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SPECIAL EVENTS
SNEEK PEEK - REGISTRATION OPENS IN MAY
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13 FIELD TRIP - INVESTIGATING BAT ROCK ROOSTS When: Tuesday, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm This day trip and workshop will focus on the biology of rock-roosting bats and gaining experience with techniques used to study bats and their roosts in these rocky-systems. Participants will be transported by van to several rocky sites, including areas known to support Myotis volans and Eptesicus fuscus and other sites with no documented bat presence. We will cover some safety and practical considerations for studying bats in rocky systems, and you will learn how to conduct visual surveys on talus slopes and other near ground-level rock formations. Participants can expect to take part in some light exercise, spend time in beautiful landscapes, and learn skills that are transferable to a variety of crevice-roosting bat species. If the opportunity arises, we will demonstrate capture and handling techniques (under Colorado Parks and Wildlife permit), but seeing bats is not guaranteed. This experience is expected to take the better part of the day. A box lunch will be provided. What to know: Accessing the sites will require some short hikes over moderately steep terrain and moderate to high elevation (6,000-9,000 ft). Moving around on the sites themselves will involve scrambling from boulder to boulder, although there will be no need for true rock-climbing. Please bring a strong handheld flashlight (with a wrist lanyard, if possible) - headlamps are NOT ideal for visual surveys. We suggest bringing sunglasses, a hat, and sunblock, because the sun is intense at elevation and rocky sites produce high reflectance. Please wear comfortable closed-toe footwear that is suitable for rocky terrain, such as hiking boots or sneakers, and bring multiple warm layers of clothing including a hardshell jacket. A small daypack to hold your water bottle, snack, phone, clothes, and other personal items is also highly recommended. Items dropped on talus slopes can fall into cavities and disappear forever! You will also appreciate having your hands mostly free to help navigate the terrain. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14 EVENT - SPALLANZANI RUN When: Wednesday, 7:00 am Sign up for a fun, 5K Spallanzini Run on the streamside trails around the Hilton to raise funds to support the Spallanzani Award and get a cool t-shirt. WORKSHOP - HOW TO GET CREDIT FOR DOING OUTREACH/SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND HOW TO DO IT WELL When: Wednesday, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Negative U.S. trends in public trust in science are cause for concern among applied STEM professionals. Fortunately, key practices and research insights from the field of science communication (e.g., policy, management, public engagement) can help science/scientists foster public trust and connections for using and co-producing science. However, long-standing academic traditions result in pervasive resistance to and devaluation of scicomm efforts, including devaluing teaching, studying, and doing scicomm. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to identify existing barriers, practice strategies to get credit and support for their scicomm work, and map out a personalized action plan to get more credit for their scicomm efforts.
WORKSHOP - BAT ANESTHESIA AND TAG ATTACHMENT USING SUTURES
When: Wednesday, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm The use of radiotelemetry and data logging tags by bat researchers has greatly enhanced our understanding of bat life history and ecology and has contributed to conservation efforts across the globe. Various tag configurations and attachment methods have been used successfully on dozens of species and until recently, most tags have been attached using glue or collars, with the latter method primarily employed on members of the Yinpterochiroptera. Each of these methods has pros and cons, and one drawback to using glue has been the relatively short attachment duration. This workshop will introduce participants to an attachment method that has allowed multi-month tracking and data collection. The goal of this workshop is to train 8-10 bat researchers to safely and humanely anesthetize bats and apply data logging tags or Motus tags to bats using suture. Dr. Castle and colleagues have been employing this technique since 2014 and have successfully tagged hundreds of wild bats. The longest known deployment has been 330 days, and ~25% of Motus-tagged bats have provided data for at least 250 days. The workshop will take place at the Colorado State University Foothills Campus, which is ~15 minute drive from the Hilton (transportation to the event will be via NASBR van or carpooling; lunch will be provided). FIELD TRIP - BAT FOOTED FERRET EXPERIENCE When: Wednesday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center to learn about their work to research, breed, and reintroduce one of the world’s most charismatic and endangered mammals.
