ENLIGHTENMENT: Why We Should Love Our Local Bats

Did you know California’s largest bat colony lives just down the road from us? Underneath the Yolo Causeway, which carries thousands of drivers daily between Sacramento and Davis, is where 250,000 Mexican free-tail bats make their home every summer. At sunset between late June and September, a “batnado” fills the sky as they all head out for dinner.

Ugly? Scary? Are these bats unnecessary? We’re hosting a salon talk with the person in California most determined to change negative perceptions about bats and show why they’re they some of the coolest, cutest, and most useful creatures living in our area.

Corky Quirk, who is happy to be known as “the Bat Lady,” is founder of NorCal Bats, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and rehab of bats, and she has led the Yolo Basin Foundation’s Bat Talks and Tours for 20 years. Quirk will be be bringing a few live bats as “ambassadors” for us to meet and get up close to as she explains our local bats’ behavior, their beneficial impact on our environment, and the risks that put them in peril. Bring your own questions — nothing is too small or too dumb to ask about.

Then stay to play some Bat Trivia for a Good Cause (it will be even more fun than you expect, we guarantee it.) All trivia-playing proceeds will go to NorCal Bats efforts.

And if you want to make a donation in advance, check out the NorCal Bats wish list on Amazon and mail or bring those items to the talk for Quirk and the bats to use.
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Ruhstaller’s BSMT has a variety of beers on tap, as well as wine, kombucha and sparkling water. Light snacks will be available, but please feel free to BYO food and nonalcoholic beverages.

For more information about ENLIGHTENMENT and about California Groundbreakers, go to californiagroundbreakers.org

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