Why Bats?

Sustainable agriculture needs bats. Without them, farms and wineries must rely on costly alternative measures to combat crop-damaging insects, which usually involve chemicals harmful to the environment and to human health. Moreover, declines in bat populations in North America could lead to agricultural losses estimated at more than $3.7 billion per year. We study bat ecology on the California Central Coast, focusing on ensuring their survival through the installation of bat boxes and the creation of bat-friendly habitats. An increase in bats means a decrease in pesticides -- a win-win for bats and humans.
​

What We Do:

BAT MONITORING
Through acoustic surveys, we monitor the health of the existing bat population, looking at its size and distribution. This allows us to closely study the relationship between bats and diverse agricultural practices.

BAT BOXES
Placing roost boxes for bats in and around vineyards and farms can contribute to the sustainable management of pests (especially insects) and help mitigate habitat loss. We either build these boxes ourselves or provide opportunities for kids to build them, and then we deliver them to local farms and wineries.

BAT-FRIENDLY SPACES
We hope to make "bat-friendly" the new "bike-friendly" in towns and cities around California. Together, we can preserve the health of the bat population, which in turn preserves human health by decreasing the amount of disease-carrying and plant-damaging insects and reducing the need for pesticides.

EDUCATION
We provide a suite of education services relating the biology, ecology, and natural history of bats through age and group-appropriate presentations. Our education programs include multi-media presentations, classroom sessions, as well as outdoor activities.