Since the installation of two maternity bat boxes on poles next to the creek at Edmonton and Area Land Trust’s (EALT) Pipestone Creek Conservation Land, Citizen Scientists have watched the bat population grow exponentially. Both boxes were installed in 2017, and for several years, the boxes were not monitored.
Then, in 2021, EALT did a major overhaul of their Citizen Science program, and recruited volunteers to complete exit surveys at their bat boxes, following guidelines presented by the Alberta Community Bat Program. Pipestone Creek quickly shone as the most successful colony recorded on EALT lands, with the largest number of bats observed in bat box #3 in a single night rising by nearly 100 bats every year!
Largest number of bats observed exiting bat box #3 in a single night from 2021-2024:
- 2021 – 57 bats
- 2022 – 112 bats
- 2023 – 196 bats
- 2024 – 262 bats
This represents a huge success for bats, which is all the more important with the threat of white-nose syndrome looming.
Prospective volunteers can learn more about bat box monitoring on EALT lands and how they can help bats, on EALT’s Citizen Science page here: www.ealt.ca/citizen-science.
Collaborators: Edmonton and Area Land Trust, Alberta Community Bat Program