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Contact: Tyler Devine, 307-467-5283 x224
DEVILS TOWER, WY – In celebration of National Public Lands Day on Saturday, September 24 the National Park Service (NPS) and Devils Tower Natural History Association will host a bat festival. The festival will include educational activities about these rarely seen nighttime animals.
NPS Fee-Free Day: All Day the NPS has designated September 24th National Public Lands Day as a fee-free day, in which the entrance fee is waived at all NPS sites.
Devils Tower National Monument will host a Bat Festival Saturday, September 24th, 4:00 –9:00 p.m. in the Picnic Area. The festival will feature demonstrations on how to build bat boxes, information booths, crafts, games, and activities for kids. There will also be a unique bat activity book to complete for a commemorative bat button and interpretive presentations. In addition, park staff will offer Bat listening walks during the evening hours. These walks include using special detectors to listen to echolocation calls as bats fly overhead.
The Monument is home to 11 bat species. One of them, the northern long-eared bat, is currently listed as threatened and faces extinction due to the range-wide impacts of white-nose syndrome, a deadly disease among bats across the continent. "Here at Devils Tower, we hope that the festival gives visitors a fun and unique opportunity to learn about bats, why they are important to the ecosystem, and why they are important to the agricultural success of our local area," says Russ Cash, Chief of Resources Management. Since the discovery of white-nose syndrome at the Tower, we would like to continue to educate the public on this disease, bats, and why they are essential to the Monument, the community, and agriculture.
The Bat Festival is a partnered event with support from Devils Tower Natural History Association. For your preparation and safety for this outdoor festival, please bring a flashlight and dress in layers for cold weather.
Last updated: September 21, 2022