Bat Conservation International

The Year in Review
Lack of knowledge about bat needs and values is a key
contributor to their decline worldwide. Several species
have become extinct before their plight was even
recognized. To address this tragedy, BCI is increasing
its support of conservation-relevant research as rapidly
as possible.
In the past year, we led research that discovered a key
cause of decline for the Indiana bat, one of America’s
most endangered species, and funded research on the
vital role of Mexican free-tailed bats, documenting their
consumption of vast quantities of America’s most costly
crop pests. The first discovery is already leading to
restoration of critical Indiana bat hibernation caves,
and the latter soon will be reported in National Geographic.
We also expanded funding to student scholars in 14
countries and funded a dozen essential research projects
through the North American Bat Conservation Partnership. Projects ranged from documentation of bat roles
in pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal to
investigations of special habitat requirements essential
to conservation planning.
Because communication of research findings is essential
to progress, we are especially proud to announce North
America’s first strategic plan for bats. Facilitated by BCI,
researchers, conservationists, and government leaders
from Canada, Mexico, and the United States, produced
and formally adopted the continent’s first long-term plan
last fall. The plan will be revised at two-year intervals
to incorporate the latest research discoveries and
conservation needs, and is already providing a major
stimulus for state and regional planning.
Through the combined impact of Internet communication
and BCI’s newly established Global Grassroots Conservation Fund, we are now able to share knowledge and
empower people in places as far away as Moldova
and Cambodia, where assistance is most often needed.
Relying on BCI training, educational materials, and small
grants, these distant allies are now becoming invaluable
partners.
We are extremely grateful to BCI members, donors,
and colleagues who continue to support us in expanding
bat conservation, education, and research on a worldwide
scale. We look forward to your partnership in the coming
year.
Michael L. Cook, Chairman of the Board
Merlin D. Tuttle, Executive Director
North American Bat Conservation Partnership
a trinational alliance for progress
BCI facilitated organization of the North American Bat
Conservation Partnership (NABCP) in 1997, providing
a forum for bat conservationists to share resources,
funding, and critical information. The collaboration
includes researchers, corporations, private organizations, and foundations, as well as government agencies
in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. All are
working to develop continent-wide priorities
for bat conservation.
©Chris Sanders
Grant recipient Chris Sanders worked in conjunction with
the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
to lead the gating of Roxbury Iron Mine in Roxbury,
Connecticut—the state’s largest bat hibernation site.
The mine historically housed endangered Indiana bats
(Myotis sodalis), and now hosts approximately 2,000 bats
each winter. With some 2,500 feet of passage, the mine is
capable of housing millions. Using over 70,000 pounds of
steel, four entrances were gated with bat-friendly gates.
The A-frame gate pictured below will be removed when
construction of the new bat-friendly gate is complete.
©Chris Sanders
The partnership’s fund for conservation provides grants
for essential conservation, research, and education
projects. This spring, the program received 28 proposals
and funded the top 18 in the amount of $59,929.
These funds have been matched by $648,260 in partner
assistance, bringing total support to $708,189.
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Rabies Resolution
©Brian Keeley/BCI 915-4307
©Bob Luce
This year, BCI sponsored a resolution that
passed unanimously at the North American
Symposium on Bat Research. As reported in
Science magazine’s March 2000 issue, the
resolution addressed the issue of bats and rabies,
and the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention’s methods of reporting bat bites and
rabies statistics. Those in attendance agreed that
there was no credible support for the hypothesis
that undetected bites by bats are a significant
factor in transmitting rabies to humans, and
noted that public health policies should not
be based on this assumption.
The NABCP has awarded a total of
$184,964 in grants to 54 projects
over the past three years.
Grant recipient Bob Luce, nongame biologist
with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department,
supervised gating of Spence Cave in fall 1999
(above). Biologists found that the cave is used
by at least five species of bats. The present numbers
are small due to human disturbance, but based on
guano accumulations within the cave, biologists
believe that Spence Cave was once a maternity
roost for several hundred Townsend’s big-eared bats.
The gate will offer this colony a chance to recover.
Technician Ian Butler (left) assisted grant recipient
Melissa Siders, wildlife biologist at Kaibab National
Forest in Arizona. Siders received funding in 1998
and 1999 for development and testing of Bat Bark,
used to create experimental artificial bat roost
structures. Both fiberglass and polyurethane models
are being tested, and Siders has already reported
90 percent success at test sites.
©Elaine Acker/BCI
Bats and Forests
During the past year, BCI has worked closely with
the USDA Forest Service, the USDI Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the National Council for Air and Stream
Improvement to compile a complete bibliography
and to summarize literature related to bats and forests.
The report includes a summary of how bats use forests,
as well as an evaluation of the importance of snags,
geology, artificial roosts, and other habitat characteristics. Timber managers throughout the eastern United
States will benefit from this valuable reference tool.
An important outgrowth of the NABCP has been the
formation of the Northwest Bat Cooperative. This
public-private partnership is one of the first of its kind
and includes not only federal and state agencies,
wildlife biologists, and conservation organizations,
but also representatives from the timber industry.
Forest bats often roost in tree cavities and crevices.
Land managers who leave “snags,” dead standing
trees, as well as selected old trees during harvests, are
helping conserve forest bat species and their habitats.
Participants include Weyerhaeuser Co., Port Blakely
Tree Farms, Boise Cascade Corp., Potlatch Corp., Plum
Creek Timber Co., and IP Pacific Timberlands, Inc.
