DNR News
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
August 13, 2015South Carolina Bat Blitz held in Bluffton
The Palmetto Bluff Conservancy hosted a very successful South Carolina Bat Blitz in partnership with the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network.
Crescent Communities, Friends of the Conservancy, Reagan Smith Energy Solutions Inc., Lowe's and the S.C. Department of Natural Resources all helped sponsor the South Carolina Bat Blitz July 26-30. Many other groups and individuals also shared time and equipment. There were 96 registered participants in the Bat Blitz, not including Palmetto Bluff Conservancy staff or volunteers at Palmetto Bluff or any of the other sites. Participants came from as far away as Alaska and Nebraska, and 17 Universities and at least 10 government agencies were represented.
The event was kicked off by a public and press day hosted by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of South Carolina Beaufort's Bluffton campus where visitors could attend lectures, practice a hands-on netting demonstration, learn about bat boxes and even see live bats!
During the Blitz, 15 teams mist netted bats, three nights in a row, at different sites each night (45 sites sampled with a total of 150 net sets). Areas sampled included Palmetto Bluff, Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge, Spring Island, Sgt. Jasper State Park, Victoria Bluff Heritage Preserve and the Coastal Discovery Museum.
The Blitz was all about bats, and 296 bats were captured and released. Four Northern yellow bats, a rarely captured and poorly understood species, caused a great deal of excitement. Most bats were banded and four rare bats, two southeastern bats and two Northern yellow bats were fitted with transmitters.
The Palmetto Bluff Conservancy was created to ensure the conservation vision for Palmetto Bluff, located in the heart of the South Carolina Lowcountry. For more information, visit www.palmettobluff.com.
To learn more about the Southeastern Bat Diversity Network, visit https://sbdn.org/
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