The BC Community Bat Program is calling for volunteers to participate in the BC Annual Bat Count, set to begin on June 1.
Bat biologists and volunteers will spend late evenings counting bats as they emerge from maternity roosts across the province.
“It’s an incredible experience,” said Paula Rodriguez de la Vega, Okanagan coordinator for the program. “You witness the transition into night, feeling the cool air and hearing the quiet settle, all while tracking bats as they take flight.”
The Annual Bat Count focuses on maternity colonies, where female bats roost together in the summer to raise their pups. Most BC bat species have just one pup per year, with babies born in June and learning to fly within 3–6 weeks. Volunteers count bats at sunset, aiming to tally both the females in early summer and their pups come mid-July.
Last year, 1,089 counts took place at 268 roost sites, providing critical data on bat populations.
“These counts help us monitor population trends and detect impacts, such as white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated bat populations elsewhere,” Rodriguez de la Vega said.
While the fungus causing the disease was identified in BC’s Grand Forks region in 2022, the disease itself has not yet been found in the province.
Volunteers can help at public sites like O’Keefe Ranch, Fintry Provincial Park, and Peachland Historic School or at private roosts in barns, attics, or bat boxes. Local partners, including The Nature Trust, Osoyoos Desert Society, and Bat Education and Environmental Protection Society, also support the counts.
Since its launch in 2012, the Annual Bat Count has been the only long-term monitoring program for bat summer roosts in BC. Bats play a vital role in the ecosystem, controlling insect populations and providing billions of dollars in economic benefits.
For those interested in joining this important initiative, the BC Community Bat Program is eager to welcome more volunteers.
