Bat Events Scheduled In Malta, Fort Peck

What do bats do at night? Aerobatics! What do bats like to eat? Moths!

Join Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and others for two opportunities to learn about and observe the fascinating world of bats, along with a special focus on moths and agriculture in Malta.

Everyone is welcome to these events, but any youngsters under the age of 12 are encouraged to be accompanied by an adult. Some suggested items to bring include a flashlight/headlamp or glow sticks, bug spray, and sturdy walking shoes.

Aug. 2, Malta: 8:30 p.m., Trafton Park, “Bats, Moths, and Ag!”

Learn about bats and moths in Phillips County and their importance to agriculture. The program will highlight the different species of bats and moths found in Phillips County and the important relationships between them and local plant communities.

Organizers will set up a light screen to attract and illuminate moths, and mobile bat recorders to identify bats.

Moths are a major food source for bat species, and it’s being discovered that they are also key pollinators for many of the crops grown in Phillips County (alfalfa, mustards, peas, cover crops, etc.). This is especially important due to increasing interest in using cover crops as a part of managing soil health.

Speakers include Nicole Hussey, non-game biologist for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and Mat Seidensticker, executive director and lead researcher for the Montana Moth Project.

Through its partnership with the Gilette Museum at Colorado State University, the Montana Moth Project owns the largest collection of Montana moths.

Besides discussing the connections among bats, moths and agriculture, Hussey and Seidensticker will describe their efforts to protect both bats and moths.

Aug. 9, Fort Peck: 8:30 p.m., Downstream Campground, “Bat walk.”

Join FWP and the Fort Peck Interpretive Center to learn all about bats and how they are important to our local ecosystem.

To kick things off, Hussey will deliver a presentation on bats and their importance in our ecosystem. This will be immediately followed by a “bat walk” around the Downstream Nature Trail in search of bats as they begin their nighttime hunting. Staff will provide a variety of “bat detecting” devices so you will be able to “hear” the bats hunting and navigating, and other equipment to “see” their echolocation calls on iPads.

In addition, the Fort Peck Interpretive Center will have other bat-themed activities going on from Thursday, Aug. 8, through Monday, Aug. 12.