Register Now for MBWG’s 15th Annual Mist Net Event
The Mississippi Bat Working Group will be hosting its 15th Annual Mist Net Event at Trace State Park near Pontotoc, MS. Event dates are September 25-27, 2018, with check-in starting at 4pm on the 25th. This event is open to all people interested in bats, but you must be current on your rabies pre-exposure vaccination in order to handle bats. You can register online and pay the $20 registration fee at the event. An agenda, list of items to bring, and other useful information will be sent out to all participants in early September. If you have questions before then you can contact us at msbats@hotmail.com.
Twenty-one bat enthusiasts met at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science on March 1, 2018 for the Mississippi Bat Working Group’s annual membership meeting. The agenda included research and monitoring updates along with reporting on the MBWG’s 2017 accomplishments and plans for the coming year. 
The MBWG’s 14th Annual Mist Net Event was held in Amite and Pike counties in south Mississippi. Twenty participants representing Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana gathered at Percy Quin State Park in McComb, Mississippi for two nights of mist netting. Although the first night was slow, the group netted eight sites and collected data on twenty-one bats. Species captured included evening bats, eastern red bats, and big brown bats. Thanks to all those who made this event possible, including our event sponsors, the Smith Family of Natchez and Chester Martin of Vicksburg. 
MBWG members hosted a ‘chiroptophobia’ booth at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science’s ‘Park After Dark’ event on Friday, October 28. Participants trick-or-treated throughout the museum and learned about the science behind their fears through fun games, challenges, and hands-on exploration stations. Museum staff and volunteers hosted 2,574 kids and adults at this annual event. (Photo courtesy of Mississippi Museum of Natural Science.)