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Protecting swallows and bats

Pender Harbour Wildlife Society presents Stewardship of Swallows and Bats: The Coast Wildlife Project on the Sunshine Coast, Tuesday, May 21. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Pender Harbour Secondary; presentation starts at 7 p.m.
PH wildlife
Emily Truman helps create habitat for swallows, one of the most threatened wildlife groups on the Coast.

Pender Harbour Wildlife Society presents Stewardship of Swallows and Bats: The Coast Wildlife Project on the Sunshine Coast, Tuesday, May 21. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. at Pender Harbour Secondary; presentation starts at 7 p.m.

In the Sunshine Coast region, some of the most threatened wildlife groups are swallows and bats. Both play vital ecological roles, and both are threatened by habitat loss and degradation, human disturbance, and alarming declines in insect populations. Bats now face an additional threat due to white nose syndrome, a devastating emerging wildlife disease already implicated in the deaths of millions of bats in eastern North America.

Michelle Evelyn will detail the current situation facing swallows and bats, and describe how we can get involved in monitoring and stewardship to benefit them.

Evelyn is a registered professional biologist, a research affiliate with the UBC Biodiversity Research Centre, and a member of the BC Bat Action Team. She holds a BSc from UBC and an MSc and PhD from Stanford University. Her work has always focused on balancing the needs of humans and wildlife. For the past 12 years, together with husband David Stiles, Evelyn has led the Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project. Their goal is to help conserve, restore, and enhance wildlife habitat and take direct action to ensure the survival of species at risk on the Sunshine Coast.

The Sunshine Coast Wildlife Project gratefully acknowledges funding support from BC Nature, Pender Harbour Wildlife Society, Sunshine Coast Community Foundation, Gencon Foundation, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Habitat Stew-ardship Program, and Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

Stay on for refreshments and informal chat on all wildlife and stewardship subjects and updates. Free. Bring a friend. Drop-ins welcome. Refreshments will be served.

See www.penderharbourwildlife.com for more.

– Submitted by Carole Logtenberg