Conference Workshops

Securing, Centralizing and Activating data for Canadian Bat Conservations Needs

Wednesday October 8th, 2025 (2-4pm)

Organizers: Jordi Segers, Cori Lausen, Camila Hurtado, Michael Anissimoff

There is an urgent need to secure and centralize Canadian bat data in a way that enables timely and effective conservation action. This forum on “securing, centralizing, and activating data for Canadian bat conservation needs” invites those who hold or help orchestrate Canadian bat data deposition and those who have an invested interest in putting data to conservation action (e.g., academic, consultant, and government biologists) to participate in an open discussion. During this session, we will emphasize the acute urgency, and lay out potential routes forward. This interactive session will ask participants what data they want to have considered, what barriers there are for data centralization, and what other routes forward should be considered. This two hour session is open to all and no registration is needed.

Education and Outreach Committee

Thursday October 9th, 2025 (1-2:30pm)

Organizers: Veronica Brown, Aja Sherman

The education and outreach committee would like to provide a shortened workshop this year, in light of participant budgetary needs, so that an extra day is not required. We would like to have an extended lunch workshop. Thursday lunch was discussed with Riley and Matina as an option. Our initial topic idea for this year is "how to discuss controversial topics involving bats with the public," focusing mainly on zoonotic diseases, given the reduced timeframe. We can modify the main topic if needed to avoid overlap with other workshops and/or make it more broad to wildlife in general, rather than just bats, to make it more appealing to TWS. We expect this workshop will appeal to a group that is less likely to attend a more scientific-formated workshop and are looking for ideas on working directly with the public. Our goal with the "tricky conversations" is to ultimately provide digital materials for NASBR members to easily access.

Buy tickets for either workshop here