Bat populations are rapidly declining in North America

Bats are an amazingly diverse group of flying mammals that can be found in virtually every corner of the world. Most bats are harmless insect-eaters. Bat populations are declining worldwide, mostly because of habitat destruction and overuse of pesticides. One woman in the Washington area, who is working to improve public understanding of bats, is doing what she can to help them survive. As sunlight fades from the evening sky, Leslie Sturges checks on a colony of bats she has been monitoring. She's concerned that her count reveals only half the number of bats as last year. Sturges is director of a conservation group called Bat World NOVA. Sturges also teaches the importance of bats at nature centers and in schools. Her goal is to promote their protection and conservation by stressing the positive things bats contribute to the environment. “One of the things they contribute, well around here in North America, is pest control for plant-eating insects," said Sturges. "So anyone who grows anything is getting an assist from bats.”

Source:
Voice of America, August 17, 2011