These partners and the Washington State Department
of Fish and Wildlife are collaborating with BCI on
projects across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The
partnership reflects the philosophies of the NABCP,
allowing forest resource managers to strengthen
communication, share management strategies, and
fund research according to local priorities.
Indiana Bats
For decades the
endangered Indiana
bat has ranked
among America’s
most rapidly
declining mammals,
despite protection at many of its last remaining
hibernation sites.
©Merlin D. Tuttle/BCI 829-1303
Ed Arnett
(left), wildlife
biologist with
Weyerhaeuser
Company,
meets with
Jim Redmond,
harvest manager,
to discuss
recent research
on how timber
harvests affect
bats. Arnett
helped lead the
formation of the
Northwest Bat
Cooperative,
and is a 2000
BCI Scholarship
recipient.
An investigation by BCI is proving critical to recovery.
Comparison of average mid-winter roost temperatures
at the nine protected caves and mines that are
considered most important by the Indiana Bat Recovery
Team revealed that in locations where temperatures
averaged 3-7.2 degrees C, populations increased by
97,339 bats over the most recent 20 years of monitoring.
In those where temperatures fell outside this range,
populations declined by 185,083.
This observation led to temperature and humidity
monitoring at 15 of the most important current and
past Indiana bat hibernation sites in Illinois, Indiana,
Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia. In
collaboration with the USDA Forest Service, the USDI
Fish and Wildlife Service, state natural resources
departments, and local speleologists, 46 dataloggers
were installed at the best-defined roosts in these caves,
including one outside at each location.
Data are now downloaded each summer, and results
are confirming that marginal hibernation conditions
are a key factor in this bat’s continuing decline. The
originally occupied caves provided remarkable stability
in the bats’ preferred temperature range. For example,
prior to disturbance, Virginia’s Rocky Hollow Cave was
occupied by more than a million Indiana bats. The cave
provided temperatures averaging 7.3 degrees C in
October and November of 1998-1999 and 6.7 degrees C
from December through February. At Illinois’ Magazine
Mine, which supports a rapidly growing population,
roost temperatures in November 1998-1999 averaged
6.7 degrees C and from December through February
averaged 4.5 degrees C. Throughout most of this species’
range, the best hibernation caves and mines provide
large-volume cold-air traps below the lowest of multiple
entrances. These sites must be capable of storing
sufficient cold air to meet the bats’ fall hibernation needs
without risk of freezing in winter. Protection of such sites,
and restoration of appropriate temperatures in nowaltered sites, is essential to Indiana bat survival.
Detailed study information is posted on the BCI Web site.
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©Merlin D. Tuttle/BCI 876-3303
©Brian Keeley/BCI 916-3121
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Through the North American Bat
Conservation Partnership, BCI is
strengthening its efforts at the state
level (above). After one full year of cofunding the Texas Bat Coordinator
position with Texas Parks and Wildlife,
education efforts and research studies
have begun that will help incorporate
bats into management programs at
more than 230 state parks and wildlife
management areas. Other accomplishments include extensive work on a
statewide plan for bat conservation and
compilation of the first draft of a public
guide to the bats of Texas, which will be
released in 2001. Biologist and
Coordinator Annika Keeley educated
nearly 100 private landowners and state
land managers through Master Naturalist
training sessions and Bat Habitat
Management workshops. Landowners are
learning to include bats in conservation
plans, while volunteer Master Naturalists
are offering bat programs in communities
across the state and assisting in
monitoring and research projects.
BCI’s ongoing, region-wide study
of historic and current Indiana bat
hibernation sites (left) spans Illinois,
Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri
and Virginia. Already, the data gathered
are being used to recommend recovery
strategies.
Latin American Initiatives
extending bat conservation throughout the Americas
Program for the Conservation of Migratory Bats
Launched in 1994, the Program for the Conservation of
Migratory Bats (Programa para la Conservación de los
Murciélagos Migratorios) is a partnership between BCI
and the Instituto de Ecología of the National University of
Mexico. The binational initiative focuses on migratory bats,
but Mexican initiatives have expanded to include all 140
native species. Through community education and recent
efforts on behalf of pollinators, the team is making progress
on many levels.
This year the program established its first permanent office
in Mexico City. From this location, staff can better handle
the hundreds of requests for conservation assistance and
educational materials. Also, at a meeting of the PCMM
and partner Pronatura Noreste, the governor of Nuevo Leon
announced that the state is establishing a new, protected
natural area that includes Mexico’s largest bat cave, Cueva
de la Boca, and the surrounding mountains. BCI has worked
to finalize this designation since 1996. Bat populations
in the cave have increased since conservation efforts first
began, and have grown rapidly from 100,000 to nearly
1.5 million bats.
Bilingual children’s books have proven highly effective as
conservation tools. Don Sabino, el Murciélago de la Ciudad (Don
Sabino, the City Bat) is the latest in the series, and is being
distributed to inner-city Mexican schools along with associated
curricula for students and teachers. Approximately 80 percent
of Mexico’s population lives in urban areas, and these
materials help city-dwellers understand and appreciate
the value of bats.
A fourth book, planned for release in fall 2000, will focus
on nectar bats. Nectar bats depend on flowering agaves, and
the PCMM and BCI are working with the state of Tamaulipas
to foster protection of caves in northeastern Mexico and to
re-establish agave corridors, which are critical for migratory
bats. Already, Tamaulipas has agreed to promote plantings
of agaves for erosion control, and BCI has donated the first
5,000 agave plants in support of this effort.
