BatsBirdsYard.com August 2011 Newsletter And Photo Album
August 2011
THE POWER OF POOP
Conservation in Action: Harvesting Bat Guano
The EWCL Bat Group convenes in Florida to plan their sustainable guano harvesting project. That's me, Alli, on the far left doing my best bat pose.
I am part of the team working with Bat Conservation International (BCI) on developing international standards for the sustainable harvest of bat guano. Bat guano has been harvested from caves for centuries and has been put to a variety of uses, including for gunpowder during the U.S. Civil War. Today bat guano is primarily used for fertilizer, both in commercial production in places like Texas and for subsistence farming purposes in places throughout Southeast Asia and Latin America. Guano harvesting can have huge impacts on bat colonies. Bats are extremely sensitive to disturbance, and harvesting guano while bats are roosting can cause pup loss and abandonment of caves. Lack of understanding of these impacts, together with unclear property rights and lack of any rules to enforce have led to unsustainable guano harvesting practices.
Over the course of the next year and a half, our EWCL team will work with BCI and other partners to develop international standards for guano harvesting. We will work with up to two communities to develop pilot projects for the application of these standards to help bat conservation professionals work with all relevant stakeholders to create effective management regimes at the local, national and regional level. In just the short amount of time that we’ve been working on this project the need for these standards is clear. The entire EWCL bat team is looking forward to working on this issue.
Click here to learn more about bats in the wild.
You might also like:
- Can’t Live Without ‘Em: Indiana Bat
- Braking for Mexico’s Bat Volcano
- Protecting Yellow-headed Parrots
- Creatures of the Night
Four Tips to Save Water in Your Garden
During summer months, the typical American uses twice as much water than any other time of the year. And by some estimates, outdoor watering accounts for 50 to 70 percent of average household use!
It might seem like the only way to get a beautiful yard during warmer months is frequent watering. But, you can create an eye-catching and healthy garden while also being water-conscious.
By combining conservation practices with efficient landscape design, you can lower your water bill, lessen the amount of required maintenance and create a healthy, vibrant wildlife habitat.
Here are a few helpful tips:
- Garden design: Group plants with similar moisture requirements close together, matching them with appropriate yard conditions sunny, shady, damp, dry. Then target watering only on the vegetation that needs it.
- Plant selection: Focus on plants that are native to your area. They survive with natural rainfall, are resistant to local plant diseases and pests, and provide the best food sources for wildlife.
- Efficient irrigation: Water infrequently, deeply and thoroughly. This prevents runoff and encourages deeper root growth. Plants with deep roots develop greater resistance to dry spells.
- Maintenance: Apply mulch, such as bark or leaves, to planting beds. This helps soil retain moisture, discourages thirsty weeds and provides plants with essential nutrients.
Another great way to make your garden thrive this summer (and year round) is to certify it as an official Certified Wildlife Habitat site. We'll show you how to turn your yard into a haven for wildlife, a relaxing place for you to enjoy and the envy of the neighborhood. Plus when you certify for just $20 today, you'll receive many other benefits too!
Follow these few simple tips this summer to help save water AND money, then certify your water and wildlife-friendly habitat as a Certified Wildlife Habitat site today.
THE PASSING OF A FAMILY MEMBER
On July 8, 2011, my wife had to make an unforgettable decision about her pet—or should I say her friend and family member.
When she went out to the barn to check on CC her Palomino Quarter Horse to see how he was doing in the heat she found him on the ground in his stall, it appeared that he had be down for a while thrashing around.
She was just out there two hours previous to check on CC and he was doing fine. We got CC up and tried to walk him around the corral area thinking he had floundered. The only way to over come a horse that has floundered is to walk the horse.
He repeatedly wanted to lay down and roll, this happened two or three times and is not normal for a horse so Diane called our local horse veterinarian and within 15 minutes or so he was at our corral.
After giving him several shots to help ease the pain which was of no relief and three liters of LRS again to no avail, the vet explained to us that a horse as old as CC was, 30 years of age, can form fatty tumors that hang down from the bottom side of their spine. If the horse was running and or rolling around this tumor acts like a swing pendulum and can wrap around the intestines causing a strangulation of the intestines. The only decision Diane could make was to put him to sleep to save him from additional pain and suffering, it was a painful decision but one that had to be made. CC had lived a good life; he was babied from the day we brought him home. We deeply miss him.
With Love CC.
Mom & Dad
United Service Organization (USO) News
In July 2011 BatsBirdsYard mailed out a donation to the USO for sales that we had in the first six month of 2011.
Please help this little girl achieve the goal she was living for, I did
If you pass this article onto your friends it sure would help Her cause. $140,000 raised for final wish of girl killed in I-90 crash
9-year-old wanted to help charity that provides water to developing countries
Special Note
This will be our last newsletter until November of 2011. Next year we will only post a news letter every quarter starting in January 2012. We want to thank all of our followers and hope you will continue to read our newsletters as they come out in November and each quarter in 2012. Let us know what you think about our newsletters. This is the only way we can tell what you like. You can post your comments on our Blog page.
'Til November.
Thank You,
Phil Brodak