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TKC Launches Bat Monitoring and Education Program

 

The Kensington Conservancy is pleased to launch our Bat Monitoring and Education Program!

 

Beginning this spring and summer, The Kensington Conservancy will be surveying for bats on our nature preserves using automated bat detection devices. These devices remotely monitor bat activity by detecting high frequency ultrasonic vocalizations (echolocation) from nearby bats.

 

The Kensington Conservancy will be setting up bat houses on four of our nature preserves. We also encourage people to install their own bat house to provide bats with a safe summer home. We will be calling upon community members from across the Algoma District of Ontario to submit any bat observations of their own.

 

Our goal is to increase the amount of data for the local area on which bat species are present, how many there are, and what types of habitats they are using. Data that is collected will be submitted to iNaturalist and Neighbourhood Batwatch.

 

Bat populations have been in decline due to a variety of factors, including habitat loss, pesticides, wind turbines, and white-nose syndrome.

 

We are currently looking for volunteers to assist with installing and monitoring the bat recording devices, installing bat houses, and to act as community bat scientists. If you have a special interest in the study of bats we would love your help!

 

Over the upcoming months, The Kensington Conservancy will be hosting a variety of bat-themed outreach events. Please check our website for more information.

 

This program is generously supported by Evolugen, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Sault College, and Capstone Infrastructure.

 

The Kensington Conservancy is a land trust and a registered charity that aims to protect ecologically sensitive land in the St. Joseph Channel area by creating nature preserves and holding conservation easements. To date, over 900 acres of wetlands and significant wildlife habitat have been protected.

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