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Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
Citizen Science for Bat Fans!
By Eva Lewandowski, May 26, 2016
Photo: USFWS
Those Elusive Flying Mammals!
Bats can be tricky to spot and observe but let’s try because they need our help. As disease, habitat loss, and climate change decimate some bat populations, we can help scientists monitor and protect them.
Below, our editors highlight five bat-related citizen projects from around the globe.
If you’re in Norfolk, UK, learn how to place a bat recording device outside in order to monitor bats. The program will soon be expanding to Scotland as well!
Anyone in the United Kingdom can help by counting hibernating bats, monitoring summertime roosts, or using acoustic bat detectors to record flying bats.
If you’d rather help from the comfort of home, this is the project for you! With Bat Detective, you can listen to and classify calls from bats and insects.
Eva Lewandowski is the Citizen-based Monitoring Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, where she coordinates a statewide citizen science network. She has a PhD in Conservation Biology from the University of Minnesota and is an active volunteer.