Becky McIntire and I co-authored this blog.

Bats

Did you know Washington is home to sixteen of the world’s 900+ species of bats? While most commonly associated with comic book superheroes or blood-sucking vampires, bats are actually a critical part of Washington’s ecosystems. They dine on hundreds of insects a night in the summer, controlling pest populations and providing fertilizer and seed dispersal for our forests and other ecosystems. Check them out on batcams, here and here.

A female Townsend’s big-eared bat, Corynorhinus townsendii. Photo: J. N. Stuart

Myth: Bats only live in caves – or attics!

Fact: Bats make their homes in hollow trees and snags as well as caves. You can also put up bat houses.

Myth: Bats are flying rodents.

Fact: Bats are mammals! And they are more similar to humans than they are to rodents such as mice.

Myth: While bats on the East Coast are in trouble from White-Nose Syndrome, Pacific Northwest bats are doing just fine.

Fact: Nine of Washington’s bat species are listed as state Species of Special Concern or as Federal Candidate Category 2 species, which means we lack enough information to list them under the Endangered Species Act even though listing may be appropriate. The Townsend’s Big-eared bat, for example, is one of the rarest bats in Puget Sound. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, whole colonies of these cave-dependent species have disappeared after human disturbance.

You can help bats! By providing habitat with trees, snags, and bat houses, minimizing pesticide use, avoiding roosting bats, supporting bat research, practicing responsible bat watching, and much more, you can help sustain our beautiful and essential bat populations.

Most of this information is drawn from a wonderful website: www.batsnorthwest.org.

Owls

Owls have held a mysterious appeal for humans for thousands of years, appearing in myths, legends and superstitions, often as harbingers of death or as symbols of wisdom.  Maybe we find owls fascinating because of their large eyes, silent flight, nocturnal habits and their disconcerting

Threatened northern spotted owl, Strix occidentalis caurina, with young. Photo: Jim Thrailkill/USFWS

Myth: Owls can turn their heads around in a full 360 degree circle.

 Fact: Most sources agree that an owl can turn its head just 3/4 or 270 degrees around, which is still impressive.

Myth: Those tufts are ears.

 Fact: Nope, the ears are located on the side of the head, just like in people.  However, the ears may be uneven, allowing the birds to locate prey by triangulating with sound when  vision isn’t enough.  The tufts are thought to be useful in camouflaging the bird as well as expressing aggression.

Lamprey

If you need a costume idea for next year, consider lamprey! The lamprey is a culturally-important species for many Pacific Northwest Tribes, who harvest the fish for subsistence, ceremonial, and medicinal purposes. All three species have been suggested for listing as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Despite their importance, myths persist about their feeding and habitat preferences.

Although mating pairs of lamprey typically construct their redds, or nest, together, this is a single female Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentata). Photo: USFWS Pacific (courtesy of Jeremy Monroe)

Myth: Lamprey live only in fresh water.

Fact: Four lamprey species are native to the Columbia Basin and two of them – Pacific and river lamprey – are anadromous, meaning they live in both fresh and saltwater. The other two, Western brook and Pacific brook lamprey, are freshwater species. All lamprey play an important role in the freshwater stream ecosystem, recycling nutrients by filtering microscopic plants and animals from the bottom sediments.

 Myth: Lamprey are parasites.

Fact: Pacific and river lamprey are parasitic, but only in the ocean phase of their life cycle. They are also food for sharks and sea lions! Western brook and Pacific brook lamprey are not parasites. 

Spiders

From horror movies with giant spiders to the fear of spiders known as arachnophobia, spiders are among the most feared and misunderstood creatures common to the Pacific Northwest. In truth, spiders are quite important for managing pests and generally avoid contact with us.

Myth: Daddy-longlegs venom is fatal to humans, but fortunately their fangs are too small to bite us.

Fact: Only one of the three groups called daddy-longlegs – the Pholcid spiders – has venom and there is no evidenceit is fatal. Also, what many term daddy-longlegs are actually crane

Is this Tegenaria gigantea, the giant house spider? It’s hard to tell without a microscope and other tools. Photo: Becky McIntire

flies or harvestmen, neither of which have venom.

Myth: Spiders found in or near drains came up through the pipes.

Fact: It seems spiders actually get stuck on the smooth surfaces common to sinks and tubs after they have come down from a wall or ceiling.

Myth: Spiders are easy to identify, for example by their markings.

