The Year in ReviewLack of knowledge about bat needs and values is a keycontributor to their decline worldwide. Several specieshave become extinct before their plight was evenrecognized. To address this tragedy, BCI is increasing its support of conservation-relevant research as rapidly as possible. In the past year, we led research that discovered a key cause of decline for the Indiana bat, one of America’smost endangered species, and funded research on thevital role of Mexican free-tailed bats, documenting theirconsumption of vast quantities of America’s most costlycrop pests. The first discovery is already leading torestoration of critical Indiana bat hibernation caves, and the latter soon will be reported in National Geographic.We also expanded funding to student scholars in 14 countries and funded a dozen essential research projectsthrough the North American Bat Conservation Partner-ship. Projects ranged from documentation of bat roles in pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal toinvestigations of special habitat requirements essential to conservation planning.Because communication of research findings is essential to progress, we are especially proud to announce NorthAmerica’s first strategic plan for bats. Facilitated by BCI,researchers, conservationists, and government leadersfrom Canada, Mexico, and the United States, producedand formally adopted the continent’s first long-term planlast fall. The plan will be revised at two-year intervals to incorporate the latest research discoveries andconservation needs, and is already providing a majorstimulus for state and regional planning. Through the combined impact of Internet communicationand BCI’s newly established Global Grassroots Conserva-tion Fund, we are now able to share knowledge andempower people in places as far away as Moldova and Cambodia, where assistance is most often needed.Relying on BCI training, educational materials, and smallgrants, these distant allies are now becoming invaluablepartners.We are extremely grateful to BCI members, donors, and colleagues who continue to support us in expandingbat conservation, education, and research on a worldwidescale. We look forward to your partnership in the comingyear.

Michael L. Cook, Chairman of the Board

Merlin D. Tuttle, Executive Director

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BCI facilitated organization of the North American BatConservation Partnership (NABCP) in 1997, providing a forum for bat conservationists to share resources,funding, and critical information. The collaborationincludes researchers, corporations, private organiza-tions, and foundations, as well as government agenciesin Mexico, Canada, and the United States. All areworking to develop continent-wide priorities for bat conservation.

The partnership’s fund for conservation provides grantsfor essential conservation, research, and educationprojects. This spring, the program received 28 proposalsand funded the top 18 in the amount of $59,929. These funds have been matched by $648,260 in partnerassistance, bringing total support to $708,189.

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Grant recipient Chris Sanders worked in conjunction withthe Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

to lead the gating of Roxbury Iron Mine in Roxbury,Connecticut—the state’s largest bat hibernation site. The mine historically housed endangered Indiana bats

(Myotis sodalis), and now hosts approximately 2,000 batseach winter. With some 2,500 feet of passage, the mine iscapable of housing millions. Using over 70,000 pounds of

steel, four entrances were gated with bat-friendly gates. The A-frame gate pictured below will be removed whenconstruction of the new bat-friendly gate is complete.

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Grant recipient Bob Luce, nongame biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department,supervised gating of Spence Cave in fall 1999 (above). Biologists found that the cave is used by at least five species of bats. The present numbersare small due to human disturbance, but based onguano accumulations within the cave, biologistsbelieve that Spence Cave was once a maternity roost for several hundred Townsend’s big-eared bats.The gate will offer this colony a chance to recover.

Technician Ian Butler (left) assisted grant recipientMelissa Siders, wildlife biologist at Kaibab NationalForest in Arizona. Siders received funding in 1998and 1999 for development and testing of Bat Bark,used to create experimental artificial bat rooststructures. Both fiberglass and polyurethane modelsare being tested, and Siders has already reported 90 percent success at test sites.

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Rabies ResolutionThis year, BCI sponsored a resolution that passed unanimously at the North AmericanSymposium on Bat Research. As reported inScience magazine’s March 2000 issue, theresolution addressed the issue of bats and rabies,and the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention’s methods of reporting bat bites andrabies statistics. Those in attendance agreed thatthere was no credible support for the hypothesisthat undetected bites by bats are a significantfactor in transmitting rabies to humans, andnoted that public health policies should not be based on this assumption.

The NABCP has awarded a total of$184,964 in grants to 54 projects

over the past three years.

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Indiana BatsFor decades theendangered Indianabat has rankedamong America’smost rapidlydeclining mammals,despite protection at many of its last remaininghibernation sites.

An investigation by BCI is proving critical to recovery.Comparison of average mid-winter roost temperatures at the nine protected caves and mines that are considered most important by the Indiana Bat RecoveryTeam revealed that in locations where temperaturesaveraged 3-7.2 degrees C, populations increased by 97,339 bats over the most recent 20 years of monitoring. In those where temperatures fell outside this range,populations declined by 185,083.

This observation led to temperature and humiditymonitoring at 15 of the most important current and past Indiana bat hibernation sites in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, and Virginia. Incollaboration with the USDA Forest Service, the USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, state natural resourcesdepartments, and local speleologists, 46 dataloggers were installed at the best-defined roosts in these caves,including one outside at each location.

Data are now downloaded each summer, and results are confirming that marginal hibernation conditions are a key factor in this bat’s continuing decline. Theoriginally occupied caves provided remarkable stability in the bats’ preferred temperature range. For example,prior to disturbance, Virginia’s Rocky Hollow Cave wasoccupied by more than a million Indiana bats. The cave provided temperatures averaging 7.3 degrees C in October and November of 1998-1999 and 6.7 degrees Cfrom December through February. At Illinois’ MagazineMine, which supports a rapidly growing population, roost temperatures in November 1998-1999 averaged 6.7 degrees C and from December through Februaryaveraged 4.5 degrees C. Throughout most of this species’range, the best hibernation caves and mines provide large-volume cold-air traps below the lowest of multipleentrances. These sites must be capable of storingsufficient cold air to meet the bats’ fall hibernation needswithout risk of freezing in winter. Protection of such sites,and restoration of appropriate temperatures in now-altered sites, is essential to Indiana bat survival. Detailed study information is posted on the BCI Web site.

Bats and ForestsDuring the past year, BCI has worked closely with the USDA Forest Service, the USDI Fish and WildlifeService, and the National Council for Air and StreamImprovement to compile a complete bibliography and to summarize literature related to bats and forests.The report includes a summary of how bats use forests,as well as an evaluation of the importance of snags,geology, artificial roosts, and other habitat character-istics. Timber managers throughout the eastern UnitedStates will benefit from this valuable reference tool.

An important outgrowth of the NABCP has been theformation of the Northwest Bat Cooperative. Thispublic-private partnership is one of the first of its kindand includes not only federal and state agencies,wildlife biologists, and conservation organizations, but also representatives from the timber industry.Forest bats often roost in tree cavities and crevices.Land managers who leave “snags,” dead standingtrees, as well as selected old trees during harvests, arehelping conserve forest bat species and their habitats.Participants include Weyerhaeuser Co., Port BlakelyTree Farms, Boise Cascade Corp., Potlatch Corp., PlumCreek Timber Co., and IP Pacific Timberlands, Inc.These partners and the Washington State Departmentof Fish and Wildlife are collaborating with BCI onprojects across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Thepartnership reflects the philosophies of the NABCP,allowing forest resource managers to strengthencommunication, share management strategies, andfund research according to local priorities.

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Ed Arnett (left), wildlifebiologist withWeyerhaeuserCompany, meets with Jim Redmond,harvest manager,to discussrecent researchon how timberharvests affectbats. Arnetthelped lead theformation of theNorthwest BatCooperative,and is a 2000BCI Scholarshiprecipient.

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Through the North American BatConservation Partnership, BCI isstrengthening its efforts at the state level (above). After one full year of co-funding the Texas Bat Coordinatorposition with Texas Parks and Wildlife,education efforts and research studieshave begun that will help incorporatebats into management programs at more than 230 state parks and wildlifemanagement areas. Other accomplish-ments include extensive work on astatewide plan for bat conservation andcompilation of the first draft of a publicguide to the bats of Texas, which will bereleased in 2001. Biologist andCoordinator Annika Keeley educatednearly 100 private landowners and stateland managers through Master Naturalisttraining sessions and Bat HabitatManagement workshops. Landowners arelearning to include bats in conservationplans, while volunteer Master Naturalistsare offering bat programs in communitiesacross the state and assisting inmonitoring and research projects.BCI’s ongoing, region-wide study of historic and current Indiana bathibernation sites (left) spans Illinois,Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouriand Virginia. Already, the data gatheredare being used to recommend recoverystrategies.©

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Program for the Conservation of Migratory BatsLaunched in 1994, the Program for the Conservation ofMigratory Bats (Programa para la Conservación de losMurciélagos Migratorios) is a partnership between BCI and the Instituto de Ecología of the National University ofMexico. The binational initiative focuses on migratory bats, but Mexican initiatives have expanded to include all 140 native species. Through community education and recentefforts on behalf of pollinators, the team is making progress on many levels.

This year the program established its first permanent office in Mexico City. From this location, staff can better handle the hundreds of requests for conservation assistance andeducational materials. Also, at a meeting of the PCMM and partner Pronatura Noreste, the governor of Nuevo Leonannounced that the state is establishing a new, protectednatural area that includes Mexico’s largest bat cave, Cueva de la Boca, and the surrounding mountains. BCI has worked to finalize this designation since 1996. Bat populations in the cave have increased since conservation efforts firstbegan, and have grown rapidly from 100,000 to nearly 1.5 million bats.

The governor of Nuevo Leon also announced that theboundaries of Parque Nacional Cumbres de Monterrey (a park near Monterrey in the high mountains known as theSierra Madre Oriental) are expanding to include Cueva Infierno,the most important cave for greater long-nosed bats(Leptonycteris nivalis) in northern Mexico.

Bilingual children’s books have proven highly effective asconservation tools. Don Sabino, el Murciélago de la Ciudad (DonSabino, the City Bat) is the latest in the series, and is beingdistributed to inner-city Mexican schools along with associatedcurricula for students and teachers. Approximately 80 percentof Mexico’s population lives in urban areas, and thesematerials help city-dwellers understand and appreciate the value of bats.

A fourth book, planned for release in fall 2000, will focus on nectar bats. Nectar bats depend on flowering agaves, and the PCMM and BCI are working with the state of Tamaulipas to foster protection of caves in northeastern Mexico and to re-establish agave corridors, which are critical for migratorybats. Already, Tamaulipas has agreed to promote plantings of agaves for erosion control, and BCI has donated the first5,000 agave plants in support of this effort.

As a student, Arnulfo Moreno received a 1999 BCIScholarship for his work with local residents to

document nectar bat use of agaves. Moreno hasnow received his Ph.D., and continues to serve BCI

as a scientific advisor in Mexico.

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Elsewhere in Latin AmericaThrough the Program for the Conservation ofBolivian Bats (Programa para la Conservaciónde los Murciélagos de Bolivia), BCI fundedproduction of Bolivia’s own “Aventuras alVuelo” (“Adventures in Flight”), a Spanish-language radio program previously usedsuccessfully in Mexico. Other Bolivian activitiesinclude the opening of a bat exhibit in La Pazat the Museum of Natural History, develop-ment of the “Bats of Bolivia” poster, andcreation of a new brochure highlightingconservation efforts and emphasizing thevariety of beneficial species found in thatcountry.

In addition, the Bolivian group has publishedan eight-page newsletter, which details PCMBbat conservation initiatives, shares informationon available bat educational materials, andexamines health issues related to bats.Distribution of these materials will targetenvironmental education groups, veterinaryassociations, teachers in communities nearimportant bat roosts, cattlemen, and federalagencies.

Luis Aguirre, director of the Program for the Conservation of BolivianBats, has worked closely with local radio stations airing “Aventuras alVuelo” to raise awareness of the values of Bolivian bats.

In NorthernMexico, BCIAssociateExecutive Director Steve Walker andScientific Advisor Arnulfo Morenoassess damagefrom fires set to kill bats inCueva de losTroncones.

In the U.S., BCI continued to supportconservation of migratory insect-eating bats by organizing and sponsoring the first Agri-BatsWorkshop. Held at Selah Ranch in Johnson City,Texas, 20 leading scientists came together toreview and plan research to better documentthe agricultural significance of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), which feed on crop pests.

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Bats and Mines Project

In 1993, BCI and the USDA Bureau of LandManagement founded the Bats and Mines Project to reduce the mortality of bats due to closures ofabandoned mines. The project provides leadership and coordination among federal, state, and privateagencies, and the mining industry for evaluating andprotecting bat habitat in mines.

More than half of North America’s 45 bat species now rely on mines as refuges of last resort. This year,the Bats and Mines Project began its largest under-taking to date: gating nearly 20 key hibernation sites in abandoned copper mines throughout the Great Lakes region.

The Great Lakes mines include literally hundreds of miles of underground passages that provide idealhibernation temperatures. Over the past hundred years,as eastern U.S. bats have lost traditional hibernationroosts in caves, many gradually moved into thesemines. The bats come here from several U.S. states andCanadian provinces. As a result, this is now the mostimportant bat hibernation area known worldwide.Without the Bats and Mines Project, as mine entrances

were blasted, filled, or concreted shut, these bats would have been entombed.

Complete counts of the bats cannot be made due to the vastness of the mines, but many hundreds of thousands have been saved. Reopened mines offerthe potential to save millions more.

The project has also generated valuable publicity for bats. In April, BCI staff hosted a radio crew fromNational Geographic Radio Expeditions. The program,which aired in June, reached more than six million National Public Radio listeners across the U.S.

Fort BowieFort Bowie Mine in Arizona is home to one of thestate’s largest maternity colonies of cave myotis (Myotis velifer) and a hibernation colony of Townsend’sbig-eared bats. The main adit, or opening, was gated in 1996, and a dangerous connecting shaft was gated in March 2000. The mine, near the Fort Bowie NationalHistoric Site, attracts curious hikers, and the gate offersa safe, permanent shaft closure, protecting both batsand people.

Irv Riutta, owner of Riutta Contracting &Supplies, works to remove a mine closure thatprevented bat access at the Quincy Mine in

Michigan. The Quincy and Pewabic Mines, twoof the state’s largest, were gated in early 2000

with bat-compatible gates. The Quincy MineHoist Association plans to develop interpretivetrails, and to promote the site as a “watchablewildlife” area, especially during fall swarming.

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averting a crisis for America’s bats

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Sam Edwards (right) owner of Frontier Environmental Solutions,cuts a section of bat-friendly gate at the entrance of Arizona’sFort Bowie Mine.

Joshua Tree National ParkIn California, BCI completed the second in a four-year minesurvey in Joshua Tree National Park. The park has more than300 abandoned mines, and has requested BCI’s assistance in surveying these mines for the presence of bats. Bat-compatible closures will be recommended where possible.

This past winter, more than 50 mines were evaluated and fivewere found to be important for bats. Two mines had winterpopulations of California leaf-nosed bats (Macrotus californicus),a sensitive species in that state.

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Chris Holbeck, research scientist at California’s Joshua TreeNational Park, emerges from a mine that was evaluated for batsduring the past year.

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Bat House Research Project

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The Bat House Research Project began in1993 with a goal of creating effective artificialroost designs and testing placementtechniques. Over the years, more than 5,000volunteer research associates, from batbiologists to homeowners to organic farmers,have participated in the project, helping BCIdocument exactly what bats need.

This year, BCI initiated coast-to-coast testingby leading organic growers as a first steptoward research that will quantify thebenefits of bats for organic farms. FrankBibin, owner of Bibin Pecans in southeasternGeorgia, is participating in the program.

“I picked up a brochure on BCI, and whatimmediately caught my eye was the use ofbats for biological insect control,” said Bibin.“With help from bats, we now use nopesticides.”

BCI also produced a traveling exhibitdemonstrating how farmers can incorporatebats and bat houses into integrated pestmanagement. The exhibit premiered at the“Success with Organics 2000” conference, and will travel to wildlife conferences,organic trade shows, and environmentalconventions throughout the year.

This year, BCI recorded nearly 650 reportsfrom 35 U.S. states, Wash ing ton, D.C., fiveCanadian prov inces and territories, and theCayman Islands. The reports show that batsare occupying 60 percent of houses (388 of645), regardless of proper construction orplacement. Even more encouraging was thefact that houses designed for 50 or morebats, when mounted in groups on buildings or on poles, were used 83 percent of the time(165 of 200).

Frank Bibin (above), who owns Bibin Pecans in southeastern Georgia, is working closely with BCI to document his success in attracting bats

as a natural form of insect control in pecan groves.Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources (inset) is just one of many

state agencies, nature centers, museums, and parks that are participating inthe Bat House Research Project. The department has installed bat houses at the Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area and the Charlie Elliot Wildlife

Center. Visitors who walk along nature trails will be introduced to the state’s bats and will learn of their benefits.

A growing number ofcorporate partners, suchas DuPont, are supportingthe Bat House ResearchProject. This year,DuPont’s Wildlife HabitatTeam requested a surveyof their wetland areas inVictoria, Texas, and isplacing bat houses aroundthe site, including oneadjacent to their outdooreducational classroom.This site is visited byhundreds of schoolchildren each month.

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Half of U.S. states participate in BCI’s Bats and Bridges program, which began in 1994. Through the program,transportation departments are building bat habitat into new bridges, are retrofitting existing bridges to include batroosts, and are planning maintenance activities to avoid disturbing bats. This year’s activities included:

• surveys of approximately 150 bridges in Oregon state forests.

• presentations at the International Conference on Wildlife Ecology and Transportation, attended by 300 participantsfrom 13 countries and 24 U.S. states.

• meetings with one of Germany’s leading environmental planners, who will now implement bat-friendly bridgedesigns.

Bats and Bridges

Near Sacramento, California, BCI and Research Associates Bob Wisecarver and Marvin Maberry coordinated with The Nature Conservancy to install artificial bat roosts near the old Franklin Bridge, home of one of the state’s largest

remaining bat colonies. As the bridge is being dismantled, bats are beginning to use the new roosts. The new bridge is a bat-friendly design that will provide crevices for millions of bats.

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Bats in Buildings

BCI receives nearly 4,400 calls each year from concerned people requestinginformation about removing bats roosting inbuildings. This year, in conjunction with Flyby Night, a Florida-based nonprofitorganization, BCI established a new programto meet the needs of these people, many of whom view bats as a problem. BCI hopesthat “problems” will become conservationopportunities, and that more pest-controlprofessionals will become conservationadvocates.

Fly by Night’s founder, Laura Finn, considersexclusions one of her most importantresponsibilities. “I hate having to take batsout of buildings,” says Finn, “but if we do it,we know it’s done right.” BCI has establisheda certification program for bat exclusionprofessionals who use techniques thatprotect both bats and people. Each applicantis thoroughly checked before being grantedthe status of BCI-approved Bat ExclusionProfessional. In the coming months, BCI willwork with Finn to build a network of trustedexcluders.

Throughout the northern two-thirds of the U.S. and southern Canada,the little brown bat and the big brown bat are the most likely species

to be encountered in buildings. In the southern U.S., Mexican free-tailed and evening bats are the most common.

Other species typically encountered are the pallid bat (Antrozouspallidus), the southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius), the northern

long-eared myotis (Myotis septentrionalis), the Yuma myotis (Myotisyumanensis), and the eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus).

Mexican free-tailed batTadarida brasiliensis

A new page beingadded to BCI’s

Web site will offerinformation on whybats use buildings,

how to live safelywith bats, what

exclusion methodsare recommended

for bats, who tocontact for

assistance, andhow to provide bat

houses forexcluded bats.

little brown myotisMyotis lucifugus

evening batNycticeius humeralis

big brown batEptesicus fuscus

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Global Grassroots Bat Conservation Fund

Representatives from Grupal Fauna in Moldova constructed bat gates at one of the country’s most important remaininghibernation sites. This was the first effort of its kind in a post-Soviet country. BCI is now working with this group to help

refine gate designs, protect additional mine roosts, and conserve forest habitat.

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supporting local, on-the-ground bat conservation worldwide

BCI launched the Global Grassroots BatConservation Fund this year to address critical batconservation needs around the globe. While BCI hasalways supported international projects, this fundhelps to formalize the funding process and betterenables reviewers to compare and evaluate grantproposals.

Already, BCI has awarded $15,000 in grants and educational materials, and has donated use of batimages to support individuals and local nonprofitgroups who are sometimes the only advocateslaboring for protection of bats in their regions orcountries.

• Costa Rica—distribution of bat conservationliterature for the Green Wall Project, which raisesenvironmental awareness and teaches studentsabout conservation issues.

• Cambodia —development of training curricula and storyboard poster for children, associated with a large new bat mural to be painted in downtown Phnom Penh.

• Honduras—incorporation of a bat module into a widespread environmental education program.

• India—donation of seed materials and support for a fledgling network of bat conservationists.

• Poland—production of the first interactive CD-ROMabout bats in that country.

• Sulawesi—development of education and trainingprograms designed to curb the over-hunting of fruitbats, which are sold for food in local markets.

Currently, applications are being reviewed for newprojects in Uganda, the Philippines, the Cayman Islands,Brazil, and Tajikistan.

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Summer 1999 marked BCI’s 11th season of Bat Conservation and ManagementWorkshops. More than 1,100 peoplehave been trained during the past 11years, and they are essential to long-term conservation success. As workshopstudents return to their homecommunities, they are leading much-needed regional habitat managementand conservation initiatives, backed bysound science.

Among the 1999 workshop alumni arestudents whose enthusiasm is making adifference on a local level.

Daniel Abram and Laurie Wearne,educators from Talking Talons YouthLeadership in Tijeras, New Mexico, areintroducing young people ages 6 to 17 to conservation. They are also workingwith the New Mexico Game and FishDepartment to conduct bat surveys on statelands using volunteers and students (ArizonaWorkshop, 1999).

Howard Ferguson and Eric Larsen, wildlifebiologists with the Washington Department ofFish and Wildlife, are initiating statewideinventories of bat species. They have also beeninstrumental in protecting a colony ofTownsend’s big-eared bats roosting in an old building on private property. In all, thedepartment has identified 14 differentmaternity colonies for this species, where justfive years ago, there were only four knowncolonies in Washington State (Pacific NorthwestWorkshop, 1999).

In 1999, Bat Conservation and Managementworkshops were held in Arizona in June, in thePacific Northwest (for the first time) in July, andin Pennsylvania in August. These work-shopstrained 136 people from 16 state and federalagencies, five foreign countries (Bolivia,Canada, Scotland, Taiwan, and the UK), and 34 universities and private organizations.

BCI also educated 60 participants through aconference held for members of The National

At Selah Ranch in Johnson City, Texas, BCI trained 45 participants at a One-Day Educator’s Workshop, “Tools for Teaching BatConservation.” Teachers and park interpreters from the U.S.

and Canada learned more about bats and how to develop interpretiveprograms in their parks, classrooms and home communities.

Capitalizing on the success of“Discover Bats!,” BCI and L&HProductions have produced a new live-action, kid-friendly video for childrenages 4-7. “Kids Discover Bats!” is beinglaunched in fall 2000 with a new Webpage for kids, which connects them toBCI’s Adopt-a-Bat program, and showsthem how they can help bats.

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Association of Interpretation, an association of interpreters of natural and cultural history. Memberswork for national and state parks, museums, zoos, andnature centers. These “interpreters” are a direct linkbetween bats and the public.

Texas-Mexico Border InitiativesThe Rio Grande Initiative is an educational effort that unites Mexico’s bat conservation efforts withthose of Texas. With the help of the HoustonEndowment, BCI has developed a program to teachborder residents about bats, their habitats, and theneed for conservation, while providing high-qualitybilingual materials that promote literacy and generalenvironmental awareness.

This program provides library and elementary schoolresources, generates awareness of the importance of bats to agriculture, and encourages publiceducation via radio spots and distribution of materialsto community centers.

Posters, bilingual bat fact cards, and resource packetsare being distributed to 35 public libraries, 45 schooldistricts, 19 radio stations, and 15 nature andcommunity centers (including Texas A&M’s LasColonias) in nine border counties.

The program has generated interest among other U.S. border states, which are now working toimplement similar programs.

In January, Merlin Tuttle completed a week-long lecture tour of South Africa. Traveling through the bushveld(savanna woodland) game preserves, he hosted bat workers, conservationists, military personnel, journalists,

and the general public. During this bat safari, he captured and photographed 12 species of bats. Peter Taylor, Curator of Mammals at the the Durban Natural Science Museum, and Convenor of the Durban Bat

Interest Group, described the trip as a "watershed event for bat conservation in southern Africa.”

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Since the scholarship program began in 1990, BCI has awarded 109 scholarships totaling$234,196.

