Did you know that bats are the second most diverse order of mammals, with 1,421 species identified worldwide? New Hampshire is a home to just eight of these species, but they are just as fascinating as the other 1,413.
On Wednesday, July 22, from 7PM, join the Chocorua Lake Conservancy and the Cook Memorial Library for “Bat Conservation: Ecology, Threats, and What You Can Do,” with bat biologist Kyle Shute. Bats provide a variety of measurable services to everyone, from eating agricultural pests to pollinating plants and spreading fruit seeds. But bats in New Hampshire need your help. In the past 10 years, cave-roosting bat species have experienced declines of up to 99% in some places because of the disease White-nose Syndrome. Other species that migrate across the U.S. have faced declines due to collisions with human structures. Others face loss of important habitat. But there is some good news. People can help bat populations everywhere, including in New Hampshire. Come learn about important bat conservation work and what you can do to help bats in your neck of the woods!
Kyle Shute is a bat biologist and recent Master of Science graduate from Clemson University in South Carolina (and the son of our favorite Stewardship Director Lynne Flaccus!). Originally from Maine, he completed his B.S. at the University of Maine in Wildlife Ecology. He worked throughout the Northeast, Southeast, and California on a variety of research projects. His interest in bats stemmed from a visit to Peru where he observed fishing bats flying over the rivers and flooded forests. Work then took him to Georgia where he studied habitat of threatened species that have experienced population declines from the fungal disease white nose syndrome. His research at Clemson was based in coastal Bluffton, South Carolina where he assessed habitat associations of a number of bat species of conservation concern on private and public land.
To access the talk, go to bit.ly/batzoom on Wednesday, July 22, at 7PM. If you haven’t been on Zoom before, come on a little early and you will be prompted to download the software, or paste the link into your browser to do this anytime between now and the 22nd. You probably won’t need to do this, but if prompted to, enter Meeting ID 842 6870 4665 and password 676712. Questions: 323-6252, or email lflaccus@chocorualake.org.
Banner: Kyle Shute in the field holding one of his research projects!