Bat Festival Flies into Cranbrook Institute of Science

(BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI) TV personality, conservation biologist and Organization for Bat Conservation (OBC) Executive Director Rob Mies announced today that the 10th Annual Great Lakes Bat Festival will return on July 9, 2011 and will be held on the grounds of Cranbrook Institute of Science.

The festival celebrates the unique role of bats in our ecosystem as nature’s cross pollinators and insect eaters, while dispelling myths and misinformation that generate needless fears and threaten bats and their habitats around the world. The goal of the festival is to encourage the public to understand and protect the environment and educates the public about the devastating consequences for natural ecosystems and human economies should the Bat populations continue to the world.

The Festival will feature activities for children, families, educators and conservation professionals. Presentations, speakers, live animals, hands-on activities, crafts for kids, and exhibits will provide a full day of fun and environmental education. In keeping with tradition, the Great Lakes Bat Festival will end with a bat science experience at the Rouge River where festival-goers can watch bat scientists catch wild insect-eating bats while they forage for food.

Appearances will be made by award-winning authors Janell Cannon (“Stellaluna”), Fiona Reid (author/illustrator of many mammal field guides), and critically acclaimed book author Bill Schutt (“Dark Banquet”). Field and Animal biologists from Eastern Michigan University, Ball State University, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and zoo professionals from Milwaukee County Zoo will be at the festival giving lectures and presentations. Exhibitors included in this year’s event are the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Natural Resource Commission, National Wildlife Federation, Michigan Karst Conservancy, and many others are scheduled to attend.

The event is for all ages and free with museum admission or free for Cranbrook/OBC Members. All proceeds from the festival will support the efforts of OBC to protect bats and their environments, provide live presentations at their Bat Zone facility on Cranbrook’s campus and to provide traveling live science programs to schools and nature centers.

For more information about the festival please visit the Organization for Bat Conservation’s Facebook
Page or call (248) 645-3232. For directions to Cranbrook Institute of Science: www.cranbrook.edu.