The bat detector springs suddenly to life. A series of noisy clicks announce the arrival of a thirsty bat that's using its echolocation sonar to scan for obstacles as it swoops down over the isolated Arizona stream for a quick drink. It finds a mist net instead.
In the darkness, the detector goes suddenly silent. Two headlamps flick on, their beams piercing the darkness and bouncing over the pool. The lights settle on a dark shape tucked into the barely visible fold of a mist net: “We got one!”
Two people splash quietly into the water. Hands gently peel the net's gossamer strands from the entrapped pipistrelle, starting with the feet, then moving to the wings and head. Freed from the net and nestled in a gloved hand, the bat sits calmly for a brief examination and species identification.
It's a typical night at a Bat Conservation and Management Workshop. In Arizona, the hands-on training includes the capture, study, and release of as many as 18 bat species in single night. That unique field experience, coupled with training by enthusiastic experts adds up to an unequaled learning opportunity for wildlife professionals and amateur bat enthusiasts.
BCI is now accepting reservations for next summer's field-study workshops in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. To ensure the best possible workshop experience, the number of participants for each session is strictly limited. Each workshop offers an unequaled opportunity for in-depth, hands-on training in bat research, conservation, and management. Tuition covers all fees, lodging, meals, and transportation from the local departure city.
To register for a workshop or for more information, contact BCI Workshops Coordinator Andy Moore or (512) 327-9721.
The 2004 BCI Workshop schedule:
Arizona Workshops
Session 1: June 3-8
Session 2: June 8-13
Session 3 (Acoustic Monitoring): June 13-18
A field-identification extravaganza, this workshop in the Chiricahua Mountains features the catch-and-release of up to 18 bat species in a single evening. BCI expert Janet Tyburec and her well-trained crew, including biologists from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, will share a wealth of knowledge covering all aspects of species identification (including echolocation calls), bat conservation, management, education, public health, nuisance issues, and artificial habitats.
Session 3 is a specialized acoustic-monitoring workshop hosted by experts and inventors Bill Rainey, Lars Petterson and Joe Szewczak. This will be a unique opportunity to improve your skills in the use of ultrasonic bat detectors, including Anabat, Petterson, and Sonobat models. This workshop is intended for those who have completed the Bat Conservation Management workshop or have previous bat-research field experience. Learn how to design and implement an acoustic survey and which monitoring system is best for your needs.
Each session limited to 12 participants
$1,195 from Tucson, Arizona
Pennsylvania Workshop
August 29-September 3
Our popular Pennsylvania workshop offers the opportunity to net and trap bats over trout streams and beaver ponds and watch thousands of endangered Indiana myotis swarming at the entrance to a mine where they will later hibernate. Workshop Co-leader Cal Butchkoski of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, with two decades of experience, is a leading expert on surveying and radiotracking Indiana myotis. He is also one of America's most successful builders of bat houses and other artificial roosts. Hands-on training includes mist netting and trapping, radiotracking, night-vision observation, bat house use, acoustic monitoring, and habitat assessment.
Limited to 20 participants
$1,195 from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Kentucky Workshop
September 7-12
Focused on cave-dwelling bats, this workshop takes us to the heart of America's karst country at the Cave Research Foundation's Hamilton Valley facility. In the company of experts, we'll visit hibernation and nursery caves of endangered gray and Indiana myotis, and learn how to detect bats' prior use of caves and to identify habitat conditions that meet their needs. Fieldwork includes netting and harp-trapping at cave entrances and at nearby feeding and drinking habitats, with hands-on identification of 10 Eastern species. We will visit bat gates with their designers and also discuss habitat assessment, field research techniques, bat houses, and public health issues.
Limited to 20 participants
$1,195 from Nashville, Tennessee
