Purpose of Meeting
Join the Old Rag Master Naturalists as they welcome Smithsonian wildlife biologist Erin Shibley for a presentation about bats in Virginia's ecosystem, open to the public from 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Presentation Title: Echoes in the Landscape: Uncovering How Bats Use Working Lands
Did you know that bats offer numerous ecosystem services globally, including pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal? Here in Virginia, bats are critical members of our agricultural ecosystems, consuming thousands of insect pests each night. Erin Shibley, a wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, will present an interactive program about the behavior and ecological benefits of bats. This presentation will share Smithsonian research updates from a new Virginia Working Landscapes' study that explores how bats utilize foraging habitat across agricultural landscapes. Attendees will learn about conservation challenges to North American bat populations and how everyone can get involved to help support bats on their own properties.