W W W . B A T C O N . O R G W I N T E R 2 0 0 2

B AT C O N S E R VAT I O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Bidding for

Bats at Bat Stamps

BATSBATS

Baby bats learn to soar without a mother’s help

C o n s e rving Costa Rica’s BatsWolf River Cave

The story

behind the

Orpha n sOrpha n sSurvive

Helping

BATS Volume 20 , No. 4 , Winte r 2002

Helping Orphans SurviveBaby Bats Can Learn to Fly, Hunt, and Hide on Their OwnBy Barbara French and John O.Whitaker, Jr.

Conserving Costa Rica’s BatsA New Program Takes 110 Bat Species Under its WingBy Richard K. Laval and Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera

Nocturnal NavigatorsAn Educational Exhibit Reaches ThousandsBy Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera

Bidding For BatsA Tense Auction Buys Protection for a Critical Tennessee CaveBy Jim Kennedy

Bats Go PostalA BCI Member Wins a Place for Bats on U.S. StampsBy Robert Locke

News and NotesBats’ Sonar ‘Vision’ May Help the Blind

A Primer on Planned GivingBy Michael L. Cook

FEATURES

1

4

7

8

10

DEPARTMENTS

13

16

COVER PHOTOThe eastern red bat (L a s i u rus bore a l i s), which roosts in the foliage of trees, is found east of the RockyMountains from Canada to as far south as central Florida.Photo © Merlin D. Tuttle, BCI \ 808-5504

Bat Conservation Intern a t i o n a l

P.O. Box 162603, Austin, Texas 78716(512) 327-9721 • Fax (512) 327-9724 www.batcon.org

Publications Staff

Managing Editor: Robert LockeConsulting Editor: David BaxterPublications Designer: Elysia Wright DavisVisual Resources Manager: Kristin HayVisual Resources Coord i n a t o r : Sandra ForstonB AT S welcomes queries from writers. Send your article proposalwith a brief outline and a description of any photos to the addressabove or via e-mail to: pubs@batcon.org.

M e m b e r s : Please send changes of address and all correspondenceto the address above or via e-mail to members@batcon.org. Pleaseinclude your label, if possible, and allow six weeks for the changeof address.

Founder & Pre s i d e n t : Dr. Merlin D. TuttleB o a rd of Tru s t e e s :

Andrew Sansom, ChairpersonJohn D. Mitchell, Vice ChairmanVerne R. Read, Chairman Emeritus Peggy Phillips, SecretaryMark T. Ritter, TreasurerJeff Acopian; Mark A. Adkins; Eugene L. Ames, Jr.; CharlesChester; Eugenio Clariond Reyes; Michael L. Cook; Robert E.Gerrie; Nancy Harte; Joan Kelleher; Travis Mathis; Scott McVay; Thomas Read; Wilhelmina E. Robertson; LeeSchmitt; Patsy Steves; Dr. Merlin D. Tuttle; Roy Vaughan;Marc Weinberger

Membership Manager: Amy McCartneyDevelopment Dire c t o r : Denise Meikel

Scientific Advisory Board :

D r. Eduard Yavrouian, A r m e n i a ; D r. Leslie S. Hall, Dr. Greg Richards, Bruce Thomson, Australia; Dr. Irina K.Rakhmatulina, Azerbaijan; Dr. Luis F. Aguirre, Bolivia; Dr.Wilson Uieda, Brazil; Dr. M. Brock Fenton, Canada; Dr. JiriGaisler, Czech Republic; Dr. Uwe Schmidt, Germany; Dr. G.Marimuthu, Dr. Shahroukh Mistry, India; Dr. Rodrigo A.Medellín, Dr. Arnulfo Moreno, Mexico; Ir. Herman Limpens,Netherlands; Dr. Armando Rodriguez-Duran, Puerto Rico;Dr. Ya-Fu Lee, Taiwan; Dr. Paul A. Racey, United Kingdom;Dr. Denny G. Constantine, Robert Currie, Dr. Theodore H.Fleming, Dr. Thomas H. K u n z, Dr. Gary F. McCracken, Dr.Don E. Wilson, United States; D r. José R. Ochoa G.,Venezuela.

B AT S (ISSN 1049-0043) is published quarterly by Bat Conservation International, Inc., a nonprofit corporation supported by tax-deductible contributions used for public education, research, and conservat ion of threatened and endangered bats. ©Bat Conservation International, 2002. All rights reserved.

Bat Conservation International is dedicated to conserving and restoring bat populations andhabitats around the world. Using non-confrontational approaches, we educate peopleabout the ecological and economic values of

bats, advance scientific knowledge about bats and the ecosys-tems that rely on them, and preserve critical bat habitatsthrough win-win solutions that benefit both humans and bats.

A subscription to BATS is included with BCI membership: Senior, Student or Educator $25; Basic $30; Friends of BCI $40;Supporting $50; Contributing $100; Patron $250; Sustaining$500; Founder’s Circle $1,000. Third-class postage paid atAustin, Texas. Send address changes to Bat ConservationInternational, P.O. Box 162603, Austin, TX 78716.

BATS is printed on a 50/20 chlorine-free recycled paper with a water-based coating on the cover.

W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S1

Baby Bats Can Learn to Fly,Hunt, and Hide on Their Own

by Barbara French and John O. Whitaker, Jr.

T he fi rst flights we re tentative atbest — bri e f, wo bbly affa i rs thath a rd ly ve e red from a stra i g h t

p a t h . Twists and turns appare n t ly we rem o re than the baby bats, u n t u t o red bym o t h e rs , could handle; so was maintain-ing a consistent altitude. And they l a n d e d , ve ry un-batlike , heads up on thesides of their cage . Within day s , h owev-e r, the eight orphaned bats we re ra c i n gc o n fi d e n t ly around the perimeter oftheir encl o s u re and landing, after littleflying somers a u l t s , upside down on thec age ceiling — just as red bats should.

In fact, these bats, orphaned soonafter birth, single-handedly acquired thesecrets of their kind (Lasiurus borealis).Without the help of their mothers, theylearned to fly and land, to fire up theirsonar and hunt the insects that wild redbats prefer, and to avoid at least onepredator of bats. Much of what it takesto be a successful red bat — or at leastthe biological foundation on which thebats’ behavior develops — apparently ishard-wired into the genes of the species.

On the other hand,without a mother’ss u p p o rt , the eight red bats in this studyalmost cert a i n ly would not have surv i ve dlong enough in nature to learn what theyneeded to know.

Can baby bats learn to catch insectswhen raised in captivity without pare n t s ?The question is of considerable interest tow i l d l i fe re h ab i l i t a t o rs , who often ra i s eorphaned bats. Can such bats be re l e a s e dinto the wild with a re a s o n able chance ofs u rv i val? Or must human re h ab i l i t a t o rs

wo rk in loco pare n t i s and try to fill them o t h e r ’s role as teach e r ?

Little is known about yo u n g , i n s e c t i vo-rous bats as they make the transition fro ma diet of mother’s milk to flying insects.Some re s e a rch e rs suggest that young batsneed time, d u ring which they are stillnu rsed by their mothers , to develop theskills needed for successful flight and fo r-agi n g . Other re s e a rch indicates they mayl e a rn those skills by spending time hunt-ing insects with their mothers . Red bat

Helping

© ELAINE ACKER, BCI \ 917-4402

Orpha n sOrpha n sSurvive

These red bat orphans, deprived of a mother’s help, nonethelesslearned the skills of their species.

