El Malpais National Monument celebrates Bat Week with educational programs

GