In Pittsburgh, redevelopment of the landmark Fulton Building is underway. Last fall, when copper restoration specialist Joe Pietrusza, of the Ralph J. Meyer Company, discovered a big brown bat roosting beneath a balcony cornice, the manager of the soon-to-be-opened Renaissance Fulton Hotel contacted BCI and Lois Sakolsky, a local bat education and rehabilitation expert, for advice.

 

Before long, the initial concerns about a bat roosting in the building gave way to enthusiastic support for bat conservation. They even gave the bat a name, “Beauregard.” The upscale hotel has now “adopted” a bat at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, and has made a donation to BCI and to Sakolsky’s organization, the Flying Mammal Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. And while Beauregard apparently enjoyed his stopover at the hotel, he now has moved on to a more suitable winter hibernation roost, probably in one of Pennsylvania’s caves or mines. A copper plaque will now adorn the 13th floor guest suite, reminding all guests that this balcony is “The Beauregard Balcony.”