Celebrating Bat Week

Starting on Monday, October 25, the Forest Preserve of Will County will celebrate Bat Week. Bat Week strives to rise awareness about the over a thousand bat species that exist worldwide and their crucial role in nature.

According to the Forest Preserve's webpage, bats are widely considered to be nature's pesticide due to their huge appetite for bugs, especially mosquitoes. In fact, 70 percent of all bats eat insects, and all 13 bat species that can be found in Illinois are insectivores. Big brown bats, red bats or hoary bats are among those species that inhabit Illinois. As explained by the District article, there are a number of preserves where bats can be found in Will County, especially when they are located near water. They often can be seen during the day hanging from above. The barn at Riverview Farmstead in Naperville where most bat monitoring in Will County takes place, since it has become a favorite spot for a number of species over the past few years.

By celebrating Bat Week, the organization also promotes the awareness of the diseases and other threats that are currently affecting some species of bats. One of the biggest concern is the "White-nose Syndrome", a mortal disease caused by fungi that disrupts their hibernation cycle and causes them to repeatedly wake up in the winter, which burns crucial fat reserves. Bat Conservation International has reported 5.7 million deaths of bats in the U.S due to this disease. Also, species of bats that rest in trees and migrate have been affected by pesticides and the increase in wind turbines across the U.S.

The Forest Preserve of Will County encourages people to help the local bat population in simple ways such as installing bat boxes in their yards in order to provide them with a summer roosting habitat. Bat Conservation International's webpage offers more tips and guidances to help bat conservation.