The Game Commission invites you to be the most creative host in your neighborhood-- host a bat count this summer as part of the Appalachian Bat Count!

Two of Pennsylvania's bat species commonly use buildings as their summer roosts. Abandoned houses, barns, church steeples and even currently-occupied structures – can provide a summer home to female bats and their young.

Monitoring these "maternity colonies" can give biologists a good idea of how bat populations in an area are doing from year to year.

With the occurrence of White Nose Syndrome in Pennsylvania this year, monitoring these colonies is more important than ever.

Join the Game Commission in monitoring the health of Pennsylvania's summer bat colonies through the Appalachian Bat Count. Colonies can be monitored by conducting a "bat count" at a summer colony in your area.

The Game Commission asks you to count bats as they exit their summer roost at dusk in June, then again later in the summer to see how the colony has grown as pups begin flying.

So please, grab a friend or two and go batty this summer for conservation.

For all the details on counting and how to submit your results, visit the Game Commission’s Appalachian Bat Count webpage.  Click Here to learn more about bats in Pennsylvania.

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[Posted: May 30, 2018]

6/4/2018