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 22

pups in captivity typically begin flying atabout 21 days of age , b u t , at least in thew i l d , m o t h e r ’s milk is ava i l able to batpups for about 38 days — and most pupsa re pro b ably learning to fly and feed oninsects befo re then.

In Central Tex a s , B a r b a ra Fre n ch , aw i l d l i fe re h abilitator and Conserva t i o nO fficer for Bat Conservation Intern a t i o n a l ,often re c e i ves orphaned or injured re db a t s , m e m b e rs of a solitary, t re e - ro o s t i n gspecies that ra n ges from Central A m e ri c ato Canada.P regnant females typically gi veb i rth to two to four pups.The pups we i g h1.75 grams (about six-hundredths of anounce) each and do not open their eye suntil they are 10 to 11 days old.

To determine whether baby red batsc a n , on their own and in captivity,become successful insectivo re s , Fre n chbuilt an outdoor flight cage about 56 by21 feet (17 by 6.4 meters) and 12 feet (3.6m e t e rs) high and cove red it with netting.Fo l i age and a va riety of roosts we re hungf rom the ceiling.Eight red bat orphans —s even males and one female — we reh a n d - raised from infancy and placedinside the cage when they we re oldenough to eat insects, at an estimatedt h ree to six weeks of age .

When fi rst delive red to the re h ab i l i t a-t o r, the pups we re fed fo rt i fied milk and

b aby food (veal and bananas), s u p p l e-mented with a vitamin paste,four times ad ay. Vi s c e ra from mealwo rm larvae andeve n t u a l ly whole mealwo rms we readded to their diet as soon as the yo u n gbats would accept them. After they we n tinto the flight cage , hand feedings we rereduced to two a day (at about 7:30 a.m.and 7:30 p.m.).

The young bats began flying almosti m m e d i a t e ly after being released in thec age . Within day s , t h ey we re circl i n ga round the encl o s u re and,soon after,t h eywe re racing around the poles that ru nd own the center of the cage .

It was at this point that the young batsseemed to notice the insects swa rm i n ga round the incandescent and bl a ck lightshung from the ceiling. At fi rs t , the batsre p e a t e d ly fl ew into and straight out ofthe swa rm s .Within a week or two , h ow-eve r, most began darting about and turn-ing sharply within the swa rm s , as thoughp u rsuing insects.

The bats initially we re found withs u n ken abdomens at their morning hand-feedings — a sign that they we re n ’t hav-ing mu ch luck catching insects.Within afew we e k s ,h oweve r,b u l ging bellies we recommon in the morn i n g s ,and insect re m-nants we re found in their fe c e s . O n eorphan sported a distended ab d o m e n

Bat rehabilitator Barbara French built this cage (at left) so orphaned bats would have room to fly and forage as they learn tolive in the wild like these free-flying adults.

Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S3

just six days after he began fly i n g , w h i l et h ree late bl o o m e rs showed no indica-tion of self-feeding for 42 to 43 day s .

Twice a we e k , we used a bat detectorto monitor echolocation calls duri n gevening fl i g h t s . C l e a r ly defined fe e d i n gb u z z e s , the ra p i d - fi re calls that signal ab a t ’s final attack on an insect, we redetected after two weeks in the fl i g h tc age , although at least one bat was cl e a r-ly capturing insects seve ral days earlier.The fi rst evidence of flying insects infeces was found after 28 day s . All the bats

we re feeding on insects by the time theyre a ched adult weights of 10 to 12 gra m s(0.35 to 0.42 ounces).

Since all eight bats had learned ontheir own to catch and eat flying insects,the questions became:What are they eat-ing? Do the bats feed on whatever insectsa re most common,or are they selective intheir menus? To find the answe rs ,we useda funnel trap to collect insects from insidethe cage and collected bat dro p p i n g sf rom plastic tarps beneath the bats’ ro o s t-ing are a s . C o m p a ring insect species fro m

the trap and the droppings showed thatthe bats we re indeed selective in theirchoice of prey and ge n e ra l ly chose thoseinsects favo red by wild red bats.

The orphans fed mainly on moths, acommon food of red bats in the wild.T h eyalso occasionally go rged on midges — atype of swa rming fly that may be ra t h e reasy prey for young bats still learning tofe e d . T h ey large ly ignored most otherinsect species identified from the tra p s .

One eve n i n g , Fre n ch wa t ched in sur-p rise as all of the young bats suddenlyfl ew into roosts at the same time. Amoment later, the shadow of a gre a th o rned owl passed ove r h e a d . The batsnot only sensed the presence of thispotent pre d a t o r, but responded appro p ri-a t e ly by hiding in fo l i age . This behav i o ralmost cert a i n ly is innate, since no ex p e-rienced bats we re ava i l able to teach it.

Evidence suggests red bat pups in thewild continue nu rsing while learning tofly and capture insects. But red bat moth-e rs lactate for only about 38 days after gi v-ing birt h , so the young appare n t ly mu s tfeed on their own after that. Our orphanb a t s , h oweve r, needed an estimated 50 to82 days after birth to learn to fo rage fo ri n s e c t s .The mu ch longer time befo re self-feeding was most like ly due to theabsence of their mothers .

Although it appears that insect-hunt-ing with echolocation is innate, a moth-e r ’s presence pro b ably speeds up acquisi-tion of these essential skills. A baby batwould be unlike ly to surv i ve this learn i n gp e riod in the wild without its mother’sa s s i s t a n c e .Our ex p e rience sugge s t s ,h ow-eve r, that providing protection and sup-plemental feedings in captivity may gi veyoung bats enough time to hone the skillsneeded for surv i va l .

BARBARA FRENCH is Science Officer for BatConservation International and bat rehabilitator forWildlife Rescue in Austin, Texas.

JOHN O. WHITAKER, JR., is Professor of Life Sciences atIndiana State University, Terre Haute.Unlike most bats, red bat mothers often give birth to twins or triplets and can have as many as five pups in a litter.

T he tropical fo rest rang with thelaughter of delighted yo u n g s t e rs .Four sch o o l ch i l d re n , their fa c e s

s c ru n ched in concentra t i o n , m a n e u ve re dgingerly across the clearing, each with amarble riding precariously in a spoon heldby clenched teeth. They were the bats andthe marbles we re pollen. When theyreached the baskets masquerading as flow-ers, they dumped the marbles, “pollinated”the plants, and kept the forest healthy andgrowing. Then another crew of “bats” tookoff, amid the cheers of classmates. And, atleast for these kids, Costa Rica’s bats werestarting to become familiar friends.

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 24

by Richard K. LaVal and Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera

A New Program Takes 110 BatSpecies Under its Wing

Conserving Costa Rica’s Bats

The “pollination race” at La TirimbinaBiological Reserve last spring was partof the initial educational efforts of a vig-orous new program in Costa Rica —Programa para la Conservación de losM u rc i é l a gos de Costa Rica ( t h eProgram for the Conservation of CostaRican Bats) —PCMCR.

Costa Rica, with at least 110 differentbat species living within its 20,000s q u a re miles (52,000 square kilome-ters), probably has a greater variety ofbats for its size than any other nation inthe world.These bats include what maywell be the cutest bat: the tinyHonduran white bat (Ectophylla alba);the largest New World bat — the carniv-

o rous false va m p i re bat (Va m py ru mspectrum); and the peculiar sucker-foot-ed bats (of the genus Thyroptera). Onespecies, the fruit-eating Talamancan yel-low-shouldered bat (Sturnira mordax),is found only in the mountains of CostaRica and small areas of adjacent Panamaand Colombia.

