This talk will introduce you to the bats of Illinois and their preferred habitats, both natural and human-made. You will also learn about anthropogenic threats to bats of Illinois, such as disease, habitat loss, and human development. We’ll examine a conservation success story for an endangered bat inhabiting a rapidly developing landscape in Indiana. We will cover facts and fiction about bats and human health. Finally, you will learn how to conserve bats wherever you live and how to contribute to our knowledge on the status and distributions of bats in Illinois.
Join Joy O'Keefe, Assistant Professor at University of Illinois and Wildlife Extension Specialist, on Monday, April 18 at 7 PM CST via Zoom to learn about bat conservation.
A little about our speaker: Dr. O’Keefe joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in 2020 after serving as an Assistant and Associate Professor of Biology at Indiana State University from 2011-2020. Previously, she was the Director of the Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and Conservation. Her research primarily focuses on ways to facilitate the coexistence of bats and humans in human-altered landscapes.
This program is brought to you by the University of Illinois Extension Master Naturalist program in East Central Illinois. Our mission is to provide science-based educational opportunities that connect people with nature and help them become engaged environmental stewards.
East Central Illinois Master Naturalists strive to:
- Offer Master Naturalist educational programs and materials that provide classroom and field-based training on the environmental and cultural resources of Illinois.
- Cultivate volunteers to serve as educators and community ambassadors for environmental initiatives; as stewards in the management of natural resources in Illinois, and as stakeholders who will perpetuate the Master Naturalist Program.
- Facilitate cooperation and collaboration among partnering groups and agencies.
Sessions will be recorded and available on our YouTube Channel. Find more at https://go.illinois.edu/ECIMN
This event is free and open to the public. If you need reasonable accommodations, please call Randy at 217-333-7672