©Elaine Acker/BCI 739-6119
The governor of Nuevo Leon also announced that the
boundaries of Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey
(a park near Monterrey in the high mountains known as the
Sierra Madre Oriental) are expanding to include Cueva Infierno,
the most important cave for greater long-nosed bats
(Leptonycteris nivalis) in northern Mexico.
As a student, Arnulfo Moreno received a 1999 BCI
Scholarship for his work with local residents to
document nectar bat use of agaves. Moreno has
now received his Ph.D., and continues to serve BCI
as a scientific advisor in Mexico.
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Elsewhere in Latin America
©Luis Aguirre/PCMB
Through the Program for the Conservation of
Bolivian Bats (Programa para la Conservación
de los Murciélagos de Bolivia), BCI funded
production of Bolivia’s own “Aventuras al
Vuelo” (“Adventures in Flight”), a Spanishlanguage radio program previously used
successfully in Mexico. Other Bolivian activities
include the opening of a bat exhibit in La Paz
at the Museum of Natural History, development of the “Bats of Bolivia” poster, and
creation of a new brochure highlighting
conservation efforts and emphasizing the
variety of beneficial species found in that
country.
©Elaine Acker/BCI 739-6102
©Merlin D. Tuttle/BCII 875-6100
Luis Aguirre, director of the Program for the Conservation of Bolivian
Bats, has worked closely with local radio stations airing “Aventuras al
Vuelo” to raise awareness of the values of Bolivian bats.
In addition, the Bolivian group has published
an eight-page newsletter, which details PCMB
bat conservation initiatives, shares information
on available bat educational materials, and
examines health issues related to bats.
Distribution of these materials will target
environmental education groups, veterinary
associations, teachers in communities near
important bat roosts, cattlemen, and federal
agencies.
In the U.S., BCI continued to support
conservation of migratory insect-eating bats
by organizing and sponsoring the first Agri-Bats
Workshop. Held at Selah Ranch in Johnson City,
Texas, 20 leading scientists came together to
review and plan research to better document
the agricultural significance of Mexican freetailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), which feed
on crop pests.
In Northern
Mexico, BCI
Associate
Executive Director
Steve Walker and
Scientific Advisor
Arnulfo Moreno
assess damage
from fires set
to kill bats in
Cueva de los
Troncones.
Bats and Mines Project
More than half of North America’s 45 bat species
now rely on mines as refuges of last resort. This year,
the Bats and Mines Project began its largest undertaking to date: gating nearly 20 key hibernation sites
in abandoned copper mines throughout the Great
Lakes region.
The Great Lakes mines include literally hundreds
of miles of underground passages that provide ideal
hibernation temperatures. Over the past hundred years,
as eastern U.S. bats have lost traditional hibernation
roosts in caves, many gradually moved into these
mines. The bats come here from several U.S. states and
Canadian provinces. As a result, this is now the most
important bat hibernation area known worldwide.
Without the Bats and Mines Project, as mine entrances
were blasted, filled, or concreted shut, these bats
would have been entombed.
Complete counts of the bats cannot be made due
to the vastness of the mines, but many hundreds
of thousands have been saved. Reopened mines offer
the potential to save millions more.
The project has also generated valuable publicity
for bats. In April, BCI staff hosted a radio crew from
National Geographic Radio Expeditions. The program,
which aired in June, reached more than six million
National Public Radio listeners across the U.S.
Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie Mine in Arizona is home to one of the
state’s largest maternity colonies of cave myotis
(Myotis velifer) and a hibernation colony of Townsend’s
big-eared bats. The main adit, or opening, was gated
in 1996, and a dangerous connecting shaft was gated
in March 2000. The mine, near the Fort Bowie National
Historic Site, attracts curious hikers, and the gate offers
a safe, permanent shaft closure, protecting both bats
and people.
Irv Riutta, owner of Riutta Contracting &
Supplies, works to remove a mine closure that
prevented bat access at the Quincy Mine in
Michigan. The Quincy and Pewabic Mines, two
of the state’s largest, were gated in early 2000
with bat-compatible gates. The Quincy Mine
Hoist Association plans to develop interpretive
trails, and to promote the site as a “watchable
wildlife” area, especially during fall swarming.
©Eric Munch/BCI 915-6401
In 1993, BCI and the USDA Bureau of Land
Management founded the Bats and Mines Project
to reduce the mortality of bats due to closures of
abandoned mines. The project provides leadership
and coordination among federal, state, and private
agencies, and the mining industry for evaluating and
protecting bat habitat in mines.
averting a crisis for America’s bats
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©Sheryl Ducummon/BCI 916-1103
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Sam Edwards (right) owner of Frontier Environmental Solutions,
cuts a section of bat-friendly gate at the entrance of Arizona’s
Fort Bowie Mine.
Joshua Tree National Park
©Sheryl Ducummon/BCI 915-6214
In California, BCI completed the second in a four-year mine
survey in Joshua Tree National Park. The park has more than
300 abandoned mines, and has requested BCI’s assistance
in surveying these mines for the presence of bats. Batcompatible closures will be recommended where possible.
This past winter, more than 50 mines were evaluated and five
were found to be important for bats. Two mines had winter
populations of California leaf-nosed bats (Macrotus californicus),
a sensitive species in that state.