Sharon Balding (right) assisted Robert Hodgkisonwith his study of Peninsular Malaysia's spotted

winged fruit bat (Balionycteris macula). Hodgkisonreceived scholarship funding in 1999, and his

investigations of pollination, seed dispersal, androosting behavior are being used to establish

conservation priorities for this species.In the Slovak Republic, Lucia Bobakova (below)

was first funded in 1999 to study roosting needsof cave-dwelling bats. She has also been measuring

the impact of human visitation on bat populationtrends in caves open to public tours. Her

documentation is providing a baseline for trackingfuture population changes. It is also helping

determine roost characteristics and the effects ofhuman intrusion in order to recommend effective

management strategies. Bobakova has beenfunded again in 2000 to continue her research.

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BCI’s Student Scholarship Program began in 1990 to support students conducting conservation-relevant research.This spring, BCI awarded scholarships totaling $56,488 to 24 students, funding research in 14 countries. Projectsinclude studies of foraging behavior and seed dispersal of fruit bats in Brazil, bat habitat requirements in westernSiberia, roosting needs in forests of the northwestern United States, and bat impact on insect pests in Belgium.

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Cathy Lin served as BCI’s 1999 summer intern fromMemorial Day through Labor Day, providing publicinformation about the values of bats at Austin’sCongress Avenue bridge. Approximately 100,000 peoplevisit the bridge each season, and many of them receivethe The Free-tail Flyer, which introduces tourists andAustin residents to the world's largest urban bat colony.

During the fall semester, 1999, intern Kari Gauklervisited 60 Austin-area schools. Students enjoyed a colorful slide show where, for the first time, they were able to see bats close-up. More than 6,000children, ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to 8thgrade, learned why bats are important, and why theyshould not be handled.

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Intern Kari Gaukler educated Austin-areaschool children through 140 presentations.

She distributed the “Discover Bats”resource package to teachers for use in

lesson plans throughout the year.

Since 1994, BCI’s fall internshave educated approximately27,350 school children.

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The Congress Avenue bridge bat colony brings approximately

eight million tourist dollars to downtown Austin, Texas,

each summer.

During the past year, BCI staff responded to more than11,500 requests for information relevant to education,public health, conservation, reference sources, andother information. Interviews and positive BCI messagesalso appeared in a wide variety of magazines andnewspapers such as Science, Smithsonian, Tropical Gardener,The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Children’smedia included Ranger Rick, Boys’ Life, Nickelodeon, andScholastic News. Positive media attention is critical tocombating frightening misconceptions, as well as torecruiting new members.

BCI also hosted television and film crews from IMAX,the BBC, the Discovery Channel, and others. HD VisionProductions of Dallas, Texas, filmed a documentaryentitled, “Bridge Dwellers: The Bats of Austin,” whichaired in Japan in late 1999. The video has won threeawards for excellence in children’s programming, and is currently being aired in the U.S.

This year, the Congress Avenue bridge was also thefocus of an in-depth economic impact survey. A localeconomic consulting group and researchers from theUniversity of Texas, worked with BCI to develop surveysthat were administered through October 1999. Theresults, released this past spring, highlight thepopularity of bats in nature tourism, and document that the bats generate approximately eight million in tourist dollars annually.

In recognition of the bats’ influence on Austin tourism,the Austin Hospitality Association and the AustinConvention and Visitors Bureau presented the “2000Austin Tourism Award” to BCI for its role in helpingchange public opinion about Austin’s bats, and forpromoting bat-watching as a fun and safe family activity.

The Third Annual Free-tail Free-for-All was held in late May at the Austin American-Statesman’s observationarea. The event coincided with the Austin Children’sMuseum’s debut of their new bat exhibit “Bats in MyWorld,” which museum officials already describe as the organization’s “all-time favorite exhibit.”

Outreach

People educated through

BCI outreach efforts this year:

Lectures

12,000

Magazines

30 million

combined circulation

Newspapers

14 million

combined circulation

Television

136 million

Web

21,266 hits per month

sharing the truth about bats

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Dr. Gail Ryser conducts an economic-impact survey of bat-watchers at the Congress Avenue bridge.

Approximately 3,000 people attended the third annual “Free-tail Free-for-All,” which included appearances by two batmascots, a raffle that raised money for bat conservation, live music, and local television coverage.

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BCI transmits10,389 documents via the Internetevery day, or 3,864,708 each year.

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Combined Statement of Financial Position

BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, INC.As of May 31, 2000(with comparative totals as of May 31, 1999)

May 31, 2000 May 31, 1999ASSETS

Current Assets:Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 757,344 $ 705,689Short-Term Investments 599,966 585,601Accounts and Grants Receivable 1,201,063 1,542,030Inventory 65,453 63,360Other Assets 27,859 10,600Deferred Expenses 2,184 474

Total Current Assets 2,653,869 2,907,754

Note Receivable 14,208 14,208

Closely Held Stock 102,315 102,315

Property, Plant and Equipment, net of accumulateddepreciation of $398,646 and $334,384 574,096 614,570

Real Property (Bat Habitat) 1,327,901 976,648

Permanently Restricted:Short-Term Investments 432,128 380,519Long-Term Investments 49,438 101,047

481,566 481,566

TOTAL ASSETS $5,153,955 $ 5,097,061

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETSCurrent Liabilities:

