Glacier National Park’s ‘Going Batty’ field trip takes place next week
The Milky Way rises over Glacier National Park. Glacier and its sister park, Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, were certified as Dark Sky Parks by the International Dark Sky Association in August. (Jeremy Weber/Daily Inter Lake)
The public is invited to join Glacier National Park and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks personnel next Thursday for a “Going Batty” field trip, where attendees participate in bat monitoring efforts.
Glacier National Park’s biologist Lisa Bate and her staff, along with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, will lead participants on a late-evening expedition to a site with known bat activity. According to park officials, wildlife staff will set up mist nets to capture and process bats and use acoustic detectors to detect the ultrasonic calls of bats flying overhead. These monitoring efforts are critical as bats face several threats, including a disease known as white-nose syndrome.
Participants will not be allowed to touch or handle bats. They will need to bring headlamps or flashlights, suitable clothing for the weather — including sturdy footwear — and a small backpack with food, water, extra clothing layers and bear spray. Participants should also bring their own face masks for protection against transfer of disease from humans to bats.
The field trip is limited to 35 participants. For more information and to sign-up, visit https://volunteersignup.org/733L8.
Bats make up one-fourth of all mammalian species found on Earth. They range in size from the tiny bumblebee bat, weighing less than a penny, to the flying fox bat, which can have a wingspan of up to six feet.
In Glacier, biologists have now confirmed the presence of 10 bat species. The most recent addition, the western small-footed bat, was confirmed during the 2022 Going Batty event. Three other species were added in recent years due to the park’s efforts to inventory and monitor bats, according to officials.
More details about bats in Glacier National Park can be heard on Glacier’s “Headwaters” podcast in the episode “A Story of Grief and Hope.”
Glacier National Park’s “Going Batty” field trip will be held on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in West Glacier from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.