Kathy Shelton Memorial Fundraiser
For those of us involved in bat conservation in Mississippi, the unexpected loss of Kathy Shelton has been difficult. She was a voice and a champion for Mississippi’s wildlife, especially those less understood or appreciated species including bats. The Mississippi Bat Working Group will continue to work towards a greater appreciation and understanding of Mississippi’s diversity of bats in her memory.
Kathy Shelton Memorial Fundraiser
The membership of the MBWG would also like to memorialize Kathy Shelton with a bench at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The bench is to be placed next to a similar bench which she donated in memory of her husband, Les Shelton. Members of the group are currently designing a wildlife element to be carved into the bench to commemorate her passion for wildlife conservation.
If you would like to contribute to this memorial the MBWG has a few ways you may donate towards the cost of purchasing the bench.
- You may send a check made out to MBWG to P.O. Box 1070, Grenada, MS 38901. Please indicate in the memo that it is for Kathy.
- You may make a donation via our Facebook page. 3
- You may make a donation on this page via Paypal.
To make a Paypal donation:
- Click on the yellow Donate button.
- If you have an account you can enter your login information. If you don’t you have the option to create an account. (You must have an account to donate via Paypal.)
- Along the top of the screen, click on “Send & Request”.
- Enter msbats@hotmail.com in the text box and click the blue next button.
- Enter the amount you would like to donate and please add a note so we know it is to go towards Kathy’s bench. Click the blue next button.
- You will be prompted to enter your payment information and then you can click “Send Payment Now”. (If you enter a new card, please make sure your note indicating the purpose of the donation didn’t get erased.)
- You will get a confirmation of your donation sent to the email linked to your Paypal account.
Thank you for helping preserve Kathy’s memory.
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The Mississippi Bat Working Group gathered at Trace State Park for the 15th Annual Mist Net Event. Twenty-three bat enthusiasts netted two nights, covering 5 sites. Despite unseasonal rainfall and localized flooding throughout the event, the group provided the first records for evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) and eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) in Pontotoc County.
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.)
MBWG hosted a booth at Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge’s WOLF (Wildlife Outdoor Learning) Festival on September 24. Families, scout troops, and others from the community came out to the event and learned about Mississippi’s native wildlife. The MBWG booth featured an informational display along with a mist netting activity where kids could participate in a mock mist-net event. Catching plastic bats, weighing, measuring, and releasing them gave participants an opportunity to learn about Mississippi’s bats and how biologists study them.
The Mississippi Bat Working Group converged on Delta National Forest on October 19-20, 2015 for two nights of mist netting in the Mississippi Delta. A total of eight sites were netted, covering both the north and south end of the forest. Habitats netted included open water (drying ponds), drainages, and areas adjacent to oxbow lakes. Fifty-five bats representing six species were captured. Species included evening bat (40), southeastern bat (4), eastern red bat (3), big brown bat (2), Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (1), and eastern pipistrelle (tricolored bat; 1). (Photo: Becky Rosamond).
J.P. Coleman State Park in Tishomingo County was the setting for the MBWG’s 11th Annual Mist Net Event. Twenty people participated in two nights of mist netting on and adjacent to the park on July 29-30, 2014. A total of 34 bats were captured, including eastern red bat (9), southeastern myotis (5), eastern pipistrelle (tricolored bat; 3), and evening bat (1). During the day, participants hiked at Tishomingo State Park, conducted bridge checks for bats, and networked with wildlife professionals from around the state. (Photo: Amber Floyd)
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