Bats are vital to healthy ecosystems and human economies worldwide. As primary predators of night-flying insects, bats consume enormous quantities of agricultural pests and reduce the need for chemical pesticides. Yet these wonderfully diverse and beneficial creatures are among the least studied and most misunderstood of animals.
BatsLIVE: A Distance Learning Adventure is offering an exciting, FREE education program to bring bat conservation to life in home classroom and community. The program is geared for students in grades 4 to 8. Check out all of the resources at the the BatsLIVE web site at http://BatsLIVE.pwnet.org. Please register at http://batslive.pwnet.org/reg_form.php, and we will send you updates as information is available.
Web seminars will be offered on April 18 and May 3 in partnership with the National Wildlife Federation so you can learn about bats and get some great ideas about teaching about bats. For a short video about why bats are cool, go to http://batslive.pwnet.org/multimedia/videos.php?movie_file=BatsAreCool.flv. And to learn about how bats a great subjects for the classroom, go to http://batslive.pwnet.org/multimedia/videos.php?movie_file=BatsAsEducational.flv.
Also, save the date for a FREE electronic field trip to be held on Thursday, May 17. More details will be available soon.
Bats are threatened worldwide, and their colonies and habitats are destroyed - both intentionally and inadvertently - because of myths, misinformation, and lack of scientific knowledge and understanding. Bat populations are declining almost everywhere in North America especially due to the devastating White-nose Syndrome. Losing bats has far-reaching consequences for natural ecosystems and human economies. Knowledge is the key to their conservation and protection, so help your classroom and community learn more about bats. The United Nations has declared 2012 as International Year of the Bat.
Questions? Contact Kristy Liercke at lierckkx@pwcs.edu or by calling (800) 609-2680.