Chris Holbeck, research scientist at California’s Joshua Tree
National Park, emerges from a mine that was evaluated for bats
during the past year.
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Bat House Research Project
sharing the satisfaction of scientific discovery
BCI also produced a traveling exhibit
demonstrating how farmers can incorporate
bats and bat houses into integrated pest
management. The exhibit premiered at the
“Success with Organics 2000” conference,
and will travel to wildlife conferences,
organic trade shows, and environmental
conventions throughout the year.
This year, BCI recorded nearly 650 reports
from 35 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., five
Canadian provinces and territories, and the
Cayman Islands. The reports show that bats
are occupying 60 percent of houses (388 of
645), regardless of proper construction or
placement. Even more encouraging was the
fact that houses designed for 50 or more
bats, when mounted in groups on buildings
or on poles, were used 83 percent of the time
(165 of 200).
©Mark & Selena Kiser/BCI 915-3410
“I picked up a brochure on BCI, and what
immediately caught my eye was the use of
bats for biological insect control,” said Bibin.
“With help from bats, we now use no
pesticides.”
A growing number of
corporate partners, such
as DuPont, are supporting
the Bat House Research
Project. This year,
DuPont’s Wildlife Habitat
Team requested a survey
of their wetland areas in
Victoria, Texas, and is
placing bat houses around
the site, including one
adjacent to their outdoor
educational classroom.
This site is visited by
hundreds of school
children each month.
©Mark & Selena Kiser/BCI 916-3102
This year, BCI initiated coast-to-coast testing
by leading organic growers as a first step
toward research that will quantify the
benefits of bats for organic farms. Frank
Bibin, owner of Bibin Pecans in southeastern
Georgia, is participating in the program.
Courtesy DuPont Corporaiton
The Bat House Research Project began in
1993 with a goal of creating effective artificial
roost designs and testing placement
techniques. Over the years, more than 5,000
volunteer research associates, from bat
biologists to homeowners to organic farmers,
have participated in the project, helping BCI
document exactly what bats need.
Frank Bibin (above), who owns Bibin Pecans in southeastern Georgia,
is working closely with BCI to document his success in attracting bats
as a natural form of insect control in pecan groves.
Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (inset) is just one of many
state agencies, nature centers, museums, and parks that are participating in
the Bat House Research Project. The department has installed bat houses
at the Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area and the Charlie Elliot Wildlife
Center. Visitors who walk along nature trails will be introduced
to the state’s bats and will learn of their benefits.
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ensuring a future for homeless bats
Bats and Bridges
Half of U.S. states participate in BCI’s Bats and Bridges program, which began in 1994. Through the program,
transportation departments are building bat habitat into new bridges, are retrofitting existing bridges to include bat
roosts, and are planning maintenance activities to avoid disturbing bats. This year’s activities included:
• surveys of approximately 150 bridges in Oregon state forests.
• presentations at the International Conference on Wildlife Ecology and Transportation, attended by 300 participants
from 13 countries and 24 U.S. states.
• meetings with one of Germany’s leading environmental planners, who will now implement bat-friendly bridge
designs.
©Bob Wisecarver
Near Sacramento, California, BCI and Research Associates Bob Wisecarver and Marvin Maberry coordinated with
The Nature Conservancy to install artificial bat roosts near the old Franklin Bridge, home of one of the state’s largest
remaining bat colonies. As the bridge is being dismantled, bats are beginning to use the new roosts.
The new bridge is a bat-friendly design that will provide crevices for millions of bats.
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Fly by Night’s founder, Laura Finn, considers
exclusions one of her most important
responsibilities. “I hate having to take bats
out of buildings,” says Finn, “but if we do it,
we know it’s done right.” BCI has established
a certification program for bat exclusion
professionals who use techniques that
protect both bats and people. Each applicant
is thoroughly checked before being granted
the status of BCI-approved Bat Exclusion
Professional. In the coming months, BCI will
work with Finn to build a network of trusted
excluders.
A new page being
added to BCI’s
Web site will offer
information on why
bats use buildings,
how to live safely
with bats, what
exclusion methods
are recommended
for bats, who to
contact for
assistance, and
how to provide bat
houses for
excluded bats.
little brown myotis
Myotis lucifugus
big brown bat
Eptesicus fuscus
Mexican free-tailed bat
Tadarida brasiliensis
evening bat
Nycticeius humeralis
©Merlin D. Tuttle/BCI 828-1301, 839-1413, 803-3401, 831-1201
BCI receives nearly 4,400 calls each year
from concerned people requesting
information about removing bats roosting in
buildings. This year, in conjunction with Fly
by Night, a Florida-based nonprofit
organization, BCI established a new program
to meet the needs of these people, many
of whom view bats as a problem. BCI hopes
that “problems” will become conservation
opportunities, and that more pest-control
professionals will become conservation
advocates.
transforming exterminators into conservationists
Throughout the northern two-thirds of the U.S. and southern Canada,
the little brown bat and the big brown bat are the most likely species
to be encountered in buildings. In the southern U.S.,
Mexican free-tailed and evening bats are the most common.
Other species typically encountered are the pallid bat (Antrozous
pallidus), the southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius), the northern
long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), the Yuma myotis (Myotis
yumanensis), and the eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus).
©Merlin D. Tuttle/BCI 870-1401
Bats in Buildings
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supporting local, on-the-ground bat conservation worldwide
BCI launched the Global Grassroots Bat
Conservation Fund this year to address critical bat
conservation needs around the globe. While BCI has
always supported international projects, this fund
helps to formalize the funding process and better
enables reviewers to compare and evaluate grant
proposals.
