Don't you love the smell of freshly cut wood? We do! In April 2019, Wildheart and Principia School teamed up to build 20 bat houses, and the project was major, batty fun! Members of the community met together on a Saturday to learn about bats, when it makes sense to put up a bat house, and other ways people can contribute to bat conservation.
The group rolled up their sleeves, grabbed each packet, which was designed and pre-cut by Wildheart (thank you Paul), some screws, paint, and assembled very personalized houses for our beloved local bats.
The bat houses was designed very carefully and met specification requirements outlined by Bat Conservation International, which has conducted numerous studies to test what dimensions are most likely to result to bats approving (they're picky!) and occupying the houses. Only untreated wood and non-toxic, animal friendly paint was used to seal the wood and decorate each house.
We want to thank Principia School for allowing us to use their amazing facility to build the houses, and each participant for being a conservation steward and a friend of bats.
A good number of houses have already been installed outside. One of the houses made it all the way to Washington State, and has been hung on a barn.