Penticton building homes for bats in effort to make city more bat-friendly

Penticton is introducing bat boxes throughout city and promoting a range of bat-focused education initiatives in an attempt to make the area more hospitable to the important little creatures.

The goal is to promote and raise awareness about bat habitat and conservation.

Although feared by many, bats play an important role in the ecosystem. Importantly for humans, they're also effective pest controllers, consuming large quantities of insects each night.

Penticton's parks team worked alongside local students, the BC Community Bat Program and the Penticton Museum & Archives to install 11 bat boxes, according to a City of Penticton media release.

The boxes have been installed onto three existing osprey nesting poles located at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, Upper Bench Road (just north of Johnson Road) and on Duncan Avenue near Okanagan College.

The locations have been strategically chosen as they are all close to large bodies of water, high enough to be safe from predators and in natural settings, the city said.

“These are the first bat boxes installed by staff on city property and it’s a welcome step forward to embrace a greener future, where nature and city life can thrive together,” parks supervisor Todd Whyte said in the release.

But the efforts don't stop at the boxes.

From Oct. 24 to Oct. 31, the city will be celebrating Bat Week. The program is led by the BC Community Bat Program that will be giving a Bat Chat presentation at the Library-Museum Auditorium on Oct. 24 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. The presentation is designed to teach locals about bat life, habitat and other fun bat facts.

School teachers and educators are also encouraged to borrow a Bat Edu-kit from the museum. The kit includes lesson plans, hands-on activities and crafts for all ages of students.

For more information about the Bat Edu-kit, you can visit the Penticton Museum website here.

To learn more about Penticton’s wildlife you can visit their website here.

For more information on British Columbia's bats, click here.

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