Bats and Their Activity at Pollinator-Friendly Solar Sites | Learn & Grow Program

Name: Bats and Their Activity at Pollinator-Friendly Solar Sites | Learn & Grow Program
Start: 2025-10-18T10:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-18T11:30:00-04:00
Location: Williamsburg James City County Recreation Center

Schedule

Sat Oct 18 2025 at 10:00 am to 11:30 am

UTC-04:00

Location

Williamsburg James City County Recreation Center | Williamsburg, VA

Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight and are found across the globe. They have vast importance for both biodiversity and human economies. However, North American bat populations are declining due to habitat loss, wind energy development, and the spread of white-nose syndrome. Their disappearance would cause agricultural losses estimated at over $3.7 billion annually. This program will explore the ecological roles and diversity of bats, and focus on how bats interact with solar energy sites in Virginia.
Member Priority Registration: Garden Members will receive an email on or before the first of the month with the link for Priority Registration. Registration opens to the public one week prior to the program. Membership info: https://williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org/support/membership/
About our speaker: Bryce Donaghue is a second-year graduate student at William & Mary studying bat activity at pollinator-friendly solar facilities. Prior to graduate school, Bryce worked with the Great Basin Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Las Vegas, Nevada. He oversaw the daily care of the endangered Devils Hole pupfish at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge before transitioning to work at Desert National Wildlife Refuge. There, he led habitat restoration initiatives, coordinated refuge stewardship programs, and managed invasive species control efforts at the largest wildlife refuge in the contiguous United States.