But, as is true in much of the world,Costa Rican bat habitats are disappear-ing in the face of spreading agriculturaland urban development, and harmlessbats that are essential to forest regenera-tion are indiscriminately killed in misin-formed efforts to control vampire bats.

In re s p o n s e , bat biologist Bern a lR o d r í g u e z - H e rre ra of the National

Museum of Costa Rica and longtime BCI member Richard K. LaVal launchedthe Programa para la Conservación delos Murciélagos de Costa Rica in May2 0 0 1 , with the support of BatConservation International and Mexico-U.S. Programa para la Conservaciónde Murciélagos Migratorios (Programfor the Conservation of Migratory Bats).Results of our initial public-educatione ffo rts are encouragi n g , and futureplans are ambitious.

The need for PCMCR is clear. CostaRica has not been immune to the wholesale deforestation that is denudingtropical forest regions worldwide. Acentury ago, 80 percent of Costa Rica

Costa Rican youngsters learn how much bats contribute to the environment through a game that simulates bats’ pollination of plants.

Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S5

was covered by primary forest. Today,that has been reduced to just 20 percent. Fortunately, about a fourth ofthe country, most of it forested, is nowp rotected by a national system of conservation areas — and these pro-tected areas are gradually increasing.

Costa Ricans in general are poorlyi n fo rmed about bats. As thro u g h o u tmuch of Central and South America, themost critical danger for beneficial batsis the widespread misconception thatall bats are vampires.And vampire batsare, indeed, a problem in Costa Rica.Atleast two outbreaks of paralytic bovinerabies occur each year as a result ofvampires, with a loss of at least 30 ani-mals annually and a cost to the cattleindustry of more than $600,000 duringthe last 15 years.

The Costa Rican government main-tains a very successful vampire-elimina-tion program that moves into affectedareas whenever a rabies outbreak isreported.Yet people often take the sit-uation into their own hands, with orwithout an outbreak, and kill bats ran-domly in caves and other roost sites.Bananas and other fruits are sometimeslaced with poison to kill fruit-eatingbats. Harmless, beneficial species arethe victims of these attacks. In a coun-try where forest regeneration and polli-nation are heavily dependent on bats,effective conservation and educationmeasures are critical.

Meanwhile, even though Costa Ricahas the most carefully studied bat faunaof any Central American country and afew species have been studied exten-sively, we know relatively little of thebasic biology of most bat species.Specific conservation plans simply can-not be developed at this time for mosts p e c i e s , some of which may be endangered.The smoky bat (Furipterushorrens), for example, is known from a

single Costa Rican colony that has notbeen seen since 1973, despite concert-ed efforts to find it.

In March 2000, Rodríguez took acritical step in building public enthusi-asm for bat conservation.With the sup-port of BCI, he designed an interactivebat exhibit featuring live bats in a “batc ave ” at the National Museum (See“Nocturnal Navigators,” Page 8). Theexhibit proved so popular that museumvisitation jumped threefold, with hugeincreases among schoolchildren.

E n c o u raged by that success,Rodríguez, with the assistance of LaVal,began developing a conservation pro-gram for Costa Rican bats. From thevery beginning, help and advice werep rovided by BCI and Mex i c o ’sPrograma para la Conservación deMurciélagos Migratorios (PCMM).

The idea became reality with ano rganizational wo rkshop at theNational Museum in May 2001, whenL a u ra Nava rro and Joaquín A rroyo -Cabrales of PCMM described their pro-gram’s eight years of very successfulwork in Mexico.And to get Programap a ra la Conservacíon de losMurciélagos de Costa Rica off to as t rong start , P C M M , in conjunctionwith BCI,provided a supply of teachingmaterials.These include the wonderfuls e ries of bilingual ch i l d re n ’s books(such as Marcelo the Bat) by LauraNavarro, PCMM’s environmental educa-tion coordinator.The goal of PCMCR isto adapt the education and conserva-tion techniques developed in Mexicofor use in Costa Rica.

The program is focusing initially onelementary schoolchildren,primarily inthe tropical dry-forest region — themost threatened ecosystem in CentralAmerica.We decided to concentrate onareas near national parks and otherinstitutions where the infra s t ru c t u re

Miriamalia Araya, PCMCR education director (left), and Bern a lRodríguez, director of the national program, show a fascinatedf o u rth grader a cluster of Honduran tent-making bats (see Page 6).

bat detectors to identify and study insec-tivorous bats all over the country andaugmenting our data with conventionalmist nets and bat traps.

La Programa para la Conservacíonde los Murciélagos de Costa Rica facesmany challenges, but with the commit-ment of our staff and dedicated volun-teers in Costa Rica and the continuedsupport of BCI and our colleagues inMexico, we will have a major impact onbat conservation.

BERNAL RODRÍGUEZ-HERRERA, a bat biologist andmammalogist at the National Museum of Costa Rica, isCo-director of Programa para la Conservacíon de losMurciélagos de Costa Rica.

RICHARD K. LAVAL, longtime BCI member and bat con-servationist, is Co-director of PCMCR.

At the end of thev i s i t , BCI and thePCMM announcedthat they would pro-vide significant support to continueand expand the program in Costa Rica.

As PCMCR moves into the future,research is being blended into its edu-cation and conservation efforts.We con-tinue to collect data on the distribution,abundance, and biology of Costa Ricanbat species. Much of this information isincluded in our new bilingual bookMurciélagos de Costa Rica/Bats. LaValhas detailed the threats to Costa Ricanbats in a chapter of a book entitledB i o d i ve rsity Conservation in CostaR i c a , L e a rning the Lessons in theSeasonal Dry Forest, edited by Frankie,Mata, and Vinson and due for publica-tion by the Unive rsity of Califo rn i aPress. We are making extensive use of

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 26

for environmental-education programsa l re a dy ex i s t s . These included 15schools near six national parks in thenorthwestern Pacific dry-forest region,one school hosted by the Simón BolívarNational Zoological Gardens in the cap-ital of San Jose, and a school in theCaribbean lowlands hosted by the pri-vate La Tirimbina Biological Reserve.Wehave so far reached about 550 studentswith this educational program.

Rodrigo Medellín, the coordinator ofPCMM, along with several members ofhis staff and BCI Executive DirectorSteve Walker, visited Costa Rica in April2002 to review the new program withR o d r í g u e z , L a Va l , and PCMCR Fi e l dCoordinator Marcela Fernandes. Duringthat visit, a bat workshop was presentedto 30 local sch o o l ch i l d ren at LaTirimbina, with participation of bothMexican and Costa Rican staff.

Costa Rica is home to an incredible diversity of bat species, from the delightful Honduran tent-making bats (above) to the carnivorous false vampire bat, shown at right with a captured bird.

Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S7

W ith Costa Rica’s bats battered by habi-tat loss, disappearing roost sites, and

widespread persecution, the National Museumof Costa Rica decided to take action. The resultwas Navegantes Nocturnas (Nocturn a l

N a v i g a t o r s ), an innovative and extremely popular educational exhibit on bats and theirc o n s e r v a t i o n .

Constructed in the San Jose museum’soutdoor garden and aimed primarily at stu-dents, the exhibit ran from April to June 2000and drew more than 35,000 people — threetimes the usual visitation rate.

Visitors encountered model bats, crafted bymuseum personnel, in every nook and crannyof the garden: a nectar bat visiting a flower, afishing bat with a fish in its claws, a giant falsevampire bat, a large fruit bat carrying a fig, anda harem of white-lined bats. Each bat wasaccurately reproduced at its natural size andwas engaged in its normal activities.