Already, BCI has awarded $15,000 in grants and
educational materials, and has donated use of bat
images to support individuals and local nonprofit
groups who are sometimes the only advocates
laboring for protection of bats in their regions or
countries.
• Cambodia—development of training curricula
and storyboard poster for children, associated
with a large new bat mural to be painted in
downtown Phnom Penh.
• Honduras—incorporation of a bat module into
a widespread environmental education program.
• India—donation of seed materials and support
for a fledgling network of bat conservationists.
• Poland—production of the first interactive CD-ROM
about bats in that country.
• Sulawesi—development of education and training
programs designed to curb the over-hunting of fruit
bats, which are sold for food in local markets.
Currently, applications are being reviewed for new
projects in Uganda, the Philippines, the Cayman Islands,
Brazil, and Tajikistan.
©Sergiu Andreev
• Costa Rica—distribution of bat conservation
literature for the Green Wall Project, which raises
environmental awareness and teaches students
about conservation issues.
Global Grassroots Bat Conservation Fund
Representatives from Grupal Fauna in Moldova constructed bat gates at one of the country’s most important remaining
hibernation sites. This was the first effort of its kind in a post-Soviet country. BCI is now working with this group to help
refine gate designs, protect additional mine roosts, and conserve forest habitat.
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Education
Summer 1999 marked BCI’s 11th season
of Bat Conservation and Management
Workshops. More than 1,100 people
have been trained during the past 11
years, and they are essential to longterm conservation success. As workshop
students return to their home
communities, they are leading muchneeded regional habitat management
and conservation initiatives, backed by
sound science.
empowering educators and wildlife professionals with essential tools
Capitalizing on the success of
“Discover Bats!,” BCI and L&H
Productions have produced a new liveaction, kid-friendly video for children
ages 4-7. “Kids Discover Bats!” is being
launched in fall 2000 with a new Web
page for kids, which connects them to
BCI’s Adopt-a-Bat program, and shows
them how they can help bats.
Among the 1999 workshop alumni are
students whose enthusiasm is making a
difference on a local level.
Daniel Abram and Laurie Wearne,
educators from Talking Talons Youth
Leadership in Tijeras, New Mexico, are
introducing young people ages 6 to 17
to conservation. They are also working
with the New Mexico Game and Fish
Department to conduct bat surveys on state
lands using volunteers and students (Arizona
Workshop, 1999).
In 1999, Bat Conservation and Management
workshops were held in Arizona in June, in the
Pacific Northwest (for the first time) in July, and
in Pennsylvania in August. These work-shops
trained 136 people from 16 state and federal
agencies, five foreign countries (Bolivia,
Canada, Scotland, Taiwan, and the UK), and
34 universities and private organizations.
BCI also educated 60 participants through a
conference held for members of The National
©Elaine Acker/BCI 915-3110
Howard Ferguson and Eric Larsen, wildlife
biologists with the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife, are initiating statewide
inventories of bat species. They have also been
instrumental in protecting a colony of
Townsend’s big-eared bats roosting in
an old building on private property. In all, the
department has identified 14 different
maternity colonies for this species, where just
five years ago, there were only four known
colonies in Washington State (Pacific Northwest
Workshop, 1999).
At Selah Ranch in Johnson City, Texas, BCI trained 45 participants
at a One-Day Educator’s Workshop, “Tools for Teaching Bat
Conservation.” Teachers and park interpreters from the U.S.
and Canada learned more about bats and how to develop interpretive
programs in their parks, classrooms and home communities.
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Association of Interpretation, an association
of interpreters of natural and cultural history. Members
work for national and state parks, museums, zoos, and
nature centers. These “interpreters” are a direct link
between bats and the public.
This program provides library and elementary school
resources, generates awareness of the importance
of bats to agriculture, and encourages public
education via radio spots and distribution of materials
to community centers.
Texas-Mexico Border Initiatives
Posters, bilingual bat fact cards, and resource packets
are being distributed to 35 public libraries, 45 school
districts, 19 radio stations, and 15 nature and
community centers (including Texas A&M’s Las
Colonias) in nine border counties.
The Rio Grande Initiative is an educational effort
that unites Mexico’s bat conservation efforts with
those of Texas. With the help of the Houston
Endowment, BCI has developed a program to teach
border residents about bats, their habitats, and the
need for conservation, while providing high-quality
bilingual materials that promote literacy and general
environmental awareness.
The program has generated interest among other
U.S. border states, which are now working to
implement similar programs.
©Carolyn Love/BCI
In January, Merlin Tuttle completed a week-long lecture tour of South Africa. Traveling through the bushveld
(savanna woodland) game preserves, he hosted bat workers, conservationists, military personnel, journalists,
and the general public. During this bat safari, he captured and photographed 12 species of bats.
Peter Taylor, Curator of Mammals at the the Durban Natural Science Museum, and Convenor of the Durban Bat
Interest Group, described the trip as a "watershed event for bat conservation in southern Africa.”
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Scholarships
investing in future conservationists
BCI’s Student Scholarship Program began in 1990 to support students conducting conservation-relevant research.
This spring, BCI awarded scholarships totaling $56,488 to 24 students, funding research in 14 countries. Projects
include studies of foraging behavior and seed dispersal of fruit bats in Brazil, bat habitat requirements in western
Siberia, roosting needs in forests of the northwestern United States, and bat impact on insect pests in Belgium.
©Lucia Bobakova
©Lucia Bobakova
©Robert Hodgkison
Sharon Balding (right) assisted Robert Hodgkison
with his study of Peninsular Malaysia's spotted
winged fruit bat (Balionycteris macula). Hodgkison
received scholarship funding in 1999, and his
investigations of pollination, seed dispersal, and
roosting behavior are being used to establish
conservation priorities for this species.
In the Slovak Republic, Lucia Bobakova (below)
was first funded in 1999 to study roosting needs
of cave-dwelling bats. She has also been measuring
the impact of human visitation on bat population
trends in caves open to public tours. Her
documentation is providing a baseline for tracking
future population changes. It is also helping
determine roost characteristics and the effects of
human intrusion in order to recommend effective
management strategies. Bobakova has been
funded again in 2000 to continue her research.
Since the scholarship
program began in 1990,
BCI has awarded 109
scholarships totaling
$234,196.
18
19
training young educators
Cathy Lin served as BCI’s 1999 summer intern from
Memorial Day through Labor Day, providing public
information about the values of bats at Austin’s
Congress Avenue bridge. Approximately 100,000 people
visit the bridge each season, and many of them receive
the The Free-tail Flyer, which introduces tourists and
Austin residents to the world's largest urban bat colony.
Since 1994, BCI’s fall interns
have educated approximately
27,350 school children.
Intern Kari Gaukler educated Austin-area
school children through 140 presentations.
She distributed the “Discover Bats”
resource package to teachers for use in
lesson plans throughout the year.
©Elaine Acker/BCI 915-3505
During the fall semester, 1999, intern Kari Gaukler
visited 60 Austin-area schools. Students enjoyed
a colorful slide show where, for the first time, they
were able to see bats close-up. More than 6,000
children, ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to 8th
grade, learned why bats are important, and why they
should not be handled.
Interns
19
20
Outreach
During the past year, BCI staff responded to more than
11,500 requests for information relevant to education,
public health, conservation, reference sources, and
other information. Interviews and positive BCI messages
also appeared in a wide variety of magazines and
newspapers such as Science, Smithsonian, Tropical Gardener,
The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Children’s
media included Ranger Rick, Boys’ Life, Nickelodeon, and
Scholastic News. Positive media attention is critical to
combating frightening misconceptions, as well as to
recruiting new members.
BCI also hosted television and film crews from IMAX,
the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and others. HD Vision
Productions of Dallas, Texas, filmed a documentary
entitled, “Bridge Dwellers: The Bats of Austin,” which
aired in Japan in late 1999. The video has won three
awards for excellence in children’s programming,
and is currently being aired in the U.S.
This year, the Congress Avenue bridge was also the
focus of an in-depth economic impact survey. A local
economic consulting group and researchers from the
University of Texas, worked with BCI to develop surveys
that were administered through October 1999. The
results, released this past spring, highlight the
popularity of bats in nature tourism, and document
that the bats generate approximately eight million
in tourist dollars annually.
In recognition of the bats’ influence on Austin tourism,
the Austin Hospitality Association and the Austin
Convention and Visitors Bureau presented the “2000
Austin Tourism Award” to BCI for its role in helping
change public opinion about Austin’s bats, and for
promoting bat-watching as a fun and safe family activity.
The Third Annual Free-tail Free-for-All was held in
late May at the Austin American-Statesman’s observation
area. The event coincided with the Austin Children’s
Museum’s debut of their new bat exhibit “Bats in My
World,” which museum officials already describe as
the organization’s “all-time favorite exhibit.”
sharing the truth about bats
People educated through
BCI outreach efforts this year:
Lectures
12,000
Magazines
30 million
combined circulation
Newspapers
14 million
combined circulation
Television
136 million
Web
21,266 hits per month
The Congress Avenue bridge
bat colony brings approximately
eight million tourist dollars
to downtown Austin, Texas,
each summer.
20
©Elaine Acker/BCI 916-2304
21
Approximately 3,000 people attended the third annual “Free-tail Free-for-All,” which included appearances by two bat
mascots, a raffle that raised money for bat conservation, live music, and local television coverage.
©Karen Marks/BCI 915-3514
BCI transmits
10,389 documents
via the Internet
every day,
or 3,864,708
each year.
Dr. Gail Ryser conducts an economic-impact survey of bat-watchers
at the Congress Avenue bridge.
21
Combined Statement of Financial Position
BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, INC.
As of May 31, 2000
(with comparative totals as of May 31, 1999)
May 31, 2000
May 31, 1999
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Short-Term Investments
Accounts and Grants Receivable
Inventory
Other Assets
Deferred Expenses
$ 757,344
599,966
1,201,063
65,453
27,859
2,184
$ 705,689
585,601
1,542,030
63,360
10,600
474
Total Current Assets
2,653,869
2,907,754
14,208
14,208
Closely Held Stock
102,315
102,315
Property, Plant and Equipment, net of accumulated
depreciation of $398,646 and $334,384
574,096
614,570
1,327,901
976,648
432,128
49,438
380,519
101,047
481,566
481,566
$5,153,955
$ 5,097,061
$ 130,575
19,455
3,336
$ 104,697
30,372
324,125
3,336
153,366
462,530
Net Assets:
Unrestricted
Temporarily Restricted
Permanently Restricted
2,609,224
1,909,799
481,566
2,404,361
1,748,604
481,566
Total Net Assets
5,000,589
4,634,531
$5,153,955
$ 5,097,061
Note Receivable
Real Property (Bat Habitat)
Permanently Restricted:
Short-Term Investments
Long-Term Investments
TOTAL ASSETS
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Current Liabilities:
Accounts Payable and Accruals
Deferred Revenues
Notes Payable
Security Deposits
Total Current Liabilities
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
22
23
Combined Statement of Activities
BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, INC.
