Important information on bats in the Cowichan Valley, and how to build a bat box to house them, will be available at an event at the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve on Halloween.
Todd Carnahan, from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, will host the event.
He said bat populations in the Valley, and across North America, are under threat and the more we learn about them, and how to help them survive, the better to ensure their survival into the future.
Carnahan said there are a number of bat species currently living the in the Valley, including Townsend’s big eared bats, large brown bats and small brown bats, but exact numbers are not known.
He said, like many bat species across the continent, the local species are threatened by white-nose syndrome, a disease among hibernating bats that have decimated bat colonies and could hit local populations at any time.
Carnahan said one in 1,000 bats also carries rabies, which is not currently a major concern here due to vaccines and public knowledge.
But he said the public is encouraged to report any dead bats they come across to the Habitat Acquisition Trust, by calling 250-995-2428, so they can determine the cause of death and whether it was from rabies.
“Bats play a big role in the local environment with each one eating about 1,000 insects a night,” Carnahan said. “When you consider that just one bat colony can hold hundreds of individuals, that’s a lot of insects.
“Bats are also beneficial in that they pollinate plants,” Carnahan said.
He said the bat box-building event on Halloween night is a hands-on volunteer affair that will teach people how to build a maternity colony bat box, where to place it, and a lot more.
“Where they are located, the height of the bat box and its proximity to water are all very important,” he said.
“As more information is spread through the community about bats and their value to the environment, I’m seeing a lot of bat boxes in the Valley these days, but they are not necessarily designed well so this workshop should be very helpful for people.”
The workshop runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 31.
To register or for more information, visit events.natureconservancy.ca, go to emailbc@conservationvolunteers.ca or call 1-888-404-8428
