Volunteers wanted for N.H. bat count project

CONCORD — Wildlife biologists need help from volunteers who have bats in their barn or other outbuilding to conduct bat counts this summer as part of the New Hampshire Bat Counts project to help monitor summer bat colonies in the Granite State. It’s easy to participate, and volunteers are asked to conduct at least one count in June and one count in July.

Structures such as barns and other outbuildings often serve as summer homes for female bats and their young. In the face of white-nose syndrome, which has caused significant declines in bat populations throughout the Northeast, monitoring these “maternity colonies” is more important than ever. New Hampshire Fish and Game and UNH Cooperative Extension are looking for landowners and homeowners who have bats on their property to help keep track of New Hampshire’s bats by conducting “emergence counts” at roost sites. Volunteers interested in learning more can visit the New Hampshire Bat Counts website at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/wildlife-and-habitat/nongame-and-endangered-species/bats-new-hampshire/nh-bat-counts for information on conducting a count and submitting data.