Ed Begley Jr. Goes Bats for Conservation

Ed Begley Jr. is concerned about bats. At this time of spooky Halloween creatures, it seems that bats are not an endangered creature, but Ed has used his celebrity as an environmental expert to increase awareness about preserving and protecting the dark winged friends.

At a Lake Home and Cabin Show in Minnesota earlier this year, Ed was with Rob Mies, an internationally-renown bat expert. As part of the Organization for Bat Conservation, Mies offers some fun facts, for example:

Did you know that a single little brown bat—the most common bat in Wisconsin—catches more than 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour? Imagine what a colony of these nocturnal workers can do to keep the stinging insect population in check.

The largest bat in the world is the Gigantic Flying Fox Bat from Malaysia—with a 6-foot wingspan

One of the concerns about bats is that wind turbines can harm bats and birds and Ed addresses it in his book, The Guide to Sustainable Living he explains that some turbines "won't harm any form of wildlife because birds and bats and all other manner of creatures can see the blades quite clearly."

There was a concern the growth of wind power represents "an imminent threat" to hundreds of bird species, to millions of birds and bats along West Virginia's Allegheny Front, and Congressman Alan Mollohan (D-WV) voiced his concerns because the Audubon Society, Nature Conservancy, Bat Conservation International, and Center for Biological Diversity were also seeing problems with them. 

Just in Northern California's Altamont Pass, wind turbines kill thousands of birds every year, including 1,000 eagles, hawks, owls and other birds of prey, in violation of bird protection laws, they stress.

But, Begley said that the answers are out there. Also, another issue that will protect bats and their habitats is to prevent damming more rivers, he said. "It's a low-cost solution," he said.

For more information about bats, go to:

The Organization for Bat Conservation

http://www.batconservation.org/famous-bats