Biological Hotspot For Bats | Highlands Biological Station

Written By: Winter Gary | Issue: December - 2022

Did you know that North Carolina is home to 17 different bats making it the most bat species-rich state on the east coast?

Highlands and the surrounding mountain region of North Carolina is actually a biological hotspot for bats. While our region boasts significant bat populations, more than half of the bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered. 

But who cares, right? 

Wrong! 

These flying mammals play an important role in pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal, and researchers are working hard to expand our knowledge of their numbers, behavior, and ecological significance.

One such researcher is Dr. Rada Petric, Director of the Highlands Field Site program through UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment. This year, Dr. Petric teamed up with the Highlands Biological Foundation, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting, promoting, and funding biological research and education in the southern Appalachians, to pilot the “BatPak” project – a new citizen science project used to monitor bat populations along the Appalachian Trail.

The goal of the BatPak project is to enlist the help of hikers and local outdoor outfitters to check bats along the southern Appalachian Trail. Those traveling overnight are provided with a miniaturized bat recorder which allows scientists to listen to and record bats. Long-term research provides essential information about changes of biological communities. This information is crucial for providing recommendations for management strategies that lead to good environmental decisions.

As scientists who care about bats, a non-charismatic species that are most often associated with Halloween as spooky decorations, the BatPak researchers recognize that in order to make a meaningful change in this group of animals they must educate the public and enlist their help. The BatPak project implements public participation and collaboration in order to increase scientific knowledge. By combining forces with community members, the BatPak researchers are able to collect data that will allow them to build a long-term bat monitoring project, make meaningful inferences about the results, share a more complete story about bats in the southern Appalachians, and at the same time, raise awareness about bats and the dire need to conserve these animals.

To learn more about this and other research projects supported by HBF or how you can contribute to these research efforts, visit highlandsbiological.org or call (828) 526-2221.

by Winter Gary

Highlands Biological Foundation

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