Tiny, furry insect terminators!
Microbats of the Young District
Collaborations - LP011-005
The issue
Microbats of the Young District was a four-year project, funded by a Riverina Local Land Services Community Grant. It was developed in response to the continuing decline of microbat habitat in the wheat/sheep belt, and the general lack of awareness amongst landholders regarding microbats and the important role they play in ecosystem services.
The project proved to be more time consuming than expected due to there being very limited local information available. In addition, landholders required significant training in microbat identification and the use of technology for recording monitoring results.
The solution
The first activities undertaken were a Microbat Information Night with a guest speaker, and distribution of an information sheet on microbats. This event sparked interest within the community, and this was maintained throughout the duration of the project. Later stages of the project involved the construction and installation of microbat boxes, and interpretive signs at selected locations. Habitat enhancement was undertaken with a plant giveaway and planting programs.
The project was informed and shared by collaboration with many partners, including the Australasian Bat Society, WIRES, Young Men’s Shed, Gumtree Nursery, Weddin Community Native Nursery, Young Signs R Us, Hilltops Shire Council, Young and District Village Schools, Young District Landcare Coordinator and members, Lachlan Valley Tree Services, Scribble gum and Young Framaglass.
The impact
Through this project, the group:
- Produced a booklet, fact sheet, poster and PowerPoint presentation on: Microbats of the Young District
- Produced a fact sheet and PowerPoint presentation on: What are Microbats?
- Installed 140 microbat boxes around Young, including at local schools and villages, and on the properties of private landowners (who agreed to keep access open to the Landcare group for monitoring)
- Installed 4 interpretive signs, including 1 about the vulnerable species, Myotis Macropus
- Distributed and planted local bat-friendly plants
- Purchased 2 Anabat detectors, and ran 2 training sessions for members in the use of the detectors, for the purpose of ongoing monitoring.
Key facts
- 140 microbat boxes installed
- 6 publications produced and distributed
- 4 interpretive signs installed