BEEPS Peachland Newsletter
BEEPS Board of Directors
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
Celebrating Canada 150
Darlene Hartford President Joey Byatt Vice President Doris Muhs Treasurer Borana Bach Secretary Patrick Van Minsel Director Doreen Hall Director Jennifer Clute Director
BEEPS members went batty this Canada Day! A BEEPS float in the parade helped to raise awareness for the Rubber Ducky Race, while the Fun Bat Count attracted many families who were eager to learn about the bats.
Rachel Truant Director Sam Theriault Director
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BEEPS Peachland Newsletter
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
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BEEPS Peachland Newsletter
Corporate Sponsors
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
Summer Student BEEPS would like to welcome summer student Lindsay Bach to the roost! Lindsay is pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree at UBC Okanagan. She will be facilitating bat chats and helping with various BEEPS projects over the summer.
BEEPS Corporate Sponsors, Graham and Kelly Todd, faced an uphill battle with flooding in the campsite. They had to turn away many guests and had six pumps working in the basement of the campsite home. But through it all they're moving forward! Check out Todd's RV & Camping new signage, being installed amongst their sandbags and water pumps.
World of Wheels 50/50 Draw Sid Kendrick was on site at Heritage Park to collect his winnings of $365.55 from the 50/50 draw held during the World of Wheels car show. Thanks to everyone for your support.
Farmers Market
Contact us! www.BeepsPeachland.com info@beepspeachland.com
BEEPS was at the Peachland Farmer’s and Crafter’s market on May 28th. There was a lot of interest in the bat houses and many questions were answered. Come visit us at the market later this summer, on August 13th and September 10th! BEEPS Peachland
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BEEPS Peachland Newsletter
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
First Bat Counts of the Year
Bat Testimonial
Art and June Bitttner from Calgary stopped by the Visitor Centre and shared their bat house experience with us. Art says their mosquito problem was so bad they decided to install a bat house two years ago. "Now we can sit on our back deck and we have no mosquito problems at all. I also talked three neighbours into installing bat houses!"
BEEPS held its first bat count of the year on June 2nd. 18 Volunteers joined us to count a total of 1272 bats! The second bat count on June 16th resulted in a count of only 718 bats, likely because of the windy weather. On Canada Day, however, the bats were out in full force – 1498 bats were counted! BEEPS will hold two more counts this summer, on July 21st and August 4th. Join us at 8:30 pm to help! Thanks to all our volunteers for their dedication and continued support.
Thanks Art and June for providing a home for our Calgary friends.
Bat Trivia Canada is celebrating its 150th Birthday this year. How many Birthdays has the longest known Bat celebrated? Answer: Records indicate the oldest Bat has celebrated 40 Birthdays, escaping predators and surviving harsh winters and sizzling hot summers.
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BEEPS Peachland Newsletter
The Pups Are Here! The first pups were spotted in the attic on June 24th. They are already growing quickly and we are so happy they are here!
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
Meadowlark Festival Go Batty in Peachland
s Biologist Tanya Luszcz led a group of 35 people along the bat house interpretive trail, entertaining with bat facts and bat stories along the way. The group then viewed live feed of the bats in the attic at Peachland Historic School. Tanya went into the attic and took a bat from the colony for live viewing. The bat was then released after dark to participate in its nightly foraging.
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BEEPS Peachland Newsletter
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
Bat House Registry
Contributions From Our Partners At The Okanagan Community Bat Program
BEEPS is creating a registry
for bat houses in Peachland. If you have a bat house on your property, we ask that you fill out a short survey that will help us learn more about our Peachland bats. We also want to find out where in our town bat houses can be successfully installed. It takes less than five minutes and responses are confidential. You can find the survey online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/D VSSMNC or you can contact the Peachland Visitor Centre by phone (250-767-2455)
The following two articles were written by the Okanagan Community Bat Program and included in their newsletter, Okanagan Bat-E-News, May 2017. Here is the link to their website, www.bcbats.ca.
What
do you do if you find‌ a bat on the ground?
The bats that live in the Okanagan cannot take off and fly from the ground like birds can. They have to climb up a tree or building until they are high enough to drop down, using gravity to help them fly off.
If you find a bat on the ground, do not handle it with your bare hands. Wear thick gloves. Gently place the bat in a cloth bag or old pillowcase. Then hang up the bag as high up on a tree as you can reach. Leave it open, so the bat can crawl out at night. Alternatively, you could use a
rough stick (i.e. a tree branch) and gently encourage the bat to crawl onto it. Put the bat high up on a tree or building, in the shade and safely away from cats and curious children. If the bat has scratched or bitten a person or a pet, please contact your local doctor or veterinarian immediately.
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Look what flew into the Interpretive Centre! Come visit the Legends of the Lake Interpretive Centre to see what’s new!
Canada 150 Edition July 2017
What do you do if you find... a bat inside your house? Occasionally, bats fly into homes and other buildings. Often, these bats are juveniles who are learning to fly. Frequent incidents of bats flying into your home may indicate that a maternity roost is nearby. If a bat flies into your building, it will usually find its way out. Open all the windows and doors leading to the outside and watch the bat to make sure it leaves. If it does not, wait until it has landed on something. Wear gloves (such as oven mitts or thick gardening gloves), and place a small box over the bat, while gently sliding thin cardboard under the box to “trap” the bat. Take the box outside to release it. Bats cannot climb out of a box, so be sure to let the bat crawl onto a wall or tree, high enough to avoid contact with children or pets. For sleeping bats, use a cloth bag or pillowcase, and pin the bag high up on a tree with the open end up.
BEEPS Corporate Sponsors Do you have a business, see value in the work BEEPS is accomplishing, and wish to support our programs? Contact the Board of Directors for a Corporate Sponsors Package. Learn how you can benefit as a business while helping Peachland Bats! Platinum Sponsor Over $1,000.00 Gold Sponsor. $1,000.00 Silver Sponsor. $700.00 Bronze Sponsor. $400.00 All donations are graciously accepted.
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