MCHT Seeks Accreditation Renewal

MCHT is pleased to announce it is applying for renewal of accreditation. The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. MCHT was accredited in 2010, reaccredited in 2016 and in 2021, and is again applying for reaccreditation in 2026. A public comment period is now open.

Learn More

Nature Connects: Bat Week: Celebrating the Unsung Heroes of the Night 

International Bat Week is the perfect time to learn about these remarkable and often misunderstood creatures that keep our ecosystems in balance. 

By Ethan Gilardi | October 2026

On a cool and breezy night at a campsite in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, a team of wildlife biologists crowds around the tailgate of a truck. After precisely 10 minutes, an alarm rings, and the team splits up to check a series of large mist nets stretched across dirt roads and the river’s edge, searching for nocturnal visitors that may have been caught by the nearly invisible mesh.  

For hours, the nets remain empty. But as midnight approaches, headlamps illuminate the unmistakable silhouette of a small flying mammal: a bat. And not just any bat. Its multicolored coat of yellows, browns, and blacks, with white frosted tips, reveals a rare sighting of a migratory tree species known as the Hoary Bat.  

Working quickly, the team untangles the animal, records its measurements, and releases it into the night. Buzzing with excitement, the biologists settle back into their chairs, flip their headlamps back to red, and reset the timer for another ten minutes. 

bats

October 24th marks the beginning of International Bat Appreciation Week, a yearly celebration of an often misunderstood group of animals that concludes, appropriately, on Halloween. Bats have long been linked to the holiday, likely because of their presence at ancient autumn bonfires that attracted insects. Their dark, swooping silhouettes were reminiscent of spirits, and bats became woven into medieval folklore. Bat Week, which was founded by a coalition of conservation organizations and government agencies across North America, taps into this moment when bats are already on our minds, to help educate the public about these incredible and ecologically important animals.  

Bat are an astonishingly diverse group of animals, with over 1,500 known species across the globe and 47 species in the U.S. Maine is home to eight species of bats – five of which live here year round, hibernating in caves, mines, fallen rock piles, and sometimes even barns and attics – along with three species of tree bats, which migrate south for the winter.  

All of the bats in Maine are insectivorous, and they play a vital ecological role. Their appetite for moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other small flying insects enables them to help regulate Maine’s ecosystems and prevent the spread of insects that damage forests and crops, as well as those that impact human health. It is estimated that a single little brown bat can eat almost 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in an hour, while a nursing mother consumes almost 4,500 insects every night. 

Yet bats face serious threats. Chief among them is White-Nose Syndrome – a fungal disease first documented in Maine in 2011. The fungus lives in the soils of caves and mines where bats hibernate, damaging their skin and rousing them mid-winter, which depletes their energy stores too early. White-Nose Syndrome has killed millions of bats across North America, with some areas losing 90 to 100% of cave-hibernating populations. Northern long-eared, little brown, and tricolored bats are among the hardest hit species.  

Habitat loss adds to the pressure on these populations, making the preservation of natural lands paramount to the future of these animals.  

Better understanding bats is the first step to protecting them. Scientists across dozens of governmental agencies, academic institutions, and research firms are studying White-Nose Syndrome and testing methods to prevent and treat it. These include using UV-C light to kill the fungus in caves, modifying airflow in areas where bats hibernate to inhibit fungal growth, and testing vaccines to prevent or decrease the severity of infections.   

Meanwhile, bat biologists across the continent have joined forces behind the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat), which standardizes the way we collect data about bats while pooling these data in a centralized hub. This allows researchers to better track bat population trends, inform conservation methods, and develop new ways to support bats. 

The Biodiversity Research Institute’s Mammal Program studies bats year-round, from collecting blood and hair samples for heavy metals testing in Colombia, to recording bat vocalizations for behavioral studies in Kenya, to performing the first bat captures in Katahdin Woods and Waters. 

Additionally, through the Gulf of Maine Bat Research Program, scientists are studying how bats utilize offshore environments by placing echolocation recording detectors on islands, boats, and buoys across the Gulf of Maine. 

So how can you help these ecologically valuable creatures? Put up a bat house, plant a native, pollinator-friendly garden, and avoid disturbing hibernating bats by steering clear of caves and mines in the winter. And share what you’ve learned about bats to help correct misinformation and ensure these animals receive the protection and support they need. 

About the Author: 

Ethan Gilardi is a wildlife biologist, bat specialist, and the mammal program field coordinator for the Biodiversity Research Institute. 

“Nature Connects” is a monthly column showcasing conservation stories from people and organizations across Maine. To learn more or suggest story ideas, email reply@mcht.org.