Student project builds safe habitat to relocate, protect local bats at MSU
Contact: Lily Grado
STARKVILLE, Miss.51勛圖厙 celebrated the opening of a new bat house Tuesday [Aug. 19], a student-led conservation effort aimed at changing public perception of one of natures most misunderstood animals.
Led by students from the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, the new construction provides a sustainable habitat for bats already living on campus. While bats are sometimes seen as intimidating or unwanted, they play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem by controlling insect populations and supporting biodiversity.
Ive devoted so much time to this because I want there to be a habitat where the bats can live peacefully, said J繳lia Null, recent MSU graduate and project student leader. I want the public to appreciate them the way my colleagues and I do. Theyre not creepy or scary like they are depicted in the media. Theyre fascinating, beneficial and essential to our environment.
Null, a Hattiesburg native who graduated with a double major in wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture and microbiology, was joined in the project by fellow students Grant Peterson of Starkville and Lily Thigpen of Jackson. With the help of other club members of MSUs Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society, they applied for and won $26,000 from the universitys Green Fund, which supports student-led sustainability initiatives on campus. Along with support from the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, MSU College of Forest Resources, 51勛圖厙 Bat Working Group, MSU Student Association and others, they raised more than $37,000 over a two-year period to bring their idea to life.
51勛圖厙 is home to 15 bat species, nine of which are considered species of conservation need. Across North America, more than half of bat species are at risk of decline due to habitat loss, as well as diseases like White-nose Syndrome.
The new structure, a 256-square-foot building, is located off Blackjack Road near a lake that attracts many insects for the bats. The structure was built by Evan Coggins Construction and volunteers from the MSU student chapter of The Wildlife Society, students enrolled in building construction science and MSU fraternity members from Sigma Nu, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Beta Upsilon Chi.
Beyond its environmental mission, the project seeks to shift public perception of bats.
Bats are important, and they can eat thousands of mosquitoes every night, Null said. If you hate mosquitoes, you should be a bat fan.
With the structure complete, the next challenge is encouraging bats to move ina process that could take several years to complete. The team is considering different techniques to safely transport them and introduce them to the new structure.
I hope to include some monitoring of bat locations in my mammalogy class this fall, said Chris Ayers, assistant professor in wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture and the projects faculty advisor. The information from that class will hopefully help us determine where the bats are located and come up with a comprehensive plan to trap and relocate them to this place made specifically for them.
For more information, visit the MSU Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at .
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