Accounts Payable and Accruals $ 130,575 $ 104,697Deferred Revenues 19,455 30,372Notes Payable - 324,125Security Deposits 3,336 3,336

Total Current Liabilities 153,366 462,530

Net Assets:Unrestricted 2,609,224 2,404,361Temporarily Restricted 1,909,799 1,748,604Permanently Restricted 481,566 481,566

Total Net Assets 5,000,589 4,634,531

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS $5,153,955 $ 5,097,061

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BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL, INC.For the Year Ended May 31, 2000(with comparative totals as of May 31, 1999)

May 31 ,2000 May 31, 1999

Temporarily PermanentlyUnrestricted Restricted Restricted Total Total

PUBLIC SUPPORT AND REVENUE:Grants $ 97,500 $ 999,500 $ - $1,097,000 $1,916,625Memberships 663,607 - - 663,607 630,344 Donations 490,625 35,824 - 526,449 522,958Catalog sales, net of cost

of $195,733 and $179,265 64,001 - - 64,001 94,199 Investment Income 115,786 - - 115,786 58,576 Miscellaneous Income 72,231 14,833 - 87,064 89,382 Education/Workshops Income 89,889 1,800 - 91,689 110,538 Rental Income 56,687 - - 56,687 51,025 Royalty Income 19,912 - - 19,912 23,542

Net Assets Released from RestrictionsRestrictions satisfied by payments 890,762 (890,762) - -

Total Public Support and Revenue 2,561,000 161,195 - 2,722,195 3,497,189

EXPENSES:Program Services:

Education 809,180 - - 809,180 667,148 Science and Conservation 1,139,771 - - 1,139,771 1,009,095

Total Program Expenses 1,948,951 - - 1,948,951 1,676,243

Supporting Services:Administrative 178,144 - - 178,144 155,503 Fund Raising 229,042 - - 229,042 181,572

Total Supporting Services 407,186 - - 407,186 337,075

Total Expenses 2,356,137 - - 2,356,137 2,013,318

INCREASE IN NET ASSETS 204,863 161,195 - 366,058 1,483,871

Net Assets at Beginning of Year 2,404,361 1,748,604 481,566 4,634,531 3,150,660

Net Assets at End of Year $2,609,224 $1,909,799 $ 481,566 $5,000,589 $4,634,531

Combined Statement of Activities

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Gifts and Grants

Foundations,Corporations and Agencies

$10,000 and aboveBeneficia FoundationBrown FoundationChapman FoundationDisney Wildlife Conservation FundHouston EndowmentThe Joan & Herb Kelleher

FoundationMerrill FoundationNational Fish & Wildlife

FoundationThe Nowlin Family Fund through

Austin Community FoundationThe Steves FoundationThe Turner FoundationU.S. Bureau of Land ManagementU.S. Environmental Protection

AgencyU.S. Fish & Wildlife ServiceU.S. Forest ServiceU.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Natural Resources

Conservation Service

$5,000-$9,999Gerald Banta TrustThe Barkley FundGeraldine R. Dodge FoundationKittie & Rugeley Ferguson Family

FoundationS.H. & Helen R. Scheuer Family

FoundationThe Hixon Family FoundationPotts & Sibley FoundationUnidos Para la ConservaciónWeyerhaeuser CompanyWray Charitable Trust

$1,000-$4,999Austin American-StatesmanCleveland-Cliffs FoundationDavoil, Inc.

Faultless Starch / Bon Ami Co.Island FoundationLeo Model FoundationMotorolaOverland PartnersS/M Hixon Family FoundationT&E, Inc.Valley View Hot SpringsAnonymous

Corporate MatchingAID Assoc. for LutheransAlliance CapitalAmerican ExpressAONAutodeskBell AtlanticLeo BurnettChampion InternationalChase ManhattanChubbCompaqComputer AssociatesEnronGlaxoWellcomeGraingerJohn HancockHarris Bank FoundationHenry Luce FoundationIBMIllinois Tool WorksLam ResearchMallinckrodt, IncManulife FinancialMedia OneMerrill LynchMobil FoundationMonsantoMorrison & FoersterNikeOTA Limited PartnershipPackard FoundationPatagonia

PfizerPG&EPrudentialSquare D FoundationSun MicrosystemsTetra Tech EmUS BancorpUS WestWashington Post

Individuals and Families

$10,000 and aboveJeff & Helen AcopianTommey F. AngellAugusta Wallace LyonsTravis & Bettina MathisVerne & Marion ReadMerlin Tuttle

$5,000-$9,999Thomas & Marilyn FifieldHelen JohnsonEd Payne & Liss FainChuck Pease Jr. & Cynthia VannThe Barkley FundLee J. SchmittRobert SchuetzAnonymous

$1,000-$4,999Robin AndersonJ. David & Margaret BambergerEarl C. BifflePrentice BloedelElizabeth & Duncan BoeckmanEleanor BriggsClarita BrightVirginia BrossLois BurrisElizabeth CampbellJessica CattoJohn C. ChesterGreg ContasBrian Cysewski, PhD

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Cornelia FordKindy French & Emanuel FriedmanRobert & Peggy GerrieJames & Marjorie GodshalkHugh & Marie Halff Jr.Ed HarteJoe HooverJo JagodaMary JasnowskiLady Bird JohnsonJoyce JohnstonBill & Sally KeedyMack & Charlotte KiddJoan KirkpatrickElysabeth KleinhansEd Littlefield Jr.Carolyn LoveMaggie Brandt & Albert LyonsScott & Hella McVayPete MeekJohn & Beth MitchellHeidi NitzeFrederick OttJohn Stoddard & Cathy PatrickTerry C. PelsterNaomi PitcairnKathryn PowersTom & Lisa ReadMark & Agnes RitterLillie RobertsonRobert RotellaAnton SchindlerRobert SolickAnn StokesAdolph SuehsdorfMark TimmonsKaren Van DusenTonya VaughanWilliam H. WainwrightMark & Kate WeinbergerLawrence & Sylvia WongSue Ellen YoungAnonymous

Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEESMichael L. Cook, ChairmanPartner, Jenkens & Gilchrist

John D. Mitchell, Vice ChairmanHonorary Curator, New York Botanical Gardens

Beth R. Morian, Vice ChairmanPresident, Westview Development, Inc., and Cockspur, Inc.

Peggy Phillips, SecretaryConservationist/Community Service Leader

Mark T. Ritter, TreasurerPartner, Maxwell, Locke & Ritter, P.C.

Jeff AcopianVice President, Acopian Technical Company

Eugene L. Ames Jr.President, Venus Exploration, Inc.

J. David BambergerPresident, Entre Nous Investments

Charles C. ChesterResearch Consultant, Henry P. Kendall Foundation and Union of Concerned Scientists

Eugenio Clariond ReyesPresident, Grupo IMSA, S.A. de C.V.

Robert E. GerrieVice President, Merrill Lynch Consumer Markets

Joan KelleherTrustee, Joan & Herb Kelleher Charitable Foundation

Travis MathisRancher and Trustee, Brown Family Fund

Scott McVayFounding Executive Director, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

Verne R. Read, Chairman EmeritusPartner, Wisconsin Securities Partners

Lee J. SchmittPresident, Schmitt Partners

Marshall T. Steves Sr.Chairman, Steves and Sons

Merlin D. TuttleFounder and Executive Director, Bat Conservation International

Roy VaughanExecutive Director Emeritus, University of Texas Ex-Students’ Association

Marc WeinbergerAttorney

HONORARY TRUSTEESGilbert M. GrosvenorChairman, National Geographic Society

Dr. S. Dillon RipleySecretary Emeritus, Smithsonian Insitutition

Dr. Bernardo Villa-R.Instituto de Biologia, UNAM

ADVISORY TRUSTEESAndrew H. SansomExecutive Director, Texas Parks and Wildlife

Sharon R. PitcairnFormer Director of Africa Programs,Conservation International Foundation

D. J. Sibley Jr.Chairman of Grants Committee, Potts and Sibley Foundation

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARDLeslie S. Hall, Australia

Greg Richards, Australia

Bruce Thomson, Australia

Irina K. Rahkmatulina, Azerbaijan

Ivan Sazima, Brazil

Jiri Gaisler, Chech Republic

Uwe Schmidt, Germany

G. Marimuthu, India

Shahroukh Mistry, India

Rodrigo A. Medellín, Mexico

Arnulfo Moreno, Mexico

Ya-fu Lee, Taiwan

Paul A. Racey, United Kingdom

Denny G. Constantine, United States

Robert Currie, United States

Theodore H. Fleming, UnitedStates

Thomas H. Kunz, United States

Gary F. McCracken, United States

Don E. Wilson, United States

Jose R. Ochoa, Venezuela

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Executive StaffMerlin Tuttle, Ph.D.

Executive DirectorSteve Walker

Associate Executive DirectorLinda Moore

Director of Administration & FinancePat Ludden

Executive Assistant

DevelopmentNicole Daspit (not pictured)Arnold Phifer

MembershipAmy McCartneyMary Priddy

PublicationsElaine AckerElysia DavisStormy Lockwood

Public InformationBob Benson

Visual ResourcesKristin Hay

Education, Conservation,and Research Programs

John Bowles, Ph.D. (not pictured)Sheryl DucummonAngela EnglandBarbara FrenchKari Gaukler (not pictured)Cullen GeiselmanBrian KeeleyJim KennedyMark KiserSelena KiserDan Taylor (not pictured)Janet Tyburec

BCI-Texas Parks and WildlifeDepartment Biologist

Annika Keeley

Computers, Web SiteBryan Ockert

Administrative SupportMarianne Austin (not pictured)Sandra Forston (not pictured)Carolyn KellyAndrew Puntch31

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Investment, Royalties, Misc.10.3%

Catalog Sales2.3%

Grants40.3%Memberships

24.4%

Donations19.3%

Education/Workshops3.4%

Administration7.6%

Fund Raising9.7%

Education34.3%

Science & Conservation48.4%

Though younger and only a fraction of the size,BCI spends a greater portion of total income

on program services than nine of the 10 largestenvironmental nonprofit organizations.

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