The Mississippi Bat Working Group held its annual meeting at the MS Museum of Natural Science in Jackson on February 6, 2020. Thirty-two people attended, representing a diversity of state and federal agencies from Mississippi and Louisiana. Participants included staff from the museum, US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, MS Band of Choctaw Indians, Bureau of Land Management, MS Department of Transportation, US Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Wildlife Services, University of Southern Mississippi, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. We also had several bat enthusiasts join us to hear updates from Mississippi and Louisiana’s efforts to monitor bat populations and white-nose syndrome. The BLM and USFS presented on their bat monitoring efforts in Mississippi and neighboring states, and a student from USM shared her research into the history of bat folklore and mythology.
Elections were held for all positions, and we are happy to welcome our new vice chair and board members and thank them for their service.
- Chair – Becky Rosamond
- Vice Chair – Alison McCartney
- Secretary/ Treasurer – Amber Floyd
- Board: Katelin Cross, Nicole Hodges, Shea Staton
The Outreach / Education Award was presented to Deb Davis (MMNS), Katelin Cross (MMNS), and Becky Rosamond (USFWS) for their development of a mist-netting simulation to teach the public about bat research through a hands-on activity. This program has already been a hit at several public outreach events.