Mission 4
Inspire
Through
Experience
Through
Experience
Bats are vital for healthy ecosystems, deeply rooted in culture and tradition, and fascinating.
Erin Cord
Community Engagement Manager
Community Engagement Manager
Learning about bats and witnessing the “batnado” at Bracken Cave inspires stewardship.
Photo by Jonathan Alonzo.
Photo by Jonathan Alonzo.
The clear path to protecting bats and their habitats around the world is welcoming more people to experience the wonders of bats.
Fran Hutchins
Director, Bracken Cave Preserve
Director, Bracken Cave Preserve
Photo by Rachel Harper.
“Batnado” at Bracken Cave
Bracken Cave and Preserve
Bat Conservation International owns and manages Bracken Cave Preserve — home to the largest maternity colony of bats in the world. Millions of pregnant Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) migrate from Central Mexico to Bracken Cave in Texas Hill Country in March and April each year to give birth and nurse their young. In summer months, onsite visitors and online viewers witness the remarkable experience of a “batnado,” as millions of bats rise and swirl out into the sky for their nightly meal.
Millions of Mexican free-tailed bats give birth to their pups inside Bracken Cave.
Photo by Jonathon Alonzo.
Photo by Jonathon Alonzo.
The Wonders of Bracken Cave
BCI hosted
161 Bat Flight Events
with
5,200 Visitors
and
93,000 Online Viewers
Mexican Free-tailed Bat Pups.
Photo by Jonathan Alonzo.
Photo by Jonathan Alonzo.
Impressive pest control
In central Texas, millions of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) emerge from Bracken Cave nightly to surrounding fields to devour swarms of insects, lessening the need for pesticides on nearby crops.
Volunteers at Bracken Cave help visitors fully experience the bat emergence.
Photo by Fran Hutchins.
Photo by Fran Hutchins.
Volunteers are crucial
Volunteers at Bracken Cave Preserve educate visitors before inviting them to gather near the mouth of the cave and watch as bats swirl upward into the darkening sky. In addition to conducting tours and talks, volunteers at Bracken Cave Preserve also maintain trails, clear brush, and assist with bird counts, bio-blitzes, and wildlife surveys.
Around the United States, volunteers with Bat Conservation International conduct bat walks in collaboration with zoos and other nature institutions. Volunteers also plant corridors of agave to support nectar-feeding migratory bats, build and install bat boxes to shelter bats in overdeveloped areas, and report injured bats to rescue groups.
BCI welcomes everyone
During a pandemic year, with all its challenges, BCI continued a robust agenda of inspiring people to conserve bats and their habitats. In 2021, we:
- Launched virtual classrooms for bat ambassadors, making it easier for our stalwart volunteers and partners to access training materials. The initiative increased our ability to deliver workshops to multiple communities simultaneously.
- Gardened for bats. BCI’s Gardening for Bats program took off during a time when people were staying close to home. BCI developed an initial set of plan lists and design templates. And we got our hands dirty, too, by installing a pilot garden in collaboration with the Central Texas Native Plant Society, Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, and TBG Partners, a landscape architecture firm.