For the Year Ended May 31, 2000
(with comparative totals as of May 31, 1999)
May 31 ,2000
Permanently
Restricted
97,500
663,607
490,625
$ 999,500
35,824
$
64,001
115,786
72,231
89,889
56,687
19,912
14,833
1,800
-
890,762
(890,762)
2,561,000
161,195
809,180
1,139,771
Unrestricted
PUBLIC SUPPORT AND REVENUE:
Grants
Memberships
Donations
Catalog sales, net of cost
of $195,733 and $179,265
Investment Income
Miscellaneous Income
Education/Workshops Income
Rental Income
Royalty Income
Net Assets Released from Restrictions
Restrictions satisfied by payments
Total Public Support and Revenue
EXPENSES:
Program Services:
Education
Science and Conservation
Total Program Expenses
Supporting Services:
Administrative
Fund Raising
Total Supporting Services
Total Expenses
INCREASE IN NET ASSETS
Net Assets at Beginning of Year
Net Assets at End of Year
May 31, 1999
Temporarily
Restricted
Total
Total
-
$1,097,000
663,607
526,449
$1,916,625
630,344
522,958
-
64,001
115,786
87,064
91,689
56,687
19,912
94,199
58,576
89,382
110,538
51,025
23,542
-
-
-
2,722,195
3,497,189
-
-
809,180
1,139,771
667,148
1,009,095
1,948,951
-
-
1,948,951
1,676,243
178,144
229,042
-
-
178,144
229,042
155,503
181,572
407,186
-
-
407,186
337,075
2,356,137
-
-
2,356,137
2,013,318
204,863
161,195
-
366,058
1,483,871
2,404,361
1,748,604
481,566
4,634,531
3,150,660
$2,609,224
$1,909,799
$ 481,566
$5,000,589
$4,634,531
$
Gifts and Grants
Foundations,
Corporations
and Agencies
$10,000 and above
Beneficia Foundation
Brown Foundation
Chapman Foundation
Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund
Houston Endowment
The Joan & Herb Kelleher
Foundation
Merrill Foundation
National Fish & Wildlife
Foundation
The Nowlin Family Fund through
Austin Community Foundation
The Steves Foundation
The Turner Foundation
U.S. Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
U.S. Forest Service
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Natural Resources
Conservation Service
$5,000-$9,999
Gerald Banta Trust
The Barkley Fund
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Kittie & Rugeley Ferguson Family
Foundation
S.H. & Helen R. Scheuer Family
Foundation
The Hixon Family Foundation
Potts & Sibley Foundation
Unidos Para la Conservación
Weyerhaeuser Company
Wray Charitable Trust
$1,000-$4,999
Austin American-Statesman
Cleveland-Cliffs Foundation
Davoil, Inc.
Faultless Starch / Bon Ami Co.
Island Foundation
Leo Model Foundation
Motorola
Overland Partners
S/M Hixon Family Foundation
T&E, Inc.
Valley View Hot Springs
Anonymous
Pfizer
PG&E
Prudential
Square D Foundation
Sun Microsystems
Tetra Tech Em
US Bancorp
US West
Washington Post
Corporate Matching
Individuals and Families
AID Assoc. for Lutherans
Alliance Capital
American Express
AON
Autodesk
Bell Atlantic
Leo Burnett
Champion International
Chase Manhattan
Chubb
Compaq
Computer Associates
Enron
GlaxoWellcome
Grainger
John Hancock
Harris Bank Foundation
Henry Luce Foundation
IBM
Illinois Tool Works
Lam Research
Mallinckrodt, Inc
Manulife Financial
Media One
Merrill Lynch
Mobil Foundation
Monsanto
Morrison & Foerster
Nike
OTA Limited Partnership
Packard Foundation
Patagonia
$10,000 and above
Jeff & Helen Acopian
Tommey F. Angell
Augusta Wallace Lyons
Travis & Bettina Mathis
Verne & Marion Read
Merlin Tuttle
$5,000-$9,999
Thomas & Marilyn Fifield
Helen Johnson
Ed Payne & Liss Fain
Chuck Pease Jr. & Cynthia Vann
The Barkley Fund
Lee J. Schmitt
Robert Schuetz
Anonymous
$1,000-$4,999
Robin Anderson
J. David & Margaret Bamberger
Earl C. Biffle
Prentice Bloedel
Elizabeth & Duncan Boeckman
Eleanor Briggs
Clarita Bright
Virginia Bross
Lois Burris
Elizabeth Campbell
Jessica Catto
John C. Chester
Greg Contas
Brian Cysewski, PhD
24
25
Trustees
Cornelia Ford
Kindy French & Emanuel Friedman
Robert & Peggy Gerrie
James & Marjorie Godshalk
Hugh & Marie Halff Jr.
Ed Harte
Joe Hoover
Jo Jagoda
Mary Jasnowski
Lady Bird Johnson
Joyce Johnston
Bill & Sally Keedy
Mack & Charlotte Kidd
Joan Kirkpatrick
Elysabeth Kleinhans
Ed Littlefield Jr.
