"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man." - Charles Darwin

Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)

Source: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~mmasters/batlab/wildbats.html

In Fall 2001, as part of class project in "Applied Ecology", former MS3 student Eric Landreth co-wrote a grant proposal with Dr. Steven Doherty as part of the Student/Faculty Research grants offered by the university. This grant was to build a bat condominium on campus to house a maternal bat colony. Bats are important contributors to insect control, as most species of bats in the United States feed on insects. They capture insects either in their mouths or by scooping them into their tail or wing membrane. A single bat can eat as many as 1,000 mosquitoes in one hour.

There are over 900 species of bats worldwide. They are mammals, accounting for about one fifth of the mammals species population. They are the slowest reproducing mammal for their size. Most species only give birth to one pup per year, but some species do give birth to three to four. Females give birth to live young and they are fed on milk produced by the mammary glands.

Many species of bats are declining. There are six species of bats in the United States listed as endangered. Threats to bat populations include pesticides and other chemicals, loss and destruction of habitat and killing. Disturbance of maternal colonies is also a problem. Mother bats that are panicked will often drop their babies. The babies, too young to fly, fall to their deaths. They may also abandon the babies when frightened by intruders.- Source: http://www.starbreezes.com/11/bat.html

In the spring and summer of 2003, MS3 student Louise Liller began procurement of materials to include local and recycled materials, to also incorporate green design into the bat condo. Siting decisions were made with university cabinet and facilities personnel. Construction for the bat house is set to begin the in the fall of 2003 by SRU Facilities, under the direction of Tim Carney.

Pictures Courtesy of the North American Bat House Research Project. For more information on bat conservation, bat house designs and other information, visit http://www.batcon.org/bhra/