CWF ACTION ON BATS... AND HOW YOU CAN HELP

NOTICE EVICTIONS

In an ongoing project in the national capital, CWF is tracking bats that have been evicted. This research, funded in part by the Ottawa Community Foundation, is working with local homeowners, a wildlife control company, bat researchers, students and community groups to ensure safe havens for the bats. In one key initiative, volunteers are testing and monitoring two types of bat houses placed in 150 locations throughout the Ottawa-gatineau area. You can track their progress at blog.cwf-fcf.org.

MONITOR POPULATIONS

CWF is calling on all concerned Canadians to report bat sightings and help monitor bat houses. The simple act of adding photos and observations to inaturalist.ca will help build our understanding of bat population and disease trends and offer insight into Canada’s biodiversity. Search “monitor a box” on the CWF website to learn more, to download a “monitoring cheat sheet” and to get full instructions for contributing to inaturalist.ca.

UNDERSTAND BATS

Hinterland Who’s Who has all kinds of information about bats, including a special fact sheet about the little brown bat and white-nose syndrome. Visit hww.ca for more.

NIX NEONICS

CWF is a leader in the effort to restrict the use of neonicotinoids, the insecticides that are so harmful to pollinators. Studies show that neonics could be harming bats as well, by depleting a main food source and by poisoning bats that eat affected insects, thus weakening their immune systems and making them more vulnerable to disease. Visit the CWF website to learn about neonics and what you can do.

For more on how to help these creatures in distress, visit Helpthebats.ca.