Help Fund Bat Research!!

I am an undergraduate currently researching bats living in Chico, California. This is a pilot study whose goals consist of: 1) identifying the species of bats currently living in Chico, CA using acoustic equipment, 2) providing educational outreach to the community and increasing awareness about bats, and 3) designing and installing bat houses (very similar to bird boxes) to increase my study area, and provide an educational tool for local farmers to use in organic and sustainable farming practices. I will use my research to advocate bats' use in organic farming practices in California's Central Valley, which is one of the largest farming communities in the United States.

This study will benefit all species of bats living in Chico, CA including the Mexican Free-tails, Pallids, Big Browns, Little Browns, Yuma Myotis and Long-Eared Myotis Bats. All of these adorable animals eat only insects! So they will help control pest-insects like those of moths and mosquitos. I will identify all species living in Chico’s diverse landscape and to provide more habitat for bats.

Bats use specialized ultrasonic calls to communicate and biologists can study these calls with specialized bat detection equipment. Unfortunately, this equipment is very expensive and requires many hours of training to use. I wrote several grants for this project, of which several have been funded. Yet, many of the costs for this project were just to get it off the ground. The grants only cover the cost of materials and not their installation. I have so far, purchased two SM3 Bat Detectors and built 10 bat houses; however, I am personally funding their installation. If I reach my $2500 goal, all of the money will be put towards the purchase of extra detectors priced at $1500, and the remaining $1000 will cover the buying, building and installing extra bat houses. Additional houses will allow me to study more species, get more data and provide more educational fixtures for the general public to enjoy. Any remaining funds will fund the educational outreach program that I will be running through Chico State, educating local K-12 schools and the local community on bats.

By donating to my research this will directly provide more habitat for bats, educate the public on their importance and it will also provide unique insights into bat species and their diversity in California. I hope to have an impact on local organic farms in the area and share my research with them, so they may use bats to help keep their farms pesticide-free! Please donate and help to save bats in California! Thank you so much!