Evening Presentation: Bats Around the World

Thursday, October 22nd, 7:30-8:30pm
Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Center, 6 Plum Island Turnpike, Newburyport

While American folklore often give bats a bad rap, many cultures consider bats a symbol of luck and longevity. Bats are the world's only flying mammals, ranging in size from 6 inches to 6 feet, and are the only mammals besides primates to see in color. Bats provide many beneficial services to the human community, including keeping down insect population and pollinating many crops. Come learn more about basic bat biology and conservation issues that bats face today with David Yates. Dave will also talk about bats of the northeast, their habitats, and present findings from recent mistnetting efforts at Parker River and Great Bay National Wildlife Refuges.

Dave Yates is a research biologist with Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) where he is the Director of the Mammal Program. He is actively involved with various field studies focusing on wildlife conservation and management and the health assessment of aquatic ecosystems through contaminant screening. He is currently researching bats as an indicator species for mercury exposure as well as conducting live-capture, tracking, and sampling studies on mink, otter, beaver, muskrat and other small and large mammals.

 

Duck Banding Program at Parker River

Wednesday, October 28th, 8:30-10:30am
Limited to 10 participants; youth must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is required; call 978-465-5753 to sign up.

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge biologists will lead a Waterfowl Banding Program. Large concentrations of waterfowl utilize Refuge salt marshes and impoundments during migration and wintering. This makes the Refuge an excellent location to monitor fall duck migration, population size, and avian health. Join the biologists as they band and collect the “vital statistics” of local and migrating waterfowl in the Refuge impoundments.

Meet at Lot 1 of the Refuge on October 28th at 8:30am.