Got bats? Help us count them! Attics, barns, and church steeples often serve as summer homes for female bats and their young. In the face of white-nose syndrome, which is causing significant declines in bat populations throughout the Northeast, monitoring these “maternity colonies” is more important than ever. Landowners, homeowners, and other volunteers can help keep track of New Hampshire’s bats by conducting “emergence counts” at bat roosts throughout the state through the NH Bat Counts project.

Join wildlife biologists Sandi Houghton of NH Fish & Game and Haley Andreozzi of UNH Cooperative Extension to learn more about the bat species found in New Hampshire, the threats they face, and how you can help. We’ll start indoors with a presentation about New Hampshire bats, then caravan to a nearby barn for an outdoor bat counting demonstration. The second half of the training will be held outside at twilight. Bring a clipboard and pencil to collect data and a flashlight or headlamp for visibility when walking back to your car, and come prepared for bugs (especially mosquitoes).

All are welcome, but landowners and homeowners with bats on their property are especially encouraged to attend. We’ll also have a list of sites in need of volunteers, for those who do not have their own bats, but are interested in contributing to the NH Bat Counts project.

7 to 9 p.m. at the Harris Center and a nearby field site. Space is limited, and registration is required. For more information, including questions about accessibility, contact Haley.

Co-sponsored by the Harris Center for Conservation Education, UNH Cooperative Extension, and NH Fish and Game.