In keeping with the spirit of the season, the Brandywine Conservancy is inviting the public to a free presentation focused on bats and their pivotal role in the ecosystem – a vital presence that is threatened.
On Thursday, Sept. 29 at 6:30 p.m., bat expert Sarah Bouboulis will deliver a program entitled “Bat Conservation: Why It Matters and What You Can Do.” Presented by the Brandywine Conservancy, it will take place outside and in the lecture room of the Brandywine River Museum of Art on Route 1 in Chadds Ford, a conservancy press release said.
The event will begin outdoors, as Bouboulis demonstrates echolocation, the method bats use to navigate. Inside, she will talk about the important ecological role bats play as pollinators and in mosquito and insect control. Bouboulis will also discuss bat conservation efforts and what individuals can do on their own properties to help support the native bat population, which is unfortunately threatened by the deadly fungal disease, white-nose syndrome and other factors, the release said.
Bouboulis studied bats with white-nose syndrome for her master’s degree from Bucknell University. She has worked for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on bat and other wildlife projects. She currently works for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary on habitat restoration, the release said.
Although the program is free, space is limited and reservations are requested. Register online at brandywine.org/conservancy/events or send an email to conservancy@brandywine.org.
For nearly 50 years, the Brandywine Conservancy has worked to protect water, preserve land, and engages communities, using a multi-faceted approach to conservation. The conservancy currently holds 469 conservation and agricultural easements and has facilitated the permanent preservation of more than 62,000 acres of land in the region.
