Plateau on the Radio: Episode 27 Bats of the Southwest

Listen to Episode 27 HERE...

This week on your favorite regional science show we explore the wonderful world of bats. An often misunderstood, but incredibly important part of our planet, especially right here in the Southwest.

We talk with the amazing biologist and bat researcher Clarissa Starbuck (Northern Arizona University) all about bats of our region, the things bats do for humans and the ecosystem that many folks might not realize, and about her important research regarding bat populations, landscape movements and how to lessen impacts from wind turbines in northern Arizona. Also, some info on how to get bats into your bat houses, and news from the white-nose syndrome front, a disease that is devastating bat populations in much of the US.

The Hoary Bat, one of our guest Clarissa Starbuck's
favorite species. Photograph by J. N. Stuart.
For more on bat and wind turbine fatalities check out this paper by Horn et al: Behavioral Response to Bats and Operating Wind Turbines

To learn more about White-nose Syndrome check out the White-Nose Syndrome Response Team's page.

And for more about proper placement of Bat Houses (Bat Boxes) head on over to Bat Conservation International.

Also on this weeks show, and continuing on this weeks High Desert Jamboree, the after-hours of your regional science show we discuss the recent news that several monitoring and adaptive management science programs are set to be completely de-funded on October 1st. This will impact  important science taking place on the Colorado River in Grand and Glen Canyon as well as the San Juan River Basin, and would devastate regional scientists livelihoods. For more on this important story please check out our friend Science and Technology reporter Melissa Sevigny's great report.