Winter Lecture Series - Echoes in the Landscape

The lectures will be held indoors at the Bull Run Mountains Conservancy's headquarters, just a few minutes' drive away from Leopold's Preserve. Each lecture will feature a special guest speaker who will discuss a topic relating to the natural world. Light refreshments will be provided.

December 3: "Echoes in the Landscape: Uncovering How Bats Use Working Lands" presented by Erin Shibley, a wildlife biologist with the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Did you know that bats offer numerous ecosystem services globally, including pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal? Here in Virginia, bats are critical members of our agricultural ecosystems, consuming thousands of insect pests each night. This interactive program will focus on the behavior and ecological benefits of bats. The presentation will share Smithsonian research updates from a new Virginia Working Landscapes' study in Northern Virginia that explores how bats utilize foraging habitat across agricultural landscapes. Attendees will learn about conservation challenges to North American bat populations and how everyone can get involved to help support bats on their own properties. (Photo credit: Brooke McDonough)