AMMAC) and coordinates Bat Week planning with associated partners across Latin America.
“We wanted to incorporate more participants from Latin America to show the rich bat-fauna from the region. Also, to meet the different groups and individuals who study and protect bats. Bat Week represents an excellent stage to do so, an opportunity that Latin American bat-scientists and science communicators took,” said Aguilar Rodríguez.
The 2023 “Bats and Brews” event at Sierra Nevada Brewing was organized by the National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, USDA Forest Service, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, University of North Carolina and the North American Bat Monitoring Program.
During the event, biologists discussed their efforts to understand, protect and conserve bat populations in North Carolina, the Southeastern United States and across North America. Through hands-on demonstrations, attendees experienced how scientists — including community scientists — study bats and work together to understand where bats live, in what numbers, and how populations fare through time amid mounting threats like infectious diseases, climate change, habitat loss and more.
The evening’s event featured a screening of the documentary film “In Echo All About: A Documentary about Big Battles for Little Bats,” by Nicholas Mullins.
Susan Loeb, bat research ecologist with the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station, and employees from the National Park Service reflected on bats and their importance to healthy, functioning ecosystems.
Activities included trivia and opportunities to engage with bat experts on the science of these mysterious animals. Attendees learned about echolocation, what it’s like to study bats in caves and what people can do in their communities to celebrate and support bats.
Bat Week is Oct. 24 - Oct. 31. This is an excellent opportunity to celebrate bats. Bats do a lot of things that help our natural areas be strong and healthy:
- Some bats eat insects that destroy crops and spread disease.
- Some bats pollinate plants, like agave.
- Bats help spread seeds to grow new plants.
- Show your bat appreciation on social media, using #BatWeek.
- Host a bat-centric party.
- Cook up a dish made possible by bats. Need ideas? Check out the Bat Week Cookbook.