Whether you fear them, revere them, or find yourself somewhere in between, bats are critically important to the natural world. We will hear from two experts on bats at our May 4, 2023, meeting: Dr. Nathan Fuller, the state bat biologist at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), and Ms. Erin Cord, the Community Engagement Manager with Bat Conservation International.

Nathan will provide an overview of bats and describe the state’s research-based efforts to conserve and protect these nocturnal mammals from threats like white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that affects hibernating bats. Erin will focus on Bat Conservation International’s new program, Gardening for Bats. She will explain how anyone can welcome bats into their backyards by providing food, water, and shelter – in other words, creating bat habitat in even the smallest of spaces.

Doors will open for some social time at 9:30 a.m. The business meeting will start at 10:00 a.m. and the speakers will begin their remarks at approximately 10:30 a.m.

Weather permitting, there will be a pre-meeting bird walk at 8:00 a.m. in Haley Nelson Park, Burnet.

Source for the image, below: US Geological Survey.