Bats are unique in many ways, but are often misunderstood and under-appreciated for the many ecosystem services they provide, such as insect suppression. Currently, populations of bats throughout eastern North America are declining due to white-nose syndrome, a deadly fungal disease. During this presentation you will learn about what makes bats unique, the nine bat species that live in Massachusetts, what research is being done to combat white-nose syndrome, and what you can do to help bats.
Katherine Gillman is a graduate student at the University of New Hampshire where she studies the impact of white-nose syndrome on summer maternity colonies of little brown bats. Katherine has been studying bats for the past seven years and is conducting her research in hopes of developing conservation strategies to help bats survive and recover from white-nose syndrome.