Adopt-a-bat
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- Created: Friday, 04 September 2020 23:39
By Paige Erickson-McGee (HAT Stewardship Coordinator) and Ben van Drimmelen (HAT Bat Volunteer since 2014)
Bats may roost in unusual places this time of year as they leave summer roosts. (C) L Parker
Bats are known for their remarkably high diversity and broad geographic range. Bats make up one-fifth of all mammals on the planet, are known from all continents except Antarctica, and over 1100 species have been identified. Bats pop up in the fossil record around 52 million years ago in the Green River Formation of Wyoming USA, with a giant walking bat roaming New Zealand around 16 million years ago. It is thought that the first bats could not echolocate and instead relied on sight, smell and touch to find food.
Today BC is particularly rich in bats species; 16 of Canada’s 19 occur in BC and 7 of those are found nowhere else in Canada. There are 9 species that occur on Vancouver Island and all are insectivorous.
Learn more about BC Bats here.
APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPLIED, WE ARE BLOWN AWAY BY THE MYRIAD OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS. PLEASE GIVE US SOME TIME TO PROCESS THE APPLICATIONS.
Read more: Join the HAT Team: Conservation Technician -- term position (28 weeks)
As part of the Good Neighbours Program, HAT has been focusing on wetland stewardship in and around the Wildwood Watershed. The Stewardship Team has been training with the BC Wildlife Federation's Wetland Education Program learning how to be a Wetlandkeeper and how to Map Our Marshes. With this knowledge, we are putting together a webinar all about WETLANDS, with a special link to pollinators.
This webinar is part of a Series of Pollinator Steward Webinars hosted by Pollinator Partnership Canada with Habitat Acquisition Trust, Saanich Native Plants, and Parks Canada. The webinar series is for land managers, students, farmers, and gardeners with a focus on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Webinars will cover the why and how of supporting pollinators through habitat creation and maintenance, outreach, and citizen science. Discover why bees and other pollinators are so important, common misconceptions that are hindering conservation, how to create and maintain habitat (with specific information for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands), how to maximize benefits through outreach and education, and how to observe and monitor pollinators. Join local experts with the opportunity to ask questions during the live webinars.
In this webinar, learn unique opportunities, challenges, and benefits of restoring wetland areas for pollinators. Learn how to incorporate wet areas into landscapes, extending floral bloom for late-season pollinator species and support a diversity of wildlife. Local techniques and examples will be presented.