The bumblebee bat is the world”s smallest mammal, weighing less than a penny the largest bat is the flying fox that has a six-foot wingspan. With more than 1,200 bat species worldwide, bats comprise about a fifth of all mammals. Knox, whose new moniker around town is “batman,” says he”ll be including his bat-friendly status in future marketing material. “Most people would prefer to work with an environmentally conscious company … that is protecting local wildlife,” she said. McCandless, with the bat conservancy, hopes hundreds of bats can be saved each year through her organization”s new program.Īnd, she added, it”s not only good for bats, it”s good for business. It”s estimated that some bats eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes an hour. “People are slowly coming around to recognizing the importance of bats and the huge role they play in eating insects,” he added. “It”s very exciting to me that there is someone out there that is educating people about how to do the right thing for bats,” said Scott Osborn, a bat expert with the California Department of Fish and Game. In California, there are 24 bat species, half of which are considered “at risk.” But while bats have certain legal protections, property owners are allowed to kill them if they consider them a nuisance. Workers are taught about different kinds of bats and why they are ecologically important, as well as how to find them at a work site, and how to safely deal with them. The certification process involves a brief training and runs between $50 and $200, depending on business size, with a small annual renewal fee. “Every group we certify means there”s a whole new group of people … aware of bats,” she added. “The whole reason the program started is there are certain industries where people have a direct impact on bats, like roofing, wineries, tree surgeons, construction, pest control, farming and golf courses, explained Elise McCandless, director of the certification program. In fact, the Monterey Bay Area roofing company is the first California business to earn the wildlife group”s “bat-friendly” certification. Now, thanks to training led by the Bat Conservancy of Coastal California, a local group devoted to bat education and conservation, Knox and his employees are far less likely to accidentally harm bats, of which there are about a dozen species in Santa Cruz County.
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