By Friends of the St. Clair River
Families can get into the Halloween spirit by joining Friends of the St. Clair River on a hike-and-learn event about Michigan bats on Friday, October 28 at 10:00 a.m. at Columbus County Park, 1670 Bauman Road, Columbus Township. The free Bat Hike offers a narrated, mile-long adventure through the park scouting bat habitat, experimenting with bat acoustic monitoring technology, and learning about the benefits bats offer the environment and people.
Participants will learn about a bat’s importance to the ecosystem and how scientists and citizens are working to protect these flying mammals. This unique program combines research, education and conservation to understand bat habitat, their sonar communication, and pollinator importance. Michigan bats feed exclusively on insects helping control pests that are a nuisance to crops and are responsible for pollinating many plants used for foods and drinks. After the hike, participants can sample delicacies pollinated by bats and complete a bat-themed craft.
Melissa Kivel shares, “Shrouded in darkness and mystery, bats have long been a spooky symbol of Halloween, but there is so much more to these misunderstood animals. Bats seem scary, but they are amazing animals important to the health of our environment and to people. Michigan’s nine bat species are tiny, weighing as much as a few coins and have bodies the size of your thumb making them much less scary. Many of the foods we eat depend on bats for pollination, so without them there might not be chocolate, tequila or coffee!”
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Registration is requested at www.scriver.org/events. Halloween costumes are encouraged. For details, contact Melissa Kivel, Education Manager, at 810.531.6906 or melissa@scriver.org.
Founded in 2007, Friends of the St. Clair River is Michigan Thumb Coast’s largest environmental organization committed to protect and restore the St. Clair River watershed through community education, environmental monitoring, hands-on stewardship, and advocacy. Visit www.scriver.org and “Friends of the St. Clair River” on social.
