Idaho educators gather for workshop on bats

Educators from all over Idaho headed to the Fish and Game office in Pocatello on Wednesday to learn about the only flying mammal in the world…the bat!

The workshop not only helped teachers create lessons plans about bats, but it also was an opportunity to learn about the importance of protecting them.

“We should care about bats because, when you look at them and the amount of insects and stuff bats eat, they are helpful to the environment,” commented Charlie Bidondo, who attended the workshop on Wednesday.

Fish and Game said once the actual workshop was over, the group of educators would head out into the woods to help them catch some bats. While the hands on learning, and up close experiences with bats might seem like fun, there is a purpose to the activity. Fish and Game is surveying a specific area to see what species of bats are living there. And the educators who attended the workshop, would have the unique opportunity in helping them collect data on the bats they catch. Of course, all of the bats caught would be set free.