Got bats? Help us count them! Attics, barns, and church steeples often serve as summer homes for female bats and their young. In the face of white-nose syndrome, which is causing significant declines in bat populations throughout the Northeast, monitoring these “maternity colonies” is more important than ever. NH Fish and Game and UNH Cooperative Extension are looking for landowners, homeowners, and other volunteers to help keep track of New Hampshire’s bats by conducting “emergence counts” at bat roosts throughout the state.

Join wildlife biologists Sandi Houghton of NH Fish & Game and Haley Andreozzi of UNH Cooperative Extension for a presentation and demonstration at NH Audubon’s Massabesic Center to learn more about the bat species found in New Hampshire, the threats leading to population declines, and how you can help conserve bats. The training will start with an indoor presentation on bats in New Hampshire, followed by a bat counting demonstration outdoors at dusk. Attendees will be trained to participate in the NH Bat Counts project, which involves citizen science volunteers in helping to monitor summer bat colonies in New Hampshire. This training is free, but space is limited and registration is required. Masks are recommended, but not required inside the Massabesic Audubon Center. This policy is subject to change based on CDC guidelines and county transmission rates.

Sponsoring Organizations: NH Fish & Game, UNH Cooperative Extension, NH Audubon