GET INVOLVED! MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES FOR 1994

1994 FIELD STUDY WORKSHOPS

Training wildlife personnel in the study of bats is critical to the future of many bat populations. These intensive, hands-on workshops are ideal for wildlife biologists, educators, and other serious students of bat conservation who want to learn the basic techniques for the study and conservation of bats. Pre-exposure rabies vaccinations required. Limited to 12 people per session.

ARIZONA (a limited number of spaces still available!)
Spend five days and five nights in the Chiricahua Mountains learning bat conservation and research techniques, including netting, trapping, radio tracking, night-vision observations, and habitat assessment. Amid extraordinary wildlife and habitat diversity, capture and release as many as 16 species of bats in a single evening, with additional observations of endangered lesser long-nosed and Mexican hog-nosed bats close-up at hummingbird feeders. This is the best location in America to learn bat identification. BCI Founder Merlin Tuttle will lecture at all three sessions.

Choose from three sessions starting: May 29, June 2, or June 8, 1994 (application deadline January 30, 1994)
Cost $995 (all-inclusive from Tucson, AZ)

PENNSYLVANIA
Spend five days and five nights in the Allegheny Mountains where the bats of eastern North America will be studied as they are netted and released over streams and beaver ponds, and trapped during fall swarming at local caves. Special field opportunities include visits to a protected Indiana bat hibernation cave, a building sanctuary for one of America’s most important little brown bat nursery colonies, and observations of a highly successful bat house research project. A wide variety of conservation and research techniques will be covered, including radio tracking, night-vision scope observations, gating and use of artificial roosts.

Choose from three sessions starting: August 21, August 26, or August 31, 1994 (application deadline March 15)
Cost $995 (all-inclusive from Harrisburg, PA)

BCI NATURAL HISTORY TOURS
Unlike other natural history tours, BCI trips place an emphasis on creatures of the night–bats! These are some of the most exciting and rewarding vacations you’ll ever take. You will learn firsthand the vital roles bats play in tropical ecosystems, as well as the rare opportunity to become acquainted with these animals in their natural habitats.

Travel arranged through International Expeditions, Inc. Prices all inclusive from Miami. Limited to 18 people each.

AMAZON
From Iquitos, we travel up the mighty Amazon River into the heart of the forest to our base at the rustic Explorama Lodge. Day hikes into the jungle will acquaint you with one of the most biologically rich areas on Earth. And at night, mist-netting for bats will also bring you face-to-face with a wide variety of fruit-, nectar-, and insect-eating bats, as well as vampires and frog-eating bats. The thrill of watching bats emerge at dusk from your vantage point on a walkway 100 feet up in the jungle canopy is an unforgettable experience. Optional 6-day extension to Cusco and Machu Picchu high in the Andes.

April 23-April 30, 1994 (8 days)
Cost: $2,048 ($898 extension)

COSTA RICA
The diversity of Costa Rica’s wildlife is rich. Night excursions to hunt for bats will acquaint you with some of the 100 or more species, including vampires, fruit- and nectar-eating bats, fishing bats, or even tiny tent-making bats. You’ll visit biological reserves and national parks from the sea to lowland forests and mountaintop cloud forests, and hike jungle trails to catch a glimpse of unique wildlife, from the exquisite quetzals to noisy howler monkeys. Don’t miss this very special opportunity to see Costa Rica with BCI Founder Merlin Tuttle and local naturalist Richard LaVal as your guides.

April 29-May 8, 1994 (10 days)
Cost: $2,998

1994 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
All research equipment and training provided. Volunteers must be in excellent physical condition, able to cope with strenuous mountain hiking, temperature extremes, long hours, and high altitudes. Small stipends to defray room and board costs are available.

Radio tracking bats in the Chiricahua Mountains
Assist the U.S. Forest Service in gathering data about the roosting behavior of Mexican long-tongued bats and big-eared bats in and around Portal in southeastern Arizona.

Three full-time volunteers needed for three weeks beginning June 5, 1994.
Radio tracking bats in the Coconino National Forest
Assist the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department in gathering data about the roosting behavior of several species of Myotis bats in the old-growth forests near Flagstaff in northern Arizona.

Two full-time volunteers needed for four weeks beginning June 15, 1994.
For additional information and complete itineraries for all of these events, or to register, contact Janet Tyburec at BCI, P.O. Box 162603, Austin, Texas 78716, 512-327-9721.