Bat Conservation of the Eastern Townships set to offer free lectures
Taking concrete action to save an important dying species
The recently established organization Bat Conservation of the Eastern Townships is about to take a free lecture on the road with hopes of raising awareness to their relevance within the biodiversity and the food chain as well as the urgency to mobilize a rescue effort for this species that is in sharp decline.
It’s spring, despite the slow thaw, and wildlife is waking up. Deer are being seen in droves in many parts of the countryside, bears with their cubs have been sighted, birds are singing their mating calls, the smelt are soon to swim upstream, and what’s left of the bats are waking up too.
Of the eight species that live in Quebec, five are known to stay in the area for the winter. They reserve their energy by going into a deep sleep. Now that spring is here what is left of them will be exiting their caverns in the evenings to take care of important business. According to this conservation group, the Eastern pipistrelle and Eastern pygmy bat are classified in the list of wildlife species that may be designated as threatened or vulnerable under Quebec’s Endangered or Threatened Species Act. In 2014, little brown myotis, Northern bat, and Eastern pipistrelle were assessed by COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) and were added to the species list as “endangered” under the federal Species at Risk Act.
Victor Grivegnée-dumoulin laments the fact that bats are on the decline but knows that they can be saved if the proper steps are taken. The young biologist who is about to complete his undergraduate degree in biology and heading toward his master’s in Environmental Studies at University of Sherbrooke is said to be the “face” of the recently established “Conservation Chauvre-souris des Cantons de l’est” (Eastern Townships Bat Conservation). He and his group want everyone to know what an important a role bats play in the network of life. “They are so important in the control of insects and they are the only mammal that can fly. Their system of echo-location to find the bugs during night is very sophisticated.”
According to West Bolton Councillor Robert Chartier, who is also a member of the fledgling organization, his own interest was ignited by the bats in the town hall. In finding a way to deal with them, Chartier has learned that it is a critical situation now when it comes to bats. Clearly impressed with the efficiency of the little flying beast, he has learned that bats eat their weight in bugs on a daily basis. “They are the safe alternative to insecticides,” he said. He believes that if the general population would know the real story about bats, they would surely develop a more positive attitude toward them. “We need to give them a chance to repopulate. There is a way to deal with them without killing them.”
The main causes of their decline are disease, habitat loss, pesticide use, and human disturbance. Both men say that with so many of the old houses and barns being either renovated or torn down, colonies of bats are losing their “maternity wards.”
They know that if they can check the attics before demolition of renovation, there is a chance that they can save the little critters from extinction. They are hoping that people will alert them when they are found so that they can rescue them before they would be destroyed.
Although the group is already associated with a couple of universities as well as Granby Zoo, for now it is focusing on work within a 50-kilometre radius of Brome Lake. Grivegnée-dumoulin defines the area as being between Granby and Sherbrooke, the Memphremagog zone, and everything south of Autoroute 10.
Bat Conservation of the Eastern Townships intends to implement a concrete action by prioritizing its efforts towards three key elements. It wants to raise awareness of the importance of bats and their contributions to a healthy eco-system. The group hopes to facilitate a census of bats in their natural environment. They also want to assist conservation by participating in research programs in partnerships with other institutions.
As well as providing a learning platform, the group is hoping to recruit volunteers who would be interested in spreading the word about who to contact and/or to transport rescued bats to the bat shelter at Granby Zoo. It needs to raise funds to over the cost of an “anabat detector,” an acoustic monitoring device used to help identify which of the eight types of bat species reside within the 50kilometre radius of Town of Brome Lake. Although three of the eight species of bats in Quebec are migratory, the other five winter here and tend to find their way into caves, old mining shafts, attics, and barn rafters, Grivegnée-dumoulin
This brown bat that was rescued from a construction site at University of Sherbrooke is currently at the bat shelter at Granby Zoo. says.
The first stop for the bilingual presentation is slated for TBL at the Community Centre (270 Victoria, Knowlton) on April 7 at 1 p.m.), and then Grivegnéedumoulin, will take the lecture to Potton on April 14. Following that, he plans to deliver the same program in Sutton. Details of the time and locations are being finalized and will be found on the organization’s website: www.conservationchauvesouris.com.
Conservation Chauvre-souris des Cantons de l’est also has a Facebook page under its own name. People are encouraged to like and follow that page.
Any community or organization interested in hosting a lecture, or anyone interested in getting involved can contact Grivegnée-dumoulin at 819-640-5032 or Victor.grivegnee-dumoulin@usherbrooke.ca.