Group devoted to protecting Alabama’s bats captures prestigious conservation award
They may look a little scary, but bats provide many benefits. The Alabama Bat Working Group is working to protect them. (contributed)
A group of Alabama wildlife biologists and dedicated volunteers who are working to protect the state’s bat population took home a coveted honor during the annual Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards.
The Alabama Bat Working Group (ABWG) was recently recognized as “Wildlife Conservationist of the Year” during the awards event, coordinated and hosted by the Alabama Wildlife Federation. The Governor’s Conservation Achievement Awards are considered the most prestigious conservation awards in the state.
Nick Sharp, a biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), accepted the award on behalf of ABWG. Formed in 2009, the ABWG brings together individuals, organizations and agencies interested in conserving Alabama’s bat species. It includes biologists working in several of the state’s National Forests, biologists from Alabama Power, and other experts and volunteers from universities and public and private sector organizations in the state.
The working group is perhaps best known for hosting the annual “Bat Blitz,” a research and educational event during which experts and volunteers spend several nights in the summer capturing, examining and then releasing bats. The goal: to gain a greater understanding about the health of these furry, flying mammals in Alabama.
Last year, the working group hosted the Southeast Bat Blitz, during which close to 100 bat biologists, wildlife experts and volunteers from across the region converged in the Bankhead National Forest to trap, count and gather data on the local bat population.
Members of the Alabama Bat Working Group. (contributed)
The efforts are particularly important as the number of bats decline across the nation because of the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a pernicious and deadly fungus with no cure. The disease has resulted in millions of bat deaths.
Destruction of habitat, climate change and other factors are also contributing to the demise of bat populations across the globe. In Alabama, which is home to 16 bat species, three – the gray bat, the Indiana bat and the Northern long-eared bat – are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, with a fourth species, the tricolored bat, proposed for federal listing.
Bats play an important role as pollinators for plant propagation and crop production. They are also voracious insect-eaters, helping protect forests and agriculture from damaging pests.
Tammy Freeman Brown, public affairs officer at the USDA Forest Service in Montgomery, saluted the core group of experts who have been closely involved with the ABWG. They include Bankhead National Forest Wildlife Biologist Allison Cochran and Talladega National Forest Wildlife Biologist Jonathon Stober, ADCNR’s Sharp, Wes Stone with Alabama A&M University, Shannon Holbrook with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alabama Power‘s Jeff Baker, among others.
“Today, the Alabama Bat Working Group continues to conduct bat surveys in our national forests to help with research and host educational events to raise awareness about the value of bats and their role in our environment,” Brown said. “The commitment to collaboration for many years is making a difference.”
To learn more about the ABWG, click here. To learn more about Alabama Power’s environmental stewardship efforts, click here.
