MIAMI VALLEY — For the first time in Ohio, an intensive ecological survey into bats is coming to parts of Five Rivers MetroParks this month.
The survey, referred to as a “bat blitz,” will look at bat species in multiple MetroParks and will include a number of researchers from organizations across Ohio and Indiana.
The bat blitz, MetroParks regional manager of conservation Grace Dietsch explained, will accomplish what could “otherwise take a single biologist an entire year to do in terms of research.”
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“Bats are a good indicator of the ecological health of our natural spaces and the data collected during the bat blitz will give us some insight on what is happening in our parks and across the Miami Valley,” Dietsch said.
Mist nets will be installed at a variety of stations in Germantown and Twin Creek MetroParks, and the Upper Twin Conservation Area. Bats will fly into them, allowing researchers to view specimens and collect data. The process is harmless to both bats and researchers, according to a release.
Officials noted that bat populations have been dwindling due to climate change, habitat loss, disease, pesticide use and more. Bats are known to be important for natural ecosystems and the local economy for insect control.
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The bat blitz will be held overnight on both Aug. 19 and Aug. 20. It will not be open to the public, but Five Rivers MetroParks will be hosting limited, registration-only educational opportunities for students and teachers during the survey. A virtual program will also be hosted Aug. 20 on Five Rivers MetroPark’s social media accounts.
“There are many misconceptions about bats,” MetroParks education coordinator Joshua York said. “This is an opportunity to inform the public about these important creatures and get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be a biologist collecting research.”