Kids Take Action

Inspiring stories about kids making a difference for bats

Riverheads 5th Grade creates Bat Art!

To kick off #BatWeek 2021, we want to share the creativity of the 5th graders at Riverheads Elementary School in Augusta County , VA. 5th grade studies bats every year, and because they are finally able to attend in person and have visitors, we got to collaborate with them again and bring our embassabats Click and Curly!

This year, they decided to unleash their artistic side and gifted us with these lovely drawings of (mostly) native bats! Please enjoy all the drawings!

We understand there may still be some art in progress, so check back to see if there are any additions.

Thank you Riverheads 5th Grade! We think you are ALL bat heroes!

Girls Take Action!

To kick off #BatWeek, we’re going to tell you the tale of

some determined Girl Scouts, who being fierce and smart, decided that

Washington, DC needed an official mammal. And what mammal best represents fierce and smart? Why bats of course!

The Girl Scouts of The Capitol Hill Cluster School (Troops

44046, 44047, and 44051, and 44082, ranging from Daisies through Cadettes) learned about the plight of DC’s bats when Bat Conservation educator Deborah Hammer took them on a bat hike right in their own backyards.

"Last year, we went on an evening walk with a bat expert

along the Anacostia River. We heard so many bats on the bat walk! DC has thousands of bats flying around every night." - Julia, 5th grade

They learned that the region’s little brown bat had been

decimated by white nose syndrome, and an idea took hold. They decided that to raise awareness of DC’s bats, they’d propose the little brown bat as DC’s first and only official mammal. And that’s where things got complicated. The Scouts wrote a proposal and made a formal presentation to city council, which were very well received, and they moved forward with a very detailed political process filled with phone calls, editing the proposal, finding a sponsor, and meetings, before hitting a rather large bump in the road.

You see, there hasn’t been a little brown bat confirmed in DC for FIFTEEN years! Landscape level changes in the city were pushing little bats out before white nose hit, and the dreadful fungal disease wiped out most ofthe remaining population. Wildlife biologists suggested that it might be better to select a more common bat, one that seems comfortable in urban environs, and one that contributes mightily to protecting the wonderful green spaces for which DC is famous. And what bat is that? The handsome, beetle munching, big brown bat!

"This process was really difficult because we had to put together a presentation, schedule a meeting with our councilmember, and then once he decided to sponsor the bill we had to help draft the bill, and then testify at a hearing. It was all really nerve wracking because we had to show up and be our best selves for the councilmembers. But now we're all really happy because after all of our hard work, the Big Brown Bat will be DC's state mammal. This will help others learn about bats because bats are really misunderstood, but they're amazing creatures." - Ava, 6th grade

So with a rewritten proposal, the Girl Scouts were back at city council, and this time they got to testify at a hearing! And the proposal was accepted. There are a few more steps before it's official, but because of their hard work and perseverance, Washington, DC, is on its way to having a state mammal, the Big Brown Bat.

Congratulations Girl Scouts of The Capitol Hill Cluster School. You are true bat heroes!