WORKSHOP - HARNESSING NORTH AMERICAN BAT MONITORING PROGRAM DATA FOR ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
When: Wednesday, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm In this interactive workshop, analysts from the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) Central Coordinating Office at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Fort Collins Science Center will guide participants through practical, hands-on workflows for managing, exploring, and summarizing NABat data using both the NABat Partner Portal and the NABatR package. NABat is a multinational, multiagency collaborative effort designed to provide consistent, reliable information on bat populations to support effective natural resource management across North America. Participants will learn how to efficiently extract, format, and organize NABat data, apply data-quality checks, and generate project-ready summary products. The workshop will emphasize creating customizable reports that integrate maps, summary statistics, and publication-quality figures tailored to project-scale needs. Through guided exercises, attendees will practice producing repeatable workflows that streamline analysis, support clear communication with partners and stakeholders, and enhance the utility of NABat data in on-the-ground decision support. The session will also highlight new and upcoming NABat-derived tools and reporting features that further support practitioners in applying monitoring data to management questions. Bring a laptop and basic R skills (loading CSVs, running code blocks), and get ready for a practical, data-driven workshop designed to expand your data analysis and reporting skillset for natural resource management. WORKSHOP - BATS AND ELECTRIC POWER: OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCALABLE SOLUTIONS When: Wednesday, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm Electricity demand is increasing rapidly, requiring significant expansion of generation and transmission infrastructure across the landscape. At the same time, bat populations are declining, elevating regulatory and operational risks and presenting conservation opportunities for the electric power industry. We need energy. We need resilient bat populations. How can we work together to achieve both? This workshop will bring together researchers, industry representatives, regulators, and conservation practitioners to holistically identify ongoing efforts, critical research needs, and knowledge gaps to create opportunities for practical, scalable management and mitigation solutions at the intersection of bat conservation and electric power. A series of short introductory talks will provide context on the scale of projected energy demand and infrastructure build-out and offer an overview of various organizations' plans and efforts to develop solutions to support resilient bat populations and achieve societal energy goals. These presentations will be interspersed with facilitated panel discussions, interactive-style activities designed to foster collaboration and idea-sharing across stakeholders. Together, participants will explore common goals, identify actions that can be taken now to lay the foundation for long-term solutions, and consider how to align incentives to create as many win-win outcomes as possible for bats and energy. EVENT - WELCOME RECEPTION When: Wednesday, 6:30 - 8:00pm Join us at Colorado State University Stadium for food and drinks to kick off the 54th North American Symposium for Bat Research. The perfect opportunity to catch up with friends and colleagues. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15 EVENT - BLOCK PRINTING BATS ON REUSABLE BAGS When: Thursday, 10:00 am - 3:00 pm Laura Grossett from Front Range Community College will host an event that combines printmaking (a form of art-making) and bats together. On Thursday, within the exhibitor space, she will set up a station with a printmaking press, pre-carved blocks of native bats, and tote bags where, with assistance, participants will ink up and print their own bag. This will be a fun way to engage people in an experiential art experience where natural discussions about bats and their behaviors will ensue. EVENT- POSTER SOCIAL When: Thursday, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Enjoy a beverage and light hors d'oeuvres while you view posters presented my undergraduate students, graduate students, and professionals.
EVENT- STUDENT SOCIAL (STUDENTS ONLY)
When: Thursday, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Our NASBR Student Representatives (Renee Lile & Shane Seheult) have planned a super fun student social at a local brewery! Fort Collins is renowned as one of the craft beer capitals of the country, and we're taking full advantage! Prost Brewing is a local favorite, so come experience a taste of what makes this city special while you mingle with fellow bat enthusiasts. Food and some non-alcoholic beverages will be provided, and locally brewed alcoholic brews will be available for purchase. We'll have plenty of activities to keep the night going — including Bat Bingo, Skeech, and Shuffleboard. Connect with fellow students, share research experiences, and make new friends in the NASBR community. Whether you're just starting your undergraduate or finishing up your graduate dissertation, we'd love to see you there! FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16 EVENT - NASBR FRUIT BATS LGBTQIA+ MIXER When: Thursday, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17 EVENT - DIVERSITY IN SCIENCE BREAKFAST When: Saturday, 7:00 am - 8:00 am The Diversity in Science Breakfast is an opportunity to explore and discuss issues that involve all of us in a friendly open forum. The goal is to promote conversation and actions to help us achieve an inclusive, diverse, and supportive culture in STEM, both within our own NASBR society and at our home institutions. Enjoy your morning coffee and breakfast bites while considering ways to recognize and defeat implicit bias, conquer imposter syndrome, and build inclusive and supportive environments for diversity in science. All are welcome! WORKSHOP - BAT VIDEOGRAPHY When: Saturday 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm In this workshop, you will learn best practices for filming and analyzing video of bats for roost counting and behavioral analysis. This will include discussions of different videography techniques, including thermal, radiometric, and near infrared, as well as hands-on experience using videography software. Trial and/or free software will be provided at no cost. Participants will want to bring a laptop. EVENT - AWARDS RECEPTION AND AUCTION When: Saturday, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm This year, we are doing things a little bit differently in terms of the banquet. Instead of a sit-down banquet, we are going to host a reception with a dessert buffet and a cash bar starting at 8pm in the hotel. There will be no charge for this reception and we hope that this will encourage everyone to attend our awards and auction. We invite all members to make their own arrangements for dinner and join us back at the hotel for the Auction and awards ceremony. Be advised that there is a hockey game that night downtown and all the restaurants are going to be busy, so book ahead for your favorite restaurant so that you are ready to join us back at the hotel by 8pm. We will also be able to watch the game (on monitors) from the hotel. MULTIPLE DAYS LUNCH WITH A MENTOR (STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ONLY) When: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, during conference lunch breaks Each year, we offer a "lunch-with-a-mentor" where students can meet with professionals in the field of chiropterology for lunch in a small group. Mentor bios and sign-up link will be available after registration ends. |
We are excited to host the sixth meeting of the NASBR Fruit Bats LGBTQ+ affinity space at the 54th NASBR! The Fruit Bats events provide a safe and inclusive environment for individuals who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community to network, socialize, and have fun. It's an opportunity to connect with others who share similar experiences and identities, build community and support networks, and enjoy some of the local nightlife that Edmonton has to offer with your professional community.