Wisconsin Has 20,000 Bats

Little brown bats hibernating. Photo courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Over 150 scientists and volunteers participated in the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ 12th annual Great Wisconsin Bat Count, tallying 120 roosts and more than 20,000 bats in June and July. Wisconsin is home to eight bat species, four of which remain threatened after this year’s count. The bats were counted as they took flight from their roosts in bat houses and barns across the state. In the summer months, bats roost in large maternity colonies that are easy to observe. They’re being tracked because ecologists are monitoring the effects of white-nose syndrome, a fatal disease that arrived in the state in 2014. The bat count results come just in time to raise awareness of international Bat Week, which runs Oct. 24-31. The international festival highlights the critical role that bats play in healthy ecosystems through insect control, pollination and seed dispersal. Those who want to