Monthly Program - Carpe Noctem: Things that Go Bump in the Night - BATS

Join Jefferson Humanists for our monthly program where we will enjoy Dr. Rick Adams's presentation, Carpe Noctem: Things that Go Bump in the Night.

Bats are one of the most unique mammals on earth. Not only are they the only flying mammalian taxon but they also have an extremely sophisticated echolocation system used for navigating, hunting prey, and midnight rendezvous in total darkness. And bats are the second most diverse Order of Mammals with more than 1,450 species dispersed across every continent, except Antarctica.

In North America, they provide critical ecosystem functions protecting forest/crop lands as well as reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases. Insectivorous bats are the only significant consumers of nocturnal insects, thereby controlling their populations that would otherwise wreak havoc on ecosystems. In the U.S. alone, the collective of insect eating bats save our economy at least $57 billion annually, which exceeds the median revenue of a Fortune 500 company. Bats are also primary pollinators for iconic and keystone cacti species of the desert southwest, including agave plants - bringing $3.6 billion to Mexico’s economy annually. In the tropics, bats pollinate and disperse the seeds of more than 600 plant species critical in supporting tropical food webs and humans alike. They are worthy creatures to appreciate and protect.

Dr. Rick Adams delivers a lively and engaging discourse on the unique anatomy, amazing physiology, interesting behavior, incredible evolution, and vastly important ecology of bats that make them one of the most enigmatic groups of animals in nature. You might even want to put up a bat house!

About our Speaker
Dr. Rick Adams is Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. Since 1984 his research encompasses Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation of bats in Colorado, Wyoming, Caribbean Islands, Belize, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia as well as in Sichuan Province, China. He is also President and Founder of the Colorado Bat Society (https://www.coloradobatsociety.org/), an organization dedicated to educating the public, protecting bats and their habitats in Colorado and beyond. Dr. Adams is the recipient a number of academic awards, and several teaching awards at the University of Northern Colorado. He is the author of Bats of the Rocky Mountain West, winning awards on both first and second editions.

This program is hosted by Jefferson Humanists, a chapter of the American Humanist Association.

To ensure we set up enough seats, please RSVP on this Meetup or by email to RSVP@bhfs.com.
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SCHEDULE

We will serve appetizers from 4:00 to 4:30, then start the program. A small donation is suggested for the food, and wine will be served for a $3 donation.

We hope to see you at 4:00 pm, on Sunday, January 25th, at Jefferson Unitarian Church! It is an in-person-only event.
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"We see then that the bat is a very wonderful creature, one of nature's triumphs and masterpieces." - W.H. Hudson