Organization for Bat Conservation

Last updated
Organization for Bat Conservation
Formation1992 (1992)
Dissolved2018;6 years ago (2018)
38-3417021
Legal status501(c)3
Focus Environmentalism, Conservation
Location
Origins Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Executive Director: Rob Mies (1992-2018)

Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC) was a national environmental education nonprofit based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, established to educate and inspire people to save bats. It was the largest grassroots bat conservation organization in the United States. [1] In February 2018, it was announced that the organization was ceasing operations due to unexpected financial problems and personnel changes. [2]

Contents

History

Founded in 1992, OBC was a leading environmental educator focused on bats. Its home base was at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, where OBC operated the Bat Zone, a live animal center with approximately 200 animals including bats from around the world and other nocturnal animals. Each year, thousands of visitors came to the Bat Zone to attend tours and participate in live animal educational programs. OBC educators traveled throughout the country to present education programs to children and adults at schools, festivals, museums, science and nature centers each year. [1]

OBC attained non-profit status in August 1997. [3]

Great Lakes Bat Festival

OBC also organized and participated in several special events. The Annual Great Lakes Bat Festival, started in 2002, was created to celebrate the role of bats in the Great Lakes ecosystem as insect eaters, while dispelling misconceptions that generate fears and threaten bats and their habitats around the world. The goal of the festival is to help people understand the impact to natural ecosystems and human economies should bat populations continue to decline.

National Conservation Campaign

In September 2014, OBC launched a new public action campaign called Save the Bats. Save the Bats is aimed at preventing the decline of bat populations. Save the Bats encourages people to take local action to conserve bats, including installing bat houses, planting wildlife gardens, and teaching others about the importance of bats. The campaign has many celebrity, government agency and corporate supporters.

In addition, OBC and Warner Brothers Entertainment worked together on the set of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to re-purpose parts of the movie set into bat houses. Director Zack Snyder contacted OBC when he heard about bats dying off from white-nose syndrome and enlisted Rob Mies, OBC Executive Director, to assist in the bat house design and construction. More than 150 bat houses were made on the movie set in Pontiac, some of which were painted and signed by Snyder, Amy Adams, and Ben Affleck. [4] The bat houses were auctioned off to support the Save the Bats campaign. [4] Warner Brothers released a short PSA documenting the bat house build featuring Affleck encouraging people to join the campaign. [5] To date, more than 1,000,000 people have viewed the video.

Property acquisition

In August 2017, Organization for Bat Conservation purchased the mineral rights for Magazine Mine, a silica mine in southern Illinois. [6] [7] Magazine Mine is one of the largest Indiana bat hibernacula in the world. [8]

After 15 years at the Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, OBC moved the Bat Zone to a larger location in Pontiac in June 2017. [5] [9] The 10,000 square foot building used to be a First Federal Bank, on west Huron Street near Woodward Avenue. [5]

Dissolution

Rob Mies was removed from his position as Executive Director of OBC in February 2018. Shortly after his dismissal, OBC announced that it would cease operation due to unexpected financial struggles. Mies disagreed with the decision to dissolve OBC and called for the resignation of its board members to save the organization. [2]

61 animals were transferred to the Detroit Zoo, and the organization worked with other institutions to find homes for over 200 animals. [10]

Collaborative worldwide conservation projects

North America

Africa

Asia

Australia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloomfield Township, Oakland County, Michigan</span> Charter township in Michigan, United States

Bloomfield Township is a charter township in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Bloomfield Township is located roughly 20 miles (32 km) northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 44,253.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican free-tailed bat</span> Species of mammal

The Mexican free-tailed bat or Brazilian free-tailed bat is a medium-sized bat native to the Americas, so named because its tail can be almost half its total length and is not attached to its uropatagium. It has been claimed to have the fastest horizontal speed of any animal, reaching top ground speeds over 99 mph (160 km/h). It also flies the highest among bats, at altitudes around 3,300 m (10,800 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant golden-crowned flying fox</span> Large bat species

The giant golden-crowned flying fox, also known as the golden-capped fruit bat, is a species of megabat endemic to the Philippines. Since its description in 1831, three subspecies of the giant golden-crowned flying fox have been recognized, one of which is extinct. The extinct subspecies was formerly recognized as a full species, the Panay golden-crowned flying fox. Formerly, this species was placed in the genus Pteropus; while it is no longer within the genus, it has many physical similarities to Pteropus megabats. It is one of the largest bat species in the world, weighing up to 1.4 kg (3.1 lb)—only the Indian and great flying fox can weigh more. It has the longest documented forearm length of any bat species at 21 cm (8.3 in).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nest box</span> Man-made enclosure for animals to nest in

A nest box, also spelled nestbox, is a man-made enclosure provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for birds, in which case they are also called birdhouses or a birdbox/bird box, but some mammals such as bats may also use them. Placing nestboxes or roosting boxes may also be used to help maintain populations of particular species in an area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common vampire bat</span> South and Central American bat

The common vampire bat is a small, leaf-nosed bat native to the Neotropics. It is one of three extant species of vampire bat, the other two being the hairy-legged and the white-winged vampire bats. The common vampire bat practices hematophagy, mainly feeding on the blood of livestock. The bat usually approaches its prey at night while they are sleeping. It then uses its razor-sharp teeth to cut open the skin of its hosts and lap up their blood with its long tongue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana fruit bat</span> Species of bat

The Mariana fruit bat, also known as the Mariana flying fox, and the fanihi in Chamorro, is a megabat found only in the Mariana Islands and Ulithi. Habitat loss has driven it to endangered status, and it is listed as threatened by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Poaching, habitat loss, and the introduction of invasive species have contributed to the species' decline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana bat</span> Species of bat

The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2.0 in long and weighs 4.5–9.5 g (0.16–0.34 oz). It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat, but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips, and a keel on the calcar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bracken Cave</span> Cave in Comal County, Texas, US

Bracken Cave is the summer home to the largest colony of bats in the world. An estimated 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost in the cave from March to October making it the largest known concentration of mammals. The cave is located in southern Comal County, Texas, outside the city of San Antonio. The 100-foot (30 m)-wide crescent shaped opening to the cave lies at the bottom of a sinkhole, formed when the roof of the cave collapsed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand long-tailed bat</span> Species of bat

The New Zealand long-tailed bat, also known as the long-tailed wattled bat and pekapeka tou-roa is one of 15 species of bats in the genus Chalinolobus variously known as "pied bats", "wattled bats" or "long-tailed bats". It is one of the two surviving bat species endemic to New Zealand, but is closely related to five other wattled or lobe-lipped bats in Australia and elsewhere. It won the 2021 Bird of the Year competition in New Zealand, despite not being a bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern yellow bat</span> Species of bat

The southern yellow bat is a species of vesper bat that belongs to suborder microchiroptera (microbat) in the family Vespertilionidae. It is native to South, North and Central America, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States to Argentina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black flying fox</span> Species of mammal

The black flying fox or black fruit bat is a bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is among the largest bats in the world, but is considerably smaller than the largest species in its genus, Pteropus. The black flying fox is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It is not a threatened species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livingstone's fruit bat</span> Species of bat

Livingstone's fruit bat, also called the Comoro flying fox, is a megabat in the genus Pteropus. It is an Old World fruit bat found only in the Anjouan and Mohéli islands in the Union of the Comoros in the western Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodrigues flying fox</span> Large species of bat native to the island of Rodrigues

The Rodrigues flying fox or Rodrigues fruit bat is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae, the flying foxes or fruit bats. It is endemic to Rodrigues, an island in the Indian Ocean belonging to Mauritius. Its natural habitat is tropical lowland forests. The bats are sociable, roost in large groups during the day and feed at night, squeezing the juice and flesh out of fruits. They are hunted by humans for food and their numbers have been dwindling, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the species as being "endangered". In an effort to preserve them from extinction, some bats have been caught and are being bred in various zoos around the world.

Bat Conservation International (BCI) is an international nongovernmental organization working to conserve bats and their habitats through conservation, education, and research efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bat</span> Order of flying mammals

Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera. With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. The smallest bat, and arguably the smallest extant mammal, is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, which is 29–34 millimetres in length, 150 mm (6 in) across the wings and 2–2.6 g in mass. The largest bats are the flying foxes, with the giant golden-crowned flying fox reaching a weight of 1.6 kg and having a wingspan of 1.7 m.

The Great Lakes Bat Festival was an annual two-day event that started in 2002 and began in the Great Lakes region. The festival later expanded to different state divisions, such as the Illinois Bat Festival, the Indiana State University Bat Festival, the Minnesota Bat Festival, and the Wisconsin Bat Festival. It was founded and organized by the Organization for Bat Conservation until the organization's dissolution in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California myotis</span> Species of bat

The California myotis is a species of vesper bat. It is found in British Columbia in Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, and in the western United States, including California.

There are eighteen indigenous species of bats in Canada, which are found in many parts of the country. They are insectivores, and are prey to falcons, hawks, owls, snakes, cats, and raccoons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubee Bat Conservancy</span> Non-profit organization in Florida, U.S.

Lubee Bat Conservancy is a nonprofit organization in Gainesville, Florida. The organization was founded in 1989 by Luis F. Bacardi as a center for the research, conservation, and breeding of endangered animals; it later narrowed its focus solely to bats, particularly megabats.

Millie Hill bat cave is an abandoned iron mine in Iron Mountain, Michigan that is now one of the largest bat breeding colonies in North America. The vertical mine shaft is blocked by a steel grate, which prevents entry by humans but allows bats to enter and exit freely. The bat cave is designated as an official Michigan Wildlife Viewing Area.

References

  1. 1 2 "Organization for Bat Conservation". NE Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  2. 1 2 Abdel-Baqui, Omar (20 February 2018). "Popular Bat Zone faces shutdown after co-founder terminated". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  3. Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Organization For Bat Conservation - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2023-11-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. 1 2 McMillan, Graeme (2016-03-07). "'Batman v Superman' Set to Be Auctioned for Bat Conservation Charity". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  5. 1 2 3 Ramirez, Charles E. (2017-06-17). "Bat conservation group to roost in Pontiac". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  6. Miller, Amy (2017-09-05). "Michigan Bat Organization Takes Control of Huge Cave". WDET 101.9 FM. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  7. "Illinois mine becomes sanctuary for endangered bats". KWQC. 2017-09-04. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  8. "The Organization for Bat Conservation Acquires the Magazine Mine". batconservation.org. Organization for Bat Conservation. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  9. Buckson, Robin (2017-06-18). "New home for Organization for Bat Conservation". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  10. "Pontiac's Bat Zone animal sanctuary closes, Detroit Zoo swoops in to help". Detroit Free Press. 2018-02-28. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  11. Organization for Bat Conservation, Bat Conservation Journal, Summer 2009 Issue
  12. "Critter Catchers, Inc". www.crittercatchersinc.com. Retrieved 2023-11-07.