The Chattanooga Nature Center will host its annual Bat Watch evenings this summer, but nobody knows how many bats will be left to see after this year due to a disease sweeping through the nation’s bat populations.
Chattanooga Nature Center’s lead naturalist Kyle Waggener holds the carefully preserved remains of a Hoary Bat, the largest bat species found in Tennessee. He will share information and close-ups of bats during CNC’s Bat Watch evenings this summer.“Who knows, maybe I can’t do this program next year,” said Kyle Waggener, lead naturalist and director of education for CNC. “There may be no bats to see by then.”
CNC will host Bat Watches June 24 and July 15 at 7:15 p.m. with a participation fee of $7 for adult members and $3.50 for children ages 4 to 11. Participation for nonmembers costs $10 and $5 for children ages 4 to 11. The event will start with a slide show in the nature center with facts and information about bats.
Following the presentation, participants will car caravan to the Nickajack Cave, which holds more than 60,000 gray bats.
Waggener said White-Nose Syndrome is now threatening bat populations across nearly the whole eastern United States. So far, White-Nose has been found in nine species of bat, seven of which are found in Tennessee.