Central Keystone Living Spring 2017 - 20

With a little bit of searching, we quickly learn that bats offer up
some highly beneficial environmental perks. With the extreme
caloric cost of flight, bats spend a large portion of their nightly
activity just eating insects. In fact, when people learn that bats are
non-aggressive, people will try to encourage a presence around
their homes by setting up bat houses. For anyone who has spent
the witching hours of a mid-summer barbeque in a cloud of citronella smoke, you already know the sweet respite that a screened-in
porch can provide. Bat houses not only provide extra roosting
opportunities, but in many cases, encourage a form of natural
pest control that many informed homeowners already know and
enjoy. In a world where insect and mosquito management is an
ever-increasing concern, many people would do well to consider an
artificial bat roost. In many areas, bats serve as natural pollinators,
provide excellent fertilizer through the production of nitrogen and
phosphorous-rich guano (bat excrement), and even play a large
part in the successful production of tequila.

that leads to discovering truths rather than a reliance on solely
conjecture. Where the story of the "wigwam bat" is one of a
missed opportunity to vindicate this keystone species with a bum
rap for a bunch of kids, perhaps it is also encouragement to take
some time to learn the great importance that these misunderstood
animals have in our environment. In spite of that panic-ridden
summer afternoon, I grew up to be a bat biologist, which I partially
credit to an unyielding lifelong curiosity. After all, I could have
wound up just another person with a paralyzing fear of bats, a
sickly garden, and an out-of-control mosquito population with
no means to an end.
Bryan Butler
Bat Conservation and Management
www.batmanagement.com

As a conservationist and moreover a dad, one of my self-prescribed duties is to try to remain objective about many things of
the world, but ultimately to base my attitude and opinions on a
combination of research, facts, and personal experience. I do realize
that could mean having to say "I don't know" more than I would
like. However, my hope is to do well in encouraging a sustained
curiosity of the natural world when I am able, and moreover, one

Dreams become Reality

with Rigidply products.

www.rigidply.com

Custom Homes, Additions, & Kitchens

Better Built Homes | Happier Living | Affordable Prices
701 E. Linden Street, Richland PA 17087

www.rigidply.com
717.866.6581

147 Brinser Rd, Hummelstown, PA 17036
Phone (717) 583-0310 Fax (717) 583-1464

adhoggbuilder.com

Central Keystone Living // SPRING 2017

PA 037203

http://www.batmanagement.com http://www.rigidply.com http://www.rigidply.com http://www.adhoggbuilder.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central Keystone Living Spring 2017