Celebrate bats, our unsung heroes of the night | Nature Connects
Maine bats make a quiet splash during International Bat Appreciation Week
KATADIN, ME – In the quiet hours of a cool, breezy evening last week, a crew of wildlife specialists from the Biodiversity Research Institute set up a network of mist nets at a campsite inside the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Their mission: to catch and study the night’s elusive insectivorous visitors.
“By the time the first alarm rang after ten minutes, we still had no captures,” said Ethan Gilardi, a bat specialist and field coordinator for the institute. The team methodically checked each net, but the nets remained empty for hours. It wasn’t until close to midnight that a small, multicolored bat—an uncommon hoary bat—was spotted crossing the campsite. After careful release, the researchers immediately reset the timer for another ten‑minute sweep.
The event, which took place on October 23, came just before the start of International Bat Appreciation Week, a U.S.‑wide initiative that runs from October 24 to October 31. The week, organized by a coalition of conservation groups and federal agencies, aims to raise public awareness about the ecological importance of bats and to dispel common myths.
Maine hosts eight species of bats, including five that stay year‑round in caves, mines, rock piles, and sometimes barns and attics. Three species—known as tree bats—migrate south each winter. All Maine bats eat insects, and a single little brown bat can consume roughly 1,000 insects in an hour. Nursing mothers eat even more, up to 4,500 insects in a single night, helping keep local moth, beetle, and mosquito populations in check and protecting crops and forests.
Despite their benefits, Maine’s bats face serious threats. White‑nose syndrome, a fungal disease first documented in the state in 2011, has decimated populations in some regions, with losses reaching 90–100% of hibernating colonies. The fungus thrives in cave and mine soils and disrupts bats’ hibernation, depleting energy reserves and causing high mortality. Northern long‑eared, little brown, and tricolored bats are among the most affected.
In addition to disease, habitat loss continues to pressure bat populations. Conservationists are testing a variety of solutions to curb white‑nose syndrome and support bat recovery. These efforts include the use of UV‑C light to kill fungal spores in caves, adjusting airflow to discourage fungal growth, and exploring vaccines that might reduce infection severity.
Researchers across the country have also joined forces in the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), which standardizes data collection and aggregates information from many institutions. By pooling data, scientists can better track population trends, evaluate the effectiveness of conservation measures, and develop new strategies to protect bats.
The Biodiversity Research Institute’s Mammal Program conducts bat studies all year. The team collects blood and hair samples for heavy‑metal testing in Colombia, records bat vocalizations in Kenya, and recently captured its first Katahdin bats. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Maine Bat Research Program deploys echolocation detectors on islands, boats, and buoys to monitor offshore bat activity.
Maine residents can help too. Installing bat houses and creating pollinator‑friendly gardens provide safe roosts and food sources, while steering clear of caves and mines during winter months helps avoid disturbing hibernating colonies. Sharing accurate information about bats also plays a key role in correcting widespread misinformation.
As October 24 rolls around, Maine’s bat community and its allies look forward to a week of learning and appreciation. Whether by watching a lone bat glide past a campsite or studying the latest research, the state’s residents have an opportunity to recognize the vital, often overlooked work these small mammals do for the environment and for humanity.
