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Bat Field Trip Set for Aug. 24



OK, so they don't have feathers, but they do have wings!  And just for you die hard birders that show up, I will make a special effort to chat a bit about the role birds and bats are playing in the West Nile Virus saga.

Follow the contact information on the attached notice to get involved.  Hope to see you there on Saturday August 24th.

Cheers,
Adam





Adam Kozlowski
Native Species Biologist
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Northern Region
515 East 5300 South, Ogden UT  84055
Office:  (801) 476-2740
Cell:  (801) 510-2034
email: adamkozlowski@utah.gov
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This news release will go out in the Aug. 16 Wildlife News but since it's done, I wanted to get it into your hands early.  Thanks, and have a great weekend!

	Brazilian Free-tailed Bat Field Trip Set For August 24

Salt Lake City -- A field trip to observe the nightly exodus of bats from a northern Utah roost is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 24.
	The roost colony of an estimated 1,500 Brazilian free-tailed bats was recently discovered on private property in Clearfield.
	The Aug. 24 field trip will leave at 8 p.m. from a parking area just off the Syracuse/Antelope Island exit (Exit 335) off I-15.  The field trip is free, but reservations are required. To reserve a spot, or for more information, call Bob Walters, Watchable Wildlife program coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, at (801) 538-4771.
	"Participants in this Watchable Wildlife program field trip will be treated to close looks at bats at roost and the spectacle of hundreds of the tiny, furry creatures leaving the roost site to forage for flying insects during darkness hours," Walters said.  "The field trip will also allow for questions, answers and discussion of the role of bats in the environment, and an opportunity to clear up misconceptions that humans have maintained for hundreds of years regarding this fascinating animal group."
	Brazilian free-tailed bats are found throughout southern North America, Central America and South America.  The species roosts in caves and buildings, in colonies containing a few hundred bats (elsewhere, in some areas, colonies contain thousands, or even millions, of bats).
	Because of its limited distribution and declining population in Utah, the Brazilian free-tailed bat is included on the Utah Sensitive Species List.  They eat insects (primarily moths) so pesticide use constitutes a threat to the species.
	Utah's Brazilian free-tailed bats are migratory, spending summers in Utah and winters in the southwestern United States and Mexico.

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Contact: Mark Hadley, DWR Media Specialist (801) 538-4737
  


Attachment: bat field trip.doc
Description: MS-Word document


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