Carolyn Love
Maggie Brandt & Albert Lyons
Scott & Hella McVay
Pete Meek
John & Beth Mitchell
Heidi Nitze
Frederick Ott
John Stoddard & Cathy Patrick
Terry C. Pelster
Naomi Pitcairn
Kathryn Powers
Tom & Lisa Read
Mark & Agnes Ritter
Lillie Robertson
Robert Rotella
Anton Schindler
Robert Solick
Ann Stokes
Adolph Suehsdorf
Mark Timmons
Karen Van Dusen
Tonya Vaughan
William H. Wainwright
Mark & Kate Weinberger
Lawrence & Sylvia Wong
Sue Ellen Young
Anonymous
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HONORARY TRUSTEES
Michael L. Cook, Chairman
Gilbert M. Grosvenor
Partner, Jenkens & Gilchrist
Chairman, National Geographic Society
John D. Mitchell, Vice Chairman
Dr. S. Dillon Ripley
Honorary Curator,
New York Botanical Gardens
Secretary Emeritus,
Smithsonian Insitutition
Beth R. Morian, Vice Chairman
Dr. Bernardo Villa-R.
President, Westview Development, Inc.,
and Cockspur, Inc.
Instituto de Biologia, UNAM
Peggy Phillips, Secretary
ADVISORY TRUSTEES
Conservationist/Community Service Leader
Andrew H. Sansom
Mark T. Ritter, Treasurer
Executive Director,
Texas Parks and Wildlife
Partner, Maxwell, Locke & Ritter, P.C.
Jeff Acopian
Sharon R. Pitcairn
Vice President, Acopian Technical Company
Former Director of Africa Programs,
Conservation International Foundation
Eugene L. Ames Jr.
President, Venus Exploration, Inc.
D. J. Sibley Jr.
J. David Bamberger
President, Entre Nous Investments
Chairman of Grants Committee,
Potts and Sibley Foundation
Charles C. Chester
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Research Consultant,
Henry P. Kendall Foundation
and Union of Concerned Scientists
Eugenio Clariond Reyes
President, Grupo IMSA, S.A. de C.V.
Leslie S. Hall, Australia
Greg Richards, Australia
Bruce Thomson, Australia
Robert E. Gerrie
Irina K. Rahkmatulina, Azerbaijan
Vice President,
Merrill Lynch Consumer Markets
Ivan Sazima, Brazil
Joan Kelleher
Trustee, Joan & Herb Kelleher
Charitable Foundation
Travis Mathis
Jiri Gaisler, Chech Republic
Uwe Schmidt, Germany
G. Marimuthu, India
Rancher and Trustee, Brown Family Fund
Shahroukh Mistry, India
Scott McVay
Rodrigo A. Medellín, Mexico
Founding Executive Director,
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Arnulfo Moreno, Mexico
Verne R. Read, Chairman Emeritus
Ya-fu Lee, Taiwan
Partner, Wisconsin Securities Partners
Paul A. Racey, United Kingdom
Lee J. Schmitt
President, Schmitt Partners
Marshall T. Steves Sr.
Denny G. Constantine,
United States
Chairman, Steves and Sons
Robert Currie, United States
Merlin D. Tuttle
Theodore H. Fleming, United
States
Founder and Executive Director,
Bat Conservation International
Roy Vaughan
Executive Director Emeritus, University
of Texas Ex-Students’ Association
Marc Weinberger
Attorney
Thomas H. Kunz, United States
Gary F. McCracken, United States
Don E. Wilson, United States
Jose R. Ochoa, Venezuela
Support & Revenue
BCI Staff
Executive Staff
Investment, Royalties, Misc.
10.3%
Education/Workshops
Catalog Sales
3.4%
2.3%
1 Merlin Tuttle, Ph.D.
Executive Director
2 Steve Walker
Associate Executive Director
3 Linda Moore
Director of Administration & Finance
4 Pat Ludden
Executive Assistant
Development
5
6
Nicole Daspit (not pictured)
Arnold Phifer
Membership
7
8
Amy McCartney
Mary Priddy
Publications
9
Donations
19.3%
Grants
Memberships
40.3%
24.4%
10
11
Elaine Acker
Elysia Davis
Stormy Lockwood
Public Information
12
Bob Benson
Visual Resources
Though younger and only a fraction of the size,
BCI spends a greater portion of total income
on program services than nine of the 10 largest
environmental nonprofit organizations.
13
Education, Conservation,
and Research Programs
14
15
16
17
18
Fund Raising
19
9.7%
20
21
Education
Administration
34.3%
7.6%
Kristin Hay
22
23
24
25
John Bowles, Ph.D. (not pictured)
Sheryl Ducummon
Angela England
Barbara French
Kari Gaukler (not pictured)
Cullen Geiselman
Brian Keeley
Jim Kennedy
Mark Kiser
Selena Kiser
Dan Taylor (not pictured)
Janet Tyburec
BCI-Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department Biologist
26
Annika Keeley
Computers, Web Site
27
Bryan Ockert
Administrative Support
28
29
Science & Conservation
48.4%
30
31
Marianne Austin (not pictured)
Sandra Forston (not pictured)
Carolyn Kelly
Andrew Puntch
26
©Bill Reaves/BCI
27
2
6
21
3
4
17
22
19
30
8
13
16
23
20
7
26
27
25
9
15
11
12
10
31
1