The most popular attraction was an artificialcave that covered about 160 square feet (15square meters) and held 18 live fruit bats offive species. The bats had been acclimated to areversed day/night cycle, so they were activefor daytime visitors.

A kiosk displayed posters based on the benefits of bats, control of vampire bats, the

anatomy of bats, and the image of bats inindigenous cultures. A BCI video of LatinAmerican bats played continuously.

Each child who visited received a bat maskand poster. Guides for school groups werespecially trained in bat biology and conserva-tion for this exhibit. Enthusiasm was obvious-ly high among the kids, especially on seeingthe live bats. The exhibition was widely publi-cized in the nation’s major newspapers, threetelevision channels, and various radio stations.

Navegantes Nocturnos was created pri-marily by myself and museum exhibit expertLidilia Arias, although many others helped withthe design, production, and publicity. BatConservation International loaned photos byBCI Founder Merlin Tuttle, as well asbrochures and other information on bats. TheNational Museum of Costa Rica financed theexhibit as part of its commitment to educatethe public by making science accessible toe v e r y o n e .

When the exhibition ended, the bats fromthe artificial cave were taken to their originalcapture site and released. The exhibit has sincebeen taken into rural areas of Costa Rica,where deforestation and the destruction ofroost sites are severe and access to informa-tion is sparse.Translated by Richard LaVal

Nocturnal Navigators

by Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera

Students learn the value of CostaR i c a ’s bats during the NationalM u s e u m ’s extremely successfulN o c t u rnal Navigators exhibit.

Join a Costa RicanAdventure

E x p l o re Costa Rica’s dazzling

diversity of bats and other wildlife

next March on an unforg e t t a b l e

BCI ecotour/workshop led by

Fiona Reid, author of A Field

Guide to the Mammals

of Central America and Southeast

M e x i c o.

The 10-day itinerary includes

the Pacific lowlands, the cloud

f o rests, the Caribbean rain fore s t s ,

and a cruise to Palo Ve rd e

National Park. BCI also offers an

optional five-day extension on the

remote Osa Peninsula. (You may

sign up for this five-day excursion

o n l y. )

The ecotour leaves San José

M a rch 16. Cost of $2,400 includes

meals, lodging, transportation

f rom San José, and a $250 tax-

deductible contribution to BCI’s

Global Grassroots Conserv a t i o n

Fund. The extension begins Marc h

25 and costs $1,850, including a

$250 contribution. Both trips are

$ 3 , 8 5 0 .

R e s e rve your place now!

Contact Andy Moore at BCI, PO

Box 162603, Austin TX 78716;

email amoore @ b a t c o n . o rg, or re g-

ister online: w w w. b a t c o n . o rg.

© RICHARD LAVAL

Volume 20, No. 4

But in a re m a rk able coopera t i ve coup,t h ree conservation groups — BatC o n s e rvation Intern a t i o n a l , The NatureC o n s e rvancy of Te n n e s s e e , and theS o u t h e a s t e rn Cave Conservancy — man-aged in a few days to come up with$74,000 to enter the auction. It tookeve ry dime, but the cave and 33 acres of surrounding countryside nearJa m e s t ow n ,Te n n e s s e e , a re now safe .

Wolf River Cave , filled with dra m a t i cro ck fo rm a t i o n s , is more than eight milesl o n g . A “ wet cave ,”it acts as a conduit thatc a rries a stream of water ru n o ff from a

A Tense Auction Buys Protectionfor a Critical Tennessee Cave

by Jim Kennedy

Bidding for Bats

T ime had all but run outfor the bats of Wo l fRiver Cave when the

alarm sounded at BCI last July.The cave was going on the auc-tion block in less than twoweeks and the key bidder wasplanning to commercialize thecave, harvest the surroundingt i m b e r, and develop the a re a . Te n n e s s e e ’s second-largest hibernation colony ofe n d a n ge red Indiana myo t i s(Myotis sodalis) would likelyperish.

These are among some 2,500endangered Indiana myotis thathibernate each winter in WolfRiver Cave, which was savedfrom development by BCI, the Nature Conservancy ofTennessee, and the SoutheasternCave Conservancy.

© M ER LI N D . TU TTL E, B C I \ 82 9- 4 50 1

B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 28

Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S9

h u ge surface area into an undergro u n da q u i fe r. Cutting the timber over the cavecould dra s t i c a l ly alter its env i ro n m e n t .

Indiana myotis are notori o u s ly pickyabout their hibernation sites. B C Ire s e a rch shows that these bats needh i b e rnation caves and mines that meetp recise tempera t u re re q u i rements andthat are stru c t u red in such a way that theroost stays cold enough for the bats toh i b e rnate in the fall without freezing inthe winter. R e l a t i ve ly few caves or minesmeet these cri t e ri a , and human incur-sions often alter conditions and leave theroosts unu s abl e .

Wolf River Cave is the winter hibern a-tion home for some 2,500 Indianamyo t i s , as well as smaller nu m b e rs ofe n d a n ge red gray myotis (M yotis gri s -e s c e n s) and Rafi n e s q u e ’s big-eared bats(C o ry n o r h i nus ra fi n e s q u i i) . The cavealso includes important arch a e o l o gi c a land paleontological fe a t u re s , i n cl u d i n gancient human fo o t p rints and the bonesof long-extinct jag u a rs .

But the cave ’s entrance is conspicu-o u s ly large and visible from a nearbyro a d . The need for protection becamee s p e c i a l ly clear two ye a rs ago , w h e nc ave rs found the remains of about 40bats that obv i o u s ly had been intentional-ly knocked off the walls and killed. B C Ihelped finance installation of a bat-fri e n d-ly gate on the cave later that summer.

The pro blem seemed solved until the

h e i rs who owned the 474-a c re fa rm that includes thec ave decided to put thep ro p e rty up for auction.T h efa rm was divided into 28p a rcels for the sale.

T h a t ’s when Roy Powe rs ,the wo r l d ’s premier caveg a t e r, BCI wo rkshop instru c-t o r, and engi n e e ring pro fe s-sor at Mountain EmpireC o m munity College inVi rgi n i a , e n t e red the picture .Powe rs called BCI with anu rgent wa rn i n g : Wolf Rive r

C ave was being auctioned off Ju ly 20 andc o m m e rcialization was like ly unless con-s e rvationists interve n e d .

We immediately called T h eN a t u re Conserva n c y ’s Te n n e s-see Chapter, w h i ch had beenwo rking for fi ve ye a rs to pro-tect the cave . D i rector ofP rotection Gab rielle Call saidTNC was awa re of the sale andthe risk to the cave but couldo ffer only about $31,000 —not nearly enough.

N ext we contacted theS o u t h e a s t e rn Cave Conser-va n c y, I n c . , w h e re A c q u i s i t i o n sC h a i rman Mark Wo l i n s ky saidthe gro u p , after an emerge n c yb o a rd meeting, was re a dy toadd $33,000 to the fund. B C Ip l e d ged $10,000 in case thebidding went higher still. T h eBCI pledge was cove red bylongtime members ChuckPease and Cynthia Va n n .

The complex fi n a n c i a la rra n ge m e n t s , along withagreements on purchasing andm a n aging the critical cave ,we re completed within thre ed ays and the part n e rs h i psigned up for the auction,w h i ch began on an ominousnote — the fi rst bid wa s$50,000 and climbed quick ly.