Fact: Spiders are identified by their structure and a microscope is often needed to do so.

And for those of you who think spider webs are small, check out this blog to see an enormous spider web! Most of these mythbusting facts are drawn from an extensive website on Spider Myths, authored by the Burke Museum’s Curator of Arachnids Rod Crawford.

Snakes

Snakes are fascinating. I devoured every book and Discovery channel show I could find on them as a child. I learned that yes, snakes shed their skin, but no, they do not roll into a big “O” and roll away from you. I’ve even had the opportunity to hold a garter snake and feel the muscles of an albino python around my neck. My love and curiosity about snakes remains today. Here are some other cool myths and facts about snakes in the Pacific Northwest.

Common garter snakes (Thamnophus sirtalis) are quite common in the Pacific Northwest. Photo: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Myth: Garter snakes swallow their young to protect them from danger.

Fact: There is no evidence that garter snakes, or any of the other snakes common to the Pacific Northwest, swallow their young. Garter snakes do, however, give birth to live young. And this winter, you are unlikely to see many snakes because most species will be hibernating.

Myth: Snakes are slimy.

Fact: Snakeskin is actually dry and relatively smooth. Amphibians such as frogs and salamanders, on the other hand, have moist skin to allow water and other nutrients to pass through.

Myth: Constrictor species like pythons and boas are only found in tropical climates.

Fact: Washington is home to the rubber boa, a 14-30 inch long relative of the world’s largest snakes! It is not often seen, but may be found damp wooded areas, camouflaged by its olive-green or red to brown skin.

Keep up to date on all our work at the Pacific Regional Center office in Seattle: follow us on Twitter (@nwfpacific) and like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nwfpacific).

My green roof Halloween costume, inspired by the green roof at PS41 in New York City

I emailed our friends at PS41 this morning to see how they were doing after Hurricane Sandy. Science teacher Joaquin Rodriguez said they were without power still, and could not visit the school to see how it is doing, but we’re hopeful they will be back in the next week. We’re thinking about them!!!

I was so inspired by my visit to see the green roof at PS41 last month, that I dedicated my Halloween costume to their courageous and inspiring efforts.

How did I make the costume?

Here’s the materials that went into my costume:

• My husband donated two pairs of gray work pants that had patches, which I cut up and sewed into the stone walls of the school.
• The windows are used plastic bags.
• The green fabric was part of a tent my son destroyed after much playing.
• The leaves are made from Lindt chocolate wrappers (from a thank you gift that my co-worker Pat gave me) and Fruit-a-Bu fruit leather packages, cut into leaf shapes and glued on to  green twist ties.
• The flat part on my shoulders is made from a piece of cardboard, reinforced by two wooden dowels.

My costume won in the recycled category here at National Wildlife Federation’s Halloween costume contest!

For information on past year’s recycled costumes, check out my recycled Halloween costume blogs.

• My Double Rainbow costume
• My green Halloween costumes over the years

Inspire My Next Costume

Learn more about becoming an Eco-School like PS41!

Pretty good sign for scrap wood. Don’t you think?

Charity Pumpkins

So it was a natural the other day when my son and I were figuring out what to do with the dozens of pumpkins we grew. We first offered my son and daughter and their neighbor friends a pumpkin each. That went well but we still had a ton of pumpkins. After some debate, my son and I decided to create a charity pumpkin sale. After making a homemade sign together from scrap wood, we agreed on a price: $5 for the large and $2 for small ones. Seth decided that half the proceeds should go to National Wildlife Federation and the other half to the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (VT Network), where my wife works as an attorney.

We had a neighbor stop by as we were putting up the sign, so we got some cash flow immediately. Seth was excited right away. Each day Seth would get off the school bus and he would go to the “cash box” that we left on the road. Some days there was some money in there, other days not. He would rush into the house when there was some money, with total delight. It was fun to see.

We had one special sale. Unknown to us, the Executive Director of the VT Network (Michele’s boss) was driving by and stopped to get pumpkins. I think about how great it must have felt for her to see that the money was going to support her hard work on such a critical issue like domestic violence and sexual assault. Every dollar helps and now Seth is going to be in their newsletter!

Then things slowed down. I wasn’t sure whether we would sell the whole crop. Days might have passed by without any sales. Then one day I noticed that all the remaining pumpkins where gone. I have to say, the first thing that crossed my mind was that a teenager might have taken the pumpkins, but when I looked in the cash box it was full of cash. I felt like my son that day running into the house to tell my wife of the good news. I put the cash box back so Seth would find it when he got off the bus. It was a special feeling to see him so excited that we had sold maybe 20 pumpkins.

In total, we raised $66. We have made a fat contribution to NWF and the VT Network. I think we all gain much more than that. Have a great Halloween!

Consider making your own donation to NWF or your favorite charity this Halloween and every other day. If you donate to NWF right now, your contribution will be matched by Craig Newmark.

Crows and Ravens

Raven U.S. FWS

• They remember your face. Once a crow is mad at you and it will remember it doesn’t like you for ages and will raise a real fuss when it sees you.
• They conspire. Crows communicate at a high level with one another using dozens of different “caws.” This helps them organize to pursue certain food sources (Farmer Brown’s corn), post lookouts and chase off predators.
• They use tools and can plan ahead. Crows have been seen using twigs to pry open food or to check on whether a snake is alive but their most unbelievable feat is to lay hard-to-open nuts on a road and wait for a vehicle to come by and break it open. Now THAT is scary!

Spiders

They are so frightening to so many people that their images have become a constant for Halloween. They even have their own psychiatric condition: Arachnophobia

Giant Spider Web Texas FWP

• You can’t get away from them. There are about 70,000 species in the world.
• Black widow spiders may be the scariest because they often cannibalize they mates.
• Some species of tarantulas can fight off predators by shooting irritating hairs at them.
• What might be the largest spider web ever was found in a Texas Park a few years back and covered several trees.  It was so big it drew thousands of visitors.
• The true spiders of the order Araneae comprise the largest group of carnivorous animals on Earth.

Bats

Bats have become associated with blood sucking vampires. They are mostly nocturnal and certain species (vampire bats) do indeed draw blood in small amounts from animals for food. This make them seem scary but they do not harm humans. There are other things about bats you should know.

• They are the only flying mammal. A flying squirrel does not actually fly, it glides.
• The largest bat (the Malaysian flying fox) has a six foot wingspan
• One bat will eat 2,000 to 6,000 insects per night.
• The Honduran white bat, a colorful snow-white, cuts leaves to make “tents” to protect its small colonies from drenching jungle rains.
  

  Flyin Fox Bat Cns. Intnl.

• Sadly, North America’s bat colonies are besieged by a life-threatening fungus that is wiping out entire colonies. Scientists are working hard to find cures and solutions.

Black Cats

They are associated with bad luck.  If one crosses your path, legend has it you are in for hard times or a mishap. Black domestic cats are fairly common in the U.S. but you have to go pretty far to find a true American black cat. The Jaguar may be the best candidate.

• It is the largest cat in the Americas at 200 to 250 pounds and six to eight feet in length.  It roams the forests of Central and South America but a few of them live in the Southwest U.S.
• There are black jaguars in the wild whose darker color is due to a variation known as melanism.  The basic spots are still there but are just harder to see.
• Jaguars are terrific swimmers and (like bats) they mostly hunt at night.
• The jaguar’s name means “a beast that kills its prey with a single bound.”  That is pretty scary too.
• The North American Jaguar is extremely rare and highly endangered and will require more territory to survive.

Halloween is surely a time for family fun and maybe even a little outdoor (spooky) time with the kids.  But it is also a time to appreciate the fascinating and complex creatures that we love to make us scared.  These “scary” creatures pose no real threat to humans and many are suffering from the effects of habitat loss, pollution and more.  National Wildlife Federation is working every day to protect our most endangered species for many Halloweens to come. Here is how to support and contribute to NWF.

Wild-for-Animals Costumes

Dr. Doug Inkley, NWF's resident stink bug expert (and Senior Scientist), is this year's winner of the best overall costume. (Photo: Carla Brown)

Read Dr. Inkley’s harrowing home invasion horror stories, starring stink bugs. We also had some smiling angry birds on display:

Megan Isom, Elise Catchings and Gretchen Hannes dressed up as Angry Birds, in keeping with the theme of their upcoming bird-related mobile app. (Photo: Carla Brown)

Halloween Energy, Generated by Candy and Creativity

The most frightening specter wasn’t the stink bug. The biggest scare came from Anne Senft, our vice president of membership and online philanthropy for the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

If built, this pipeline could haunt all of us with pollution for a very long time. (Photo: Carla Brown)

Fortunately, a clean, renewable energy costume put the pipeline in its place:

NWF Senior Web Developer and resident beekeeper David Ruckman sported a functioning wind turbine to blow the pollution away. (Photo: Carla Brown)

The folks in the Reston headquarters office weren’t the only ones scaring up some fun for All Hallows Eve. Check out the Halloween happenings in our Seattle office.

Did you go boo for wildlife this Halloween? Check out some of our Facebook friends who found some creative ways to connect with nature with their costumes.

Why the face?

The ‘face’ that you can see carved into the tree is from a logging technique called springboards. When loggers needed to get above brush or other barriers when cutting down trees they would put notches into the tree into which they would insert their springboard. This gave them a platform to stand on from which they could operate their saws. A Haunting Reminder Logging has been an important cultural and economic aspect in the Pacific Northwest for over 100 years. The ancient forests provide many communities with a source of income from the timber. These forests do not exist solely for our economic benefit. They provide habitat for wildlife such as birds and mammals. They also provide critical ecosystem services such as preventing soil erosion by holding the soil in place so that the rain does not sweep it away.

Habitat loss from endeavors such as logging is the leading threat to wildlife. There are many reasons for this. The first is the removal of critical habitat through cutting down trees. The effects of clear cutting are evident while driving down many of the highways or back roads throughout Washington and Oregon. Large areas that were once full of ancient trees are now gone, leaving a slow healing scar on our hillsides. A second threat is from fragmentation. When trees are cut or roads put in for logging the habitat is cut into pieces. A road might not seem like a large area to cross for humans but they can present significant barriers to wildlife that run the risk of being hit while crossing the road. Many insects also find difficulty crossing what to them are giant expanses of unknown and dangerous terrain.

The National Wildlife Federation Connection

The National Wildlife Federation is dedicated to protecting wildlife and their habitat. Find out more about our work and about the threats from Habitat Loss! You can also discover ways that you can Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat^® for wildlife in your own back yard!

1. My, what pretty spiders we have

Big and small with eight legs they crawl.

Building their webs, one and all.

As insect controllers, they’ve got clout,

and make lovely window decoration, no doubt.

Don’t believe me? It’s really not a trick.

Check out this flick from our own Patty Glick!

Click here to view the embedded video.

2. This unlucky lady missed the best coffee around

Just down the street from our office is Vienna Mae Coffee- a delicious coffeestand with one of the most friendly small business owners and baristas you will ever meet. If we walk slowly enough and bring our lunches, a trip to this coffeestand can be our daily Green Hour. Locally-roasted, (usually) fair-trade, and (usually) organic coffee beans are transformed into delectable espresso treats. Add a scone or vegan cookie and you’re set! At least until tomorrow… 

All she wanted was a decent latte! Well...maybe her intentions were more Oz-dominating than that...

  3. It doesn’t take a full moon to transform this lovely creature

Spectacular specimen!

Becky McIntire found this beautiful caterpillar crawling across her driveway one morning. A quick email to Butterflies and Moths of North America and the identity of this small wonder was revealed: Antheraea polyphemus! This Polyphemus Moth caterpillar lives a solitary life, and might be found in oak, willow, maple, or birch trees. It also likes urban areas, so keep an eye out for one in your driveway! And check out an image of the adult Polyphemus Moth on Google – it has large, round, black markings on its wings that look like eyes. Maybe even eyes peering out from that Haunted House you’re thinking of visiting… 

4. What’s Halloween without a trip to the pumpkin patch?!

 Being near several river valleys and deltas, Seattle is surrounded by breathtaking and productive farmland. Just forty minutes north in Snohomish County, Rianne BeCraft and Patricia Tillmann explored two (yes, two!) different pumpkin patches in preparation for Halloween festivities. Check out our pictures from the corn maze and pumpkin patch here and tell us what you think on our Facebook site! 

Answer the questions about endangered species correctly to find your way through the Stocker Farms corn maze!

An absolutely stunning day at The Farm's corn maze and pumpkin patch.

 

Find your perfect pumpkin!

   5. Raiders of the Lost (Candy) Ark

Straight out of Indiana Jones, this pale visitor stopped by the office to enlist his dear friend Bodhi’s help. Bodhi is the best protector of the Candy Ark out there, and as you can see, he’s the only line of defense between us and the Candy Ark. Fortunately, Bodhi has a kind disposition and has allowed us to sample the candy if we will do him the honor of watching a trick. We are only too happy to oblige!

Bodhi and his friend say Boo!! Bodhi does the tricks and if you're brave, you get the treat!

 All images courtesy of NWF Pacific Regional Center – Seattle staff. Thanks! 

More Halloween Fun:

• Crows, ravens, owls and vultures: Nature’s creepiest birds?
• Get your “scary” animal fix, from vampires to zombie ants.
• Take a peek at a “spooky” animal photo gallery … if you dare!
• Halloween roundup: Get fun outdoor kids’ activities and more.

Wolf spider by Adam Fleishman

1. Spiders

There a ton of myths about spiders out there – including the urban legend that you’ll swallow a few of them in your sleep over the course of your life (which has no factual basis at all). But one of the top fears is spider bites.

There are about 3,000 spider species are found in North America and only 2%  have bites that cause illness in humans. The National Safety Council estimates that the odds of dying from a spider bite are 1 in 38 million. The black widow, brown recluse, and hobo spider are three types of venomous spiders that can be harmful, but knowing how to identify them and what to do if bitten will minimize the risk of serious effects.

The truth is, most spiders are not dangerous and they do us a huge favor by keeping insect populations under control. Also, scientists studying spider venom think it could lead to new advances in treating heart conditions.

2. Snakes

Garter snake by Paul Marsh

Two big fears people have when it comes to snakes are getting bitten and contracting a disease from them. About 8,000 venomous snake bites happen each year, but only 1.5% of those are fatal (source: American Academy of Family Physicians). Knowing the venomous snakes that live in your area and places you might find them outdoors can help you avoid surprising one.

Snakes and other reptiles can carry salmonella, even reptiles like turtles and lizards that people keep as pets. But prevention is easy — always wash your hands with running water and soap after coming into contact with a reptile.

Both an important predator and food source in their ecosystem snakes help us by limiting pest populations. Like spider venom, snake venom is also being studied for possible use in medicine.

3. Scorpions

Are scorpions aggressive animals waiting in the shadows for the opportunity to deliver a life-threatening sting to humans? Not really.

Striped-back scorpion with jumping spider prey by Howard Cheek

Scorpions are actually shy and only sting humans if they feel threatened. They’re nocturnal and during the day will rest in burrows, under woodpiles, rocks or other small, dark spaces. In areas where they are common, like the southwestern United States, people can prevent scorpions from wandering into their homes by sealing cracks, moving woodpiles and yard trash away from the house, and using screens on doors and windows.

Scorpion venom is meant to paralyze or kill their prey, which usually consists of insects, though larger scorpions can eat small lizards, snakes, and mice. Roughly 70 species of scorpions live in the United States but only one, the bark scorpion, is potentially fatal to humans. Even in the case of the bark scorpion, death from a scorpion sting is very rare and there are anti-venoms available for serious cases.

Some neat facts about scorpions:

• They “glow in the dark” under a black (UV) light
• Scorpions have been around for more than 400 million years
• By eating insects, they help with pest control. And scorpions eat one of the things that creeps me out the most – cockroaches!

While there’s no need to fear these critters, we should always treat wildlife with caution and keep a respectful distance.

More Halloween Fun:

• Crows, ravens, owls and vultures: Nature’s creepiest birds?
• Get your “scary” animal fix, from vampires to zombie ants.
• Take a peek at a “spooky” animal photo gallery … if you dare!
• A truly scary Halloween story: Bats Are In Trouble
• Scary how beneficial these are! 5 Spook-tacular Animals to Welcome to Your Garden this Halloween
• Halloween roundup: Get fun outdoor kids’ activities and more.

Check out my appearance on the Wendy Williams Show with some classic Halloween wildlife.  Even though Wendy was scared of some of the animals, I thought she did a great job.  You have to see her face when she holds the scorpion and the giant toad!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jorge, a Hoary bat. MABlevins/NWF

Leslie Sturges asked for someone to flip the light switch off.  As the room went dark, she flipped on the spotlight attached to her camera.  The lens adjusted back and forth, and back—and then came into focus.

Sturges held a bat. A brown bat—a Big Brown bat named Smiley.  It was a Friday night in Northern Virginia, where regional bat expert Sturges conducted an educational class on bats at the Walker Nature Education Center.

As Sturges held Smiley, he ate meal worms out of a bowl and she shared with the kids and parents that bats are in trouble because of a disease called white-nose syndrome.

Hands flew into the air.

“What’s white-nose syndrome?” asked a parent.

“White-nose syndrome is a powdery, white fungus that covers a bat’s muzzles during hibernation, making them sick,” said Sturges.

As a wildlife educator, Sturges teaches kids and parents about the importance of bats.  As a wildlife protector, she lets kids know they can help protect these creatures spreading the word about white-nose syndrome through Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat campaign.

White-Nose, what?

Sturges, president of Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat campaign, was involved with white-nose syndrome early.   She remembers when it first appeared 40 miles outside of Albany, New York in 2006, and no one knew what it was.

Little brown bat affected by White-nose syndrome (Photo credit: USFWS)

This new disease was identified as Geomyces destructans, a cold-loving fungus that is said to have crossed into America from Europe.  Bats are susceptible to white-nose syndrome because the fungus breeds in caves or abandoned mines, popular hibernation spots for 46 bat species found in Canada and the United States.

As news about white-nose syndrome developed, Sturges became concerned when biologists and scientists in the Northeast would claim that the public knew about white-nose syndrome.  She was more alarmed when policy leaders would tell her that no one really cared about bats.

“I’m out doing education [programs] and lots of people care about bats—kids care about bats,” said Sturges. “But I did realize I had a problem when I asked a room full of 100 people if they had heard of white-nose syndrome and only two people raised their hand.”

Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat

It was that day that Sturges decided she needed to make white-nose syndrome accessible to kids. Save Lucy the Little Brown Bat launched in March 2010.  Although Lucy is a fictional bat, she represents all bats that are in trouble because of white-nose syndrome, and provides a story line and pictures for the kids.

“I use Save Lucy as the education platform to raise awareness and let kids feel empowered to do something,” said Sturges.  “No one explicitly tells kids that they have a voice—they can write letters to their senators or make posters and educate their family and friends– they can help determine how things are handled in the world.”

Sturges standing in the flight cage behind her house in Annandale, Virginia. MABlevins/NWF

Sturges runs the Save Lucy Campaign out of her basement and backyard, where she has a bat rehabilitation facility and flight cage, an outdoor screened-in building where young bats learn to fly. Depending on the month, there are 12-60 orphaned or injured bats in her care.  An average day for Sturges includes going to work as the Montgomery County Parks Naturalist and then going to a school or library to do a Save Lucy program where she brings along educational bats.

“I educate people that bats are not Halloween vampires, but important species that keep insects in check by eating up to one-third of their body weight a night,” said Sturges.

And with white-nose syndrome entering its fifth hibernation season (bats enter hibernation October each year), busting Halloween myths about bats is only even half of Sturges battle; it’s finding new ways to use her basement, flying cage, Certified Wildlife Habitat backyard, and Save Lucy campaign to educate all kids and parents that something must be done to protect bats.

“…Champion of nature’s underdogs.”

Since 2006, white-nose syndrome has killed more than a million bats among six species and has spread north to Canada and as far south as Tennessee and North Carolina. As reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, in some locations mortality in bat colonies has reached 95 percent.

“I’ve always been a champion of nature’s underdogs,” said Sturges. ““And now more than ever, bats need our help.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

When you arrive at the Save Lucy website, you can take action to help bats, join the Save Lucy Club, record your bat observations and donate to the campaign.

With the Save Lucy Campaign turning two in March, the program has picked up, with an average audience of 50 to 100 people in the region.  She shows kids real bats, like Mooch and Smiley, goes outside to listen to bats as they echo-locate, and encourages families to get involved, such as building bat boxes  for them to have a safe place to go.

But most importantly, Sturges encourages people to share Lucy’s story.

“All kids and parents can help Lucy by visiting our website and learning what white-nose syndrome is and raise visibility to this problem,” said Sturges. “Because I’ll say it time and time again: when kids care about something, they have the power to change it for the future.”

The clip above is one of Sturges’ bats echo-locating. For additional pictures of the bats in Sturges’ rehabilitation facility click here.

Wildlife-Friendly DMV: Keep it Local, Keep it “Wild”

More Halloween Fun:

• Crows, ravens, owls and vultures: Nature’s creepiest birds?
• Get your “scary” animal fix, from vampires to zombie ants.
• Take a peek at a “spooky” animal photo gallery … if you dare!
• Halloween roundup: Get fun outdoor kids’ activities and more.