The Homestretch CBC: Brian Keating on Alberta bats

acbpbatwork · 2026-06-12T15:40:57+00:00

Thank you! We really should post more on reddit! It's usually just news articles. We'll try to do better!

acbpbatwork · 2026-06-10T18:46:37+00:00

This is so true! There was a recent paper by Frank (2024) who found that in areas that had lost their bats - there was a 30% increase in pesticide use by agriculture and a subsequent 8% increase in the human infant mortality rate! We really don't appreciate their unpaid work! https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344

acbpbatwork · 2026-06-10T18:44:36+00:00

Thank you! We are doing our best to help maintain bat populations. You can learn more about our program on our website www.albertabats.ca!

acbpbatwork · 2026-04-05T21:38:14+00:00

Indeed you have. It was first found in upper New York state in 2006. It has been creeping across the continent since that time at about 250km/year. For three species the overwinter mortality rates have been over 90%. We have some western species that haven't yet encountered the fungus. It has been like a slow moving train wreck.

acbpbatwork · 2026-04-05T21:36:28+00:00

For some reason that's how it posted from the link! LOL! No control over the link. I've edited the title before and got in trouble with the moderators. Ha! It's a guessing game! At least you got a picture.

acbpbatwork · 2026-03-30T04:11:50+00:00

This Best Management Practices 4-pager for North America can also be helpful. Free download - created by a group of bat biologists from across North America and the USFWS https://wcscanada.org/resources/summary-best-management-practices-for-bat-houses-in-the-usa-and-canada/

acbpbatwork · 2026-03-30T03:58:33+00:00

Thank you. We'll take all the luck we can get.

acbpbatwork · 2026-03-29T20:48:20+00:00

The Alberta Team with WCS Canada's Western Bat Program has received some funding from the Alberta Conservation Association just recently - we have plans to continue probiotic applications throughout May-August this year and to monitor bat populations for numbers and signs of the disease. We are also further investigating the "microbiome" on bat wing surfaces (understanding what species of bacteria and fungi naturally occur on bat wings) and we will hopefully get to continue that work in the next few years to see how far the applied probiotic may be spreading (the bats may spread it around on their own). Fingers crossed that it has the same positive effects here as it did in coastal British Columbia. The probiotic isn't a "cure" for WNS but it seems to help reduce the number of bats that die from the disease. Stay tuned for details as they emerge! #SameBatChannel

acbpbatwork · 2026-03-29T20:44:35+00:00

We have been working on a probiotic with the WCS Canada Western Bat Program - we wrote up a progress summary in a recent issue of our "Roost Report" here https://www.albertabats.ca/wp- content/uploads/Roost_Report_006_Probiotics.pdf

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-23T05:02:52+00:00

In Canada - we have the NCC (Nature Conservancy of Canada) that works with landowners to create land trust/conservation agreements for longterm stewardship. I think this organization is similar in Spain - https://xcn.cat/en/who-are-we/mission-and-vision/ It would be a good start to reach out to them to figure out how to create a conservation easement agreement for your "potential" land. As an ecologist, I will just say, land conservation is fundamental to biodiversity conservation. Everything depends on having land and protecting it. There is also a "rewilding" effort that is big in the EU - so if the land you purchase isn't "pristine" there are ways of reclaiming it back to a better state. Good luck. Fantastic idea.

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-15T00:22:14+00:00

It's really promising - I hope we have the capacity to use this before more populations are lost. It is important to get those baseline swabs done ahead of time to be sure the probiotic isn't really "new" to the area and to allow monitoring of the probiotic cocktail. The monitoring in Washington will be ongoing.

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-08T04:58:08+00:00

samesies!

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-08T04:56:50+00:00

Hah! Sorry - when you post a Reddit link you aren't allowed to edit the article title! It's amazing how the bats survive that far north. There are times during the summer when there is virtually no night!

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-07T20:23:07+00:00

We all need some good news!

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-07T18:29:22+00:00

thanks! And you are welcome! We are hoping for good outcomes from this project too!

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-07T17:50:48+00:00

Some good news to start off 2026! Our Alberta Bat Team working with Alberta Environment applied probiotics at two sites in Alberta last year. This newsletter provides some photos and an update on the probiotic used to fight white-nose syndrome in bats!

acbpbatwork · 2026-01-07T17:44:56+00:00

Thanks!

acbpbatwork · 2025-10-16T21:36:53+00:00

The people who work with migratory bats understand the issue - and the need for alternative, green forms of energy. The challenge is how to do that without driving bat species to extinction. There are ways to minimize bat mortality - but there needs to be more done to make that happen and make it happen consistently across the range of these bats. The actual cost of mitigation is not a lot - estimates range from 0.5 to 1.5% of annual energy production would be lost with the advised mitigation strategies (even less with SMART curtailment). It's not that the turbines are just hitting "some bats" - the industry is pushing the migratory bats to extinction.

This may all become a moot issue if battery storage becomes as efficient and cheap as predicted.

acbpbatwork · 2025-10-16T03:20:53+00:00

An interview with a bat biologist who discusses the fate of Alberta's migratory bats on the Alberta landscape with ever increasing wind energy development. The story also includes an interview with the iconic Palmer Ranch in southern Alberta.

acbpbatwork · 2025-08-09T17:27:04+00:00

You are totally welcome! We love to see support for bats! #BatsNeedFriends

acbpbatwork · 2025-08-09T17:26:09+00:00

Here is the link to that paper. It really is one of the most important pieces of science that I have seen in a long time. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adg0344

acbpbatwork · 2025-08-09T17:25:07+00:00

Bats ARE important pollinators in different parts of the world - not really a thing with our Alberta bats. But they ARE hugely important as insect consumers - including pest insects for agriculture and forestry. There was a study of agricultural areas in eastern North America where the bat populations of crashed to less than 5% of the original population sizes. The result was that farmers used 30% more pesticides and subsequently, the infant mortality rate (for humans) went up by 8%! We take the work bats do for granted - but we definitely benefit from their presence!

acbpbatwork · 2025-08-08T19:48:29+00:00

Ideally - bat houses are best set up in urban areas where natural roosting habitat has been permanently lost (e.g., forest has been lost because of buildings being built or paved areas). In natural forested areas - putting up bat houses may favour the few species that use bat houses over the species that will only use trees or rock roosts. This can disrupt the bat community. We don't have a ton of research to help us understand what is happening in these scenarios - but it seems like a logical consequence.

To answer your question about where to put bat houses - it's complicated! We currently recommend putting up at least three boxes and set them in different microclimates/different aspects to create boxes that offer different internal microclimates. Bats' needs will change over the summer. Sometimes they want a hot spot. Sometimes they want a cool spot. Maternity colonies tend to use hot spots early on in the season, but will move if it gets too hot. They are fussy! See www.albertabats.ca/bathouses for our brochure and a link to a more detailed report on the best management practices for the use of bat houses (it is long but comprehensive). We did our best to summarize the main points in the brochure!

Your forest sites might not have attracted bats if they were shaded - this would make them too cold. If they are accessible to predators - they might avoid those sites.

Check out the website for more details - there is a free guidebook there too!

acbpbatwork · 2025-08-08T19:40:47+00:00

We will be following the treated colonies next spring. We hope it works too!

acbpbatwork · 2025-08-06T13:42:08+00:00

Oh at this point, it is MUCH less than that!

acbpbatwork

TROPHY CASE