Have You Seen A Bat? The Michigan DNR Wants To Know

Pop culture has given bats a bad rep. Bats are actually very important to ecosystems, and Michigan has nine native bat species (none of which consume blood). These animals are pretty elusive and live in remote areas, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reaching out to the public to get a better idea of exactly where they live.

So, if sometime this summer you have seen a bat, the Michigan DNR wants to know, and it has made it very easy to report.

Photo by Jakub Klucký on Unsplash

Michigan Bat Roost Monitoring Program

For the second year in a row, the Michigan DNR is requesting that Michiganders report bat roost locations through the Michigan Bat Roost Monitoring Program. The monitoring program asks simple questions such as when and where you saw the bat roosting, what kind of structure it was living in, and how many bats were there. Bonus points for snapping and uploading a photo.

Click here for the form link.

Photo by Todd Cravens on Unsplash

According to a press release, the most common places bats roost are in trees, bat houses, barns, bridges, and maybe in your attic. If the bats are in your attic, the DNR suggests waiting until the end of summer to remove them.

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Last summer's reports revealed that Kent and Newaygo counties had the most bat roost reports, but that could change depending on how many people participate in roost monitoring.