The would-be developer eve n t u a l lypushed the bidding to $73,000, w h i chthe part n e rship topped with a bid of$74,000 — all the money we had tos p e n d . It was enough and Wolf River Cavewas save d .

The ch e ck was delive red and the salecompleted on August 16. SCCi and T N Cwill jointly manage the cave , with BCIava i l able for advice on bat conserva t i o nand re s e a rch at the site.The cave will bef u l ly protected when the bats are pre-s e n t , f rom September 1 to May 1, a n dava i l able to cave rs , with some re s t ri c-t i o n s , the rest of the ye a r.

JIM KENNEDY is BCI’s Cave Resources Specialist.

Dramatic rock formations were carved throughout Wolf River Cave by runofffrom the surface that feeds an underground stream and replenishes an importantfreshwater aquifer.

Rafinesque’s big-eared bats like this one share Wolf River Cave with an impor-tant hibernating colony of endangered Indiana myotis.

© KRISTEN BOBO

Adams and her husband Baxter arelongtime members of Bat ConservationInternational and unabashed bat enthu-siasts.Their Love Creek Ranch at Medina(northwest of San Antonio,Texas) sportsa number of successful bat houses thatoften draw friends and neighbors for batparties. We have, Adams says,“been bigin bats for years.”

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 210

A BCI Member Wins a Place for Bats on U.S. Stampsby Robert Locke

N o e l ke , it turns out, is not only a pro-fessor at A n gelo State Unive rsity in SanA n ge l o ,Tex a s , she is also ch a i r, for almost30 ye a rs , of the U. S . Postal Serv i c e ’sC i t i z e n s ’ Stamp A d v i s o ry Committee.At ap a rty gi ven by mutual friends in SanA n ge l o , Adams says she discove re dN o e l ke ’s role on the stamp committee,a n d , “I guess because I’m a bat love r, I

a s ked her, ‘ W hy have n ’t you ever donebats? T h ey ’re wo n d e r f u l , t h ey have pre-cious fa c e s , and they need the help.’ ”

That was about two years ago. OnSeptember 13, 2002, four stamps featur-ing bat photos by BCI Founder andawa rd-winning nature photogra p h e rMerlin Tuttle were dedicated with con-siderable fanfare. Noelke confirms that

A mericans have been sticking postage stamps on envelopes for 155 years — yet not one official U.S. stamp had ever borne the image of a bat.As a likely measure of bats’ historicimage problems, consider that the last time they were proposed for a commemorative

stamp,bats reportedly lost out to a snake.Then rancher Carol Adams met history professor VirginiaNoelke at a West Texas dinner party.

Bats Go PostalBats Go Postal

wonderful PR,” but that opportunity israre indeed. Out of tens of thousands ofproposed stamp subjects, Noelke saysher committee recommends only about20 topics (including multi-stamp sets)each year to the Postmaster General.

The competition is fierce.An Internetsearch for Noelke’s name finds thou-sands of individuals, organizations, fanclubs, even whole states that are urgingemail and letter-writing campaigns toconvince her to choose some favored

tions were live bats,a bat-house-building wo rkshop for kids(sponsored by BCI, the NationalWildlife Federation, and HomeD e p o t ) , stamp collectibl e sincluding first - d ay cove rs signedby Merlin Tu t t l e , a n d , of cours e ,the spectacular evening emer-gence of some 1.5 millionM exican free-tailed bats (Ta d a -rida bra s i l i e n s i s) .

Tapping this unique opport u-nity to teach newaudiences ab o u tthe true nature ofbats and their cri t-ical role in the bal-ance of nature ,BCI joined the Na-tional Wi l d l i fe Fe d-e ration in pro d u c-ing bat-educationpamphlets thatwe re distri b u t e dwith U. S . Po s t a lS e rvice assistanceto some 300,000e d u c a t o rs and oth-e rs . Those flye rsdispelled dange r-ous bat myths fo r

m a ny people and pro-duced seve ral hundre dn ew BCI members .

While bat stamps are n ’tl i ke ly to eclipse the 1993Elvis Pre s l ey commemora-t i ve that became the Po s t a lS e rv i c e ’s all-time bestsellerwith more than 124 millions t a m p s , t h ey are prov i n gp o p u l a r. And their re l e a s ed u ring National Stamp-Collecting Month — a deci-sion Noelke attributes totheir expected fa s c i n a t i o nfor ch i l d ren — is like lyboosting sales.

As Carol Adams notes,bats on stamps are “just

Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S11

Carol Adams, with her husband Baxter on their Texas ranch, was the key towinning a place for bats on U.S. postage stamps.

The new bat stamps offer an outstanding educationl opportunity. Youngsters at theunveiling ceremony in Austin not only learned about bats and their essential role innature, but also got a hands-on lesson in bat-house building.

the fi rs t - ever U. S . bat stamps grewdirectly out of that conversation withCarol Adams.

E a ch of the fi rs t - class (37-cent)American Bat Stamps in the four-stampset bears the close-up profile of a differ-ent species: the California leaf-nosed bat(Macrotus californicus), the eastern redbat (Lasiurus borealis), the pallid bat(Antrozous pallidus), and the spottedbat (Euderma maculatum). With thenew stamps, the United States joins atleast 75 other countries that have cele-brated bats on their postage stamps(BATS, Spring 1999).

The dedication drew some 1,500people to Au s t i n ’s famous Congre s sAvenue Bridge, home of the world’slargest urban bat colony. Among attrac-

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 212

BCI’S OFFICIALFIRST-DAY COVERSOF THE FIRST-EVER

U.S. BAT STAMPS arevalued collectibles for bothbat enthusiasts and stampcollectors. And they make

terrific educational gifts forchildren. These limited-edi-

tion covers feature BCIFounder Merlin Tuttle’s

beautiful photographs onthe stamps, along with a

cachet of a Mexican free-tailed bat and Austin’s Congress AvenueBridge, summer home of the world’s largest urban bat colony. Bat

Conservation International offers a selection of these first-day covers,including some autographed by Tuttle.

Order yours today at BCI’s Web site:www.batcon.org.

FI R S T- DAY BAT CO V E R S

subject or another for aU.S. postage stamp.

“We as a committee arethe target of any number ofcampaigns for cert a i ns t a m p s ,” N o e l ke say s .“Sometimes a group evenhires a PR firm to organizetheir campaign. If an ideapiques our interest, it goesforward. Sometimes it doesand sometimes not.”

Two ye a rs ago , w h e nNoelke asked Adams whybats might belong onstamps, Carol had the rightanswer: “I showed her aposter from BCI. ... Onceshe saw the pictures andheard the story about theAustin connection, s h eseemed interested.”

Noelke says she’s never been muchof a fan of bats, but “I asked around andfound a lot of people were interested in[bat stamps] as a general conservationtopic. In Washington, I talked to our artdirector and he became very excited. Itturns out they are very interesting andvery photogenic. And on top of that, wethought kids would really enjoy it. ...Wetake seriously the idea that we can educate people with these stamps.”

The Postal Service eve n t u a l ly contacted Tuttle about artwork for thes t a m p s . He said the four bats we re chosen for their attention-ge t t i n ga p p e a rance and for their dive rse geographic distribution.“We wanted thebats to re p resent eve ry part of theUnited States,” he said.

The process from dinner party topostage stamp was long and uncertain,but, Tuttle says, the stamps’ educationalvalue is immense. The wait was wellworth it.

ROBERT LOCKE is Managing Editor of Bat

Conservation International.

The stamp-unveiling ceremony in Austin brought to the stage (from left) Postmaster General John E. Potter, Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee ChairVirginia Noelke, BCI Founder Merlin Tuttle, and U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas.

Volume 20, No. 4 B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 213

N E W S A N D N O T E S

EAC H S U M M E R, BCI M E M B E R S A R E

OFFERED THE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE AN

awesome natural spectacle seen byfew people in the world: the unfor-gettable evening emergence of theworld’s largest bat colony. Some 20million Mexican free-tailed bats(Ta d a rida bra s i l i e n s i s) swirl upfrom Bracken Cave and form enor-mous columns that head out overthe Central Texas countryside for anight of foraging on more than 200tons of flying insects. It is an incred-ible sight!

To protect this priceless naturalresource, BCI Members-Only Nightsa re limited to 50 people perevening, so they fill up quickly. Startplanning for 2003 now so you don’tmiss out on what is likely to be thehighlight of your summer.

Member Nights at BrackenS t a rt Planning for Next Summer’s Exclusive Vi s i t s

GET THE LATEST NEWS ABOUT BATS,B C I , S P E C I A L E V E N T S, C O N S E RVAT I O N

needs, and current projects deliv-e red straight to your computereve ry month. Bat Conserva t i o nI n t e rn a t i o n a l ’s new e-new s l e t t e rhelps keep you up to date on theworld of bats.

The first issue zipped across theInternet in September and more areon their way. Browse the colorfulheadline and intros, then just clickon “More” to get the whole story.You can also select your specificareas of interest and,as news releas-es or site updates come online, wewill notify you electronically.

It’s free and easy: All you have todo is sign up on our Web site:w w w. b a t c o n . o rg. D o n ’t miss a single issue!

E-Bats: Get BCI’s

Electronic Newsletter

The 2003 member nights at theSan Antonio-area cave will be on theSaturdays of June 28, July 12,August2 , August 15, August 30, a n dSeptember 6. July 26 is reserved fornew members or first-time Brackenvisitors only.

Registration begins May 1, 2003(and will not be accepted earlier).Simply send BCI your name andmember nu m b e r, a d d re s s , p h o n enumber and email address, the num-ber of people attending, and yourfirst and second choice for dates.Email that info rmation to bra ck-en@batcon.org; fax it to 512-327-9 7 2 4 , a t t e n t i o n : M e m b e rs NightCoordinator; or call BCI at 512-327-9721 during business hours (7:30a.m.-4:30 p.m., Central Time Zone,Mon-Fri) and ask for the Members

BCI Founder and President Merlin D. Tuttle (center) accepted the National Wildlife Federation’s National ConservationAchievement Award for 2001 for “extraordinary contributions to the conservation of wildlife and natural resources.” The awardwas presented by NWF President and CEO Mark Van Putten (right) and Board Chairman Bryan Pritchett.

Night Coordinator.After you register, we’ll send you

confirmation of the date of yourvisit, along with a map and addi-tional information.These tours are aspecial privilege for members andtheir immediate families only.Pleasebe considerate of others andrestrict your group size to aboutfour people. No pets, please.

Mark your calendar now.

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 214

AR I Z O N AJanet Ty b u re c , our most ex p e ri e n c e d

wo rkshop leader, hosts this pro gram atthe A m e rican Museum of Natura lH i s t o ry ’s Southwe s t e rn ResearchS t a t i o n . Located in a beautiful ri p a ri a nc a nyon in the Chiricahua Mountains,this is one of the most species-ri ch are a sof North A m e ri c a .Wo rking in the low-land desert one night and conife ro u spine fo rests the nex t , we will compareand contrast the We s t e rn bats we fi n d .

The emphasis is on species identifi c a-tion and habitat assessment, and weexpect to capture and release as manyas 17 species in a single eve n i n g , a l o n gwith observations of endange red lesserlong-nosed bats (L ep t o ny c t e ris ye r b -ab u e n a e) and Mexican long-tonguedbats (C h o e ro ny c t e ris mex i c a n a) .

T h ree 6-day, 5-night sessions, e a chlimited to 12 people, d e p a rt fro mTu c s o n .Wo rkshops begin May 17, M ay2 2 , and May 27, 2 0 0 3 . C o s t : $ 1 , 1 9 5 .

(A limited number of full and part i a ls ch o l a rships are ava i l able for fe d e ral andstate biologi s t s , land manage rs , a n dother pro fessionals with special needs.)

PE N N S Y LVA N I AThis central Pe n n s y l vania wo rk s h o p

emphasizes Eastern bats and their hab i-t a t s , m a n age m e n t , and conserva t i o n . L e dby Janet Ty b u rec and wildlife biologi s tCal Butch ko s k i , a noted bat-housed e s i g n e r, p a rticipants will net andrelease bats over stre a m s ,b e aver ponds,mine entra n c e s , and fo rest tra i l s .

We will enter a gated mine to learnabout the hibernation needs of endan-ge red Indiana myotis (M yotis sodalis)and fi ve other species.We ’ll use night-vision equipment to wa t ch the fa l lswa rming behavior of thousands of bats.D u ring an early morning field tri p , m o rethan 20,000 little brown myotis (M yo t i sl u c i f u g u s) will be seen filling the sky ast h ey re t u rn to their roost in an oldch u rch that’s now a bat sanctuary.T h ewo rkshop will also ex p l o re how bathouses and other art i ficial roosts arehelping to protect bat populations.

One 6-day, 5-night session, limited to20 people, d e p a rts from Harri s b u rg , PA .Wo rkshop begins August 19, 2 0 0 3 . C o s t :$ 1 , 1 9 5 . (A limited number of sch o l a r-ships are ava i l abl e . )

NE O T R O P I C A L BAT WO R K S H O PJoin Fiona Reid, a rt i s t , n a t u ra l i s t , a n d

author of A Field Guide to theMammals of Central A m e rica andSoutheast Mex i c o, and BCI staff on are m a rk able journ ey to Belize, home toan amazing array of neotropical bats.We expect to encounter frog-eating andfishing bats, f ruit and nectar fe e d e rs ,va m p i re bats, and a va riety of insect-eating bats.We will investigate capturet e chniques especially suited to tropical s i t u a t i o n s , i n cluding raising ex t ra - l a rgenets into the fo rest sub-canopy andusing a boat to erect and ch e ck mistnets set across wa t e r way s .

The 8-day, 7-night session, w h i ch islimited to 15 people, d e p a rts from BelizeC i t y, B e l i z e , Ju ly 20, 2 0 0 3 .Cost: $1,995,including a $250 tax-deductible contri-bution to BCI’s Global GrassrootsConservation Fund.

For more info rmation and onlinea p p l i c a t i o n s , visit BCI’s Web site,w w w. b a t c o n . o rg / t ri p s / t o p t ri p s . h t m l,or contact: A n dy Moore , B C I , PO Box1 6 2 6 0 3 , Au s t i n ,TX 78716; Te l : ( 5 1 2 )3 2 7 - 9 7 2 1 ; a m o o re @ b a t c o n . o rg .

BCI’S BAT CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS offer an unparalleled opportunity for hands-on experi-ence in conservation and research techniques. One of our most popular and effective programs, the fieldworkshops have provided the foundation for hundreds of graduates to become key bat conservationists,both nationally and internationally.

BCI staff and local researchers share their knowledge of bat habitat management, field research tech-niques, bat houses, public health issues, nuisance abatement, bat capture and identification, acoustic monitor-ing, radio-tracking, and much more. Reserve your place now for one of our summer 2003 workshops.Thecost covers all tuition, lodging, meals, fees, and transportation from the local departure city.

BCI WORKSHOPS 2003 Sign up for a Unique Learning Experience

Workshop leader Janet Tyburecremoves a captured bat from amist net during a BCI workshopin Arizona.

Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S15

BATS FLYING AT TOP SPEED EASILY DODGE

OBSTACLES AND CHASE DOWN MOVING insectseven on the darkest of nights. T h eremarkable sonar system that permitssuch nighttime aerobatics by many batspecies produced the myth that bats areblind. They’re not, of course, but theiragility when vision is useless inspired aBritish invention that may give newmobility to humans who cannot see.

A “ B a t c a n e ,” d eveloped by SoundFo resight Ltd. and Cambri d geConsultants Ltd., directly mimics bats’e cholocation by emitting ultra s o n i cpulses of sound (beyond the reach ofhuman hearing) and analyzing theechoes that bounce back from nearbyobjects. Obstacles trigger vibrations onone of four pads in the cane’s handle.The closer the object, the faster thevibration.

The unique cane is designed to allow

the blind to build a sort of mind-map oftheir immediate surroundings, locatingobstacles at both ground level and headheight to their front and sides. Similar ina p p e a rance to the traditional whitec a n e , the Batcane re q u i res no programming and runs on conventionalAA batteries.

Trials with prototype models areunder way in the United Kingdom,United States, Canada, and Germany. ACCL spokesman said preliminary resultsare very encouraging, and the cane maybe available in 2003.

The connection to bats is no coinci-d e n c e . The spokesman said SoundForesight’s Board of Directors includesDr. Dean Waters, a Senior Lecturer in theUniversity of Leeds’ School of Biology.Bat echolocation is among Waters’ majorresearch topics, and he has publishedextensively in the scientific literature.

Adding Bats to a Pest-

Control Programby Scott Diemer

AH,T H E P L E A S U R E S O F A S U M M E R E V E N I N G I N

T H E SO U T H.TH E WA R M, S U LT RY a i r, a fre s h lyb rewed glass of iced tea, the scent ofm agnolia and jasmine — the sudden cryof pain and the smack of hand upons k i n .Pa radise has a pri c e :F l o rida is hometo 77 species of mosquitoes, all of themo rn e ry.

So how can a small town with almostno budget tackle pest control? In CincoB ayo u , in nort h west Flori d a , resident JimB ratton had an inspira t i o n . He knew thata few bats alre a dy lived under the CincoB ayou Bri d ge near his home,and he knewthat bats eat an enormous amount ofb o t h e rsome insects. So why not re c ru i tm o re bats to help fight insect pests?

Jim pitched his plan to the Tow nCouncil in Ju ly 2001. Four months later,the initially skeptical council hadwa rmed to the idea of placing a bathouse under the bri d ge to increase thebat population, but the $5,000 cost wa sp ro h i b i t i ve for a town of about 500 peo-p l e . Councilman and educator Dan

Bats’ Sonar ‘Vision’ May Help the Blind

Help us “Server” you

B C I ’s headquarters is struggling with anobsolete computer network. The aging net-work server is being overwhelmed by thevolume of traffic and the huge multimediafiles that have become a crucial part of ouroperation. The Norc ross Foundation gener-ously donated $5,000 to help us upgradeour system, but we still need at least $7,000m o re for a new serv e r. This is our singlemost important piece of computer equip-ment, and any donation toward this upgradewill greatly improve BCI’s eff i c i e n c y.

Desktop Workstations

T h ree of our desktop computers are sooutdated and inadequate that re p l a c i n gthem is the only option; they simply can’thandle current projects and software .P o w e rful new Hewlett-Packard worksta-tions are now just $850 each and the re t u rnon donations will be immediate.

Mist Nets

The mist nets we use to safely capturebats in the wild have a rough time. Usedyear round for re s e a rch and workshops,many of our nets simply wear out each year.We need 12 new nets: four 18-foot nets($58 each), four 30-foot nets ($70 each),and four 42-foot nets ($94 each) for a totalof $888.

Wish ListFa r l ey suggested part n e ring with LizaJa ckson Pre p a ra t o ry School to defrayc o s t s .

The goal was a Bri d ge Lodge bathouse from BCI friends Marvin and LindaM ab e rry of Mab e rry Centre Bat Homes.The super condo is a 183-pound (83-kilo-gra m ) ,1 6 - c revice stru c t u re with room fo r5,000 bats. Designed specifi c a l ly fo rb ri d ge s , F l o rida alre a dy has 37 installed.

Liza Ja ck s o n ’s K-8 students adoptedthe plan as a combination commu n i t ys e rvice/science project and beganf u n d - raising — and studying bats. T h eyq u i ck ly cove red the $2,000 cost of theB ri d ge Lodge .E n gi n e e ring fees ($1,000)we re wa i ve d , and a local marina donat-ed installation ($2,000).

The June 2002 dedication marked theculmination of a significant commu n i t ye ffo rt at no taxpayer ex p e n s e . Bats area l re a dy in re s i d e n c e , and the town is hoping to see a nu rs e ry colony next ye a r.Bats are staying on the sch o o l ’s curri c u-lum and the students will re p o rt e a ch year to the BCI’s Bat HouseResearch Project.SCOTT DIEMER is a BCI member in Fort Walton Beach,

Florida.

Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 216 Volume 20, No. 4B AT S W I N TE R 2 0 0 216

Dedicated members who rememberBat Conservation International in theirwills are providing a lasting legacy ofsupport for critical research, education,and conservation projects. And as theoptions for planned giving becomem o re sophisticated, we incre a s i n g lyreceive inquiries about the best strate-gies for structuring an estate plan tobenefit BCI while fulfilling other goalsof the donor. BCI always advises poten-tial donors to consult their own attor-neys and financial advisers. This articleis not intended as legal advice. It out-lines the fundamentals of planned giv-ing to help prepare you for discussingthese issues with your estate planner.

Planned giving is simply a strategy forstructuring gifts that are made during ap e rs o n ’s lifetime and afterwa rds toensure that charitable goals are met andto minimize the tax burden facing recip-ients of this generosity. The principlesand rules on which it is based are partof the Internal Revenue Code; this is notan attempt to sidestep taxes the federalgovernment intended taxpayers to pay.

The Uncertain Estate TaxThe estate tax itself is under attack ,

of cours e . C u rrent law phases out theestate tax, with pro gre s s i ve ly higherexemptions and lower rates until theyear 2010. Then the tax disappearsc o m p l e t e ly, o n ly to re t u rn in 2011 justas it existed in 2000. Not to wo rry,t h o u g h ; no one expects that scenario top l ay out as designed. E x a c t ly what willh a p p e n , h oweve r, is difficult to pre d i c t .The need for planning re m a i n s .

First, consider the various levels of

This is a brief summary of a much more detailed description of planned giving strategies prepared by attorney Michael L. Cook. The complete manuscript is available

at BCI’s Web site: www.batcon.org.

by Michael L. Cook

estate planning.The first level, which isadequate for most married couples,usually involves nothing more than exe-cuting wills — or revocable living trustagreements — that maximize the estate-tax exemption through a device vari-ously called a by-pass trust, a familytrust, or a credit-shelter trust.This levelmay also include an irrevocable lifeinsurance trust to protect life insuranceproceeds from taxes. In most instances,fi rs t - l evel estate planning does noti n clude ex t e n s i ve ch a ri t able gi v i n g ,other than perhaps a direct bequest to acharity.

A Sophisticated StrategyThe next level utilizes more sophisti-

cated stra t e gi e s . The most commonlyused ve h i cle for minimizing fe d e ral andstate tra n s fer taxes while shifting we a l t hf rom one ge n e ration to another is thefa m i ly limited part n e rs h i p . S o p h i s t i c a t e destate planners are beginning to use fa m-i ly limited part n e rships in combinationwith ch a ri t able trusts to ach i eve espe-c i a l ly effe c t i ve ch a ri t able gi v i n g .

The most commonly used instru-ment for this purpose is the charitableremainder trust (CRT).The CRT distrib-utes a defined amount at least annuallyto non-charitable beneficiaries for a life-time, a combination of lifetimes, or afixed period of years.At the end of thattime period,ownership of the trust (the“remainder interest”) is distributed to acharity or charities.

The opposite of a CRT is a charitablelead tru s t . It distributes a defi n e damount to a charity or charities for as p e c i fic number of ye a rs , then the

remainder interest is distributed to oneor more non-ch a ri t able benefi c i a ri e s ,such as grandchildren.

This raises an important point aboutall gifts to charities: Make gifts of appre-ciated assets whenever possibl e .Ap p reciated assets have inhere n t ,untaxed gains attributed to them, and agift of the asset generally allows a con-tribution deduction equal to the fairmarket value of the contributed asset.The charity can sell the asset withoutpaying tax on the inherent gain.

Insurance can also play a significantrole in planned giving. Insurance can beused in two ways. In one, the personbuys life insurance, usually establishedin the form of a trust, with the charitynamed as benefi c i a ry. The oppositeapproach can produce a virtually tax-free estate. In essence, the donor leaveshis entire estate to charity - either as ad i rect bequest or through a pri va t efo u n d a t i o n , t ru s t s , or other endow-ments.The donor provides for the fami-ly’s needs by purchasing significant lifeinsurance. The insurance proceeds arenot taxable if the person has establishedan irrevo c able life insurance tru s t ,which, through contributions made bythe donor, buys the life insurance. Sincethe irrevo c able life insurance tru s t ,rather than the donor, owns the poli-cies, the value of the insurance is notincluded in the donor’s estate, and thetaxable estate would be zero.

Endowed GiftsAnother popular strategy, especially

for donors who have worked hard foryears on behalf of a favorite charity, is

A PRIMER ON PLANNED GIVING

17Volume 20, No. 4 W I N TE R 2 0 0 2 B AT S17

P lanning often makes the difference between failure and success. Bat Conservation In t e r n a t i o n a l’s first twenty years testify tothat truth. BCI’s well-planned strategy of cooperative action, relying on earning the trust of vital partners, has forged twodecades of re m a rkable pro g re s s .

With your help, we can continue that success far into the future. Planned giving — through a myriad of techniques includinga bequest in your will —doesn’t have to affect your lifestyle, but it will assure that you have a positive impact for years to come.

With your planned gift, you join BCI’s Legacy Circle. This is a group of concerned individuals who have invested a smallamount of time now to maximize future benefits for bat conservation. As a Legacy Circle member, you will re c e i ve periodic con-s e rvation updates, helpful financial planning information, and invitations to participate in extraord i n a ry nature tours.

For information on how you can become a part of this distinguished gro u p, please contact BCI or your financial advisor. If yo udecide to include BCI in your estate plans, please let us know. We look forw a rd to welcoming you as our newest Legacy Circ l eMe m b e r.

Re m e m b e r, the future happens whether you plan for it or not. By including conservation in your plan, yo u’ll be making a uniquecontribution to healthy environments for generations yet to come.

Planned gifts to BCI help ensure that awe-inspiring emergences like this can be experienced for generations to come.

the creation of an endowed fund in thename of the donor or the family. Anendowed gift simply means that theprincipal remains intact, while the char-ity enjoys income from the fund in per-petuity.This is normally done through atrust or a nonprofit corporation, and thedonor usually names friends or relativesas tru s t e e s , although institutionaltrustees are sometimes chosen.

Another approach to a permanentendowment is to create a private foun-dation that lets the donor’s survivingfamily decide how and when benefits

are distributed. This approach is pre-ferred only when a number of charitiesa re named as benefi c i a ries and thedonor has no clear preference for onecharity over another.

Community FoundationsAn incre a s i n g ly popular device is

known as the donor-advised fund, inwhich the gift is made to a large publiccharity,such as a community foundation.Income from the fund, and ultimatelythe pri n c i p a l , a re distributed by thefoundation according to recommenda-tions made by the donor or someone

designated by the donor.M a ny tools are ava i l able to ensure that

our ch a ri t able goals are met beyond ourl i fe t i m e s , and most estate planners enjoyd eveloping the most effe c t i ve appro a chto ch a ri t able gi v i n g . Planning now canm a ke a huge diffe rence for the future .

MICHAEL L. COOK is a shareholder and director in the

law firm of Jenkens & Gilchrist, P.C., at its Austin office.

He is a member and former Chairman of the Board of

BCI. The author thanks Michele Mobley, a partner in the

firm of Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody in Austin,

for her comments and observations.

Help Plan the Future ofBat Conservation

Help Plan the Future ofBat Conservation

For obligation-free information on how to use planned giving to support BCI, please contact Denise Meikel,Development Dire c t o r, at dmeikel@batcon.org or (512) 327-9721, ext. 26.

P.O. Box 162603Austin, TX 78716-2603 U.S.A.

A D D R E S S S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D

NONPROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE PA I D

A U S T I N , T E X A S

PERMIT NO. 1530

Since 1990, BCI’s Student Scholarship Fund has helped 158 graduatestudents, with grants totaling more than $344,560, conduct impor-tant, often vital, bat-conservation research around the world. In 2002alone, we helped 23 young scholars gain valuable knowledge andexperience in 16 countries.This year’s recipients are working onsuch critical topics as:

• Testing artificial roosts for endangered Indiana myotis in theeastern United States.

• Determining causes of decline for endangered Mexican fishingbats.

• Developing land-management strategies to facilitate forestregeneration by fruit bats in Panama.

• Studying the ecological needs of endangered insectivorous batsin The Netherlands.

• Researching the pollination impact of long-tongued fruit batson endangered mangrove ecosystems in Malaysia.

• Determining the roosting and habitat requirements of India’srarest fruit bat.

We are pleased to help nurture new generations of conservation-minded scientists, many of whom already are contributing greatlyto conservation. Lack of knowledge remains a serious obstacle tobat-conservation progress, and the greatest hindrance is a lack offinancial support for young conservationists. Every year, we mustreject worthy applicants because we simply do not have the fundsto help them.

To learn how you or your company can support deserving youngconservationists, contact:

Denise Meikel, Director of DevelopmentBat Conservation InternationalP.O. Box 162603Austin TX 78716(512) 327-9721dmeikel@batcon.org

Helping Dedicated YoungBat ConservationistsAround the World

BCI is proud to announce that RasitBilgin (Turkey), Jennifer Cruse-

Sanders (Brazil), Erin Gillam (UnitedStates), Anne-Jifke Haarsma (The

Netherlands), Detlev Kelm (Germany),Tammy Mildenstein and Sam Stier

(Philippines), Heather Peckham(Panama), N. Singaravelan (India),and Steffen Watzke (Malaysia) areamong Student Scholars who are

being supported by a generous grantfrom the Oracle Corporation.

2002 Oracle Bat Research Scholars

Oracle Scholar Steffen Watzke uses an antenna to receive signals from batstagged with radio transmitters as part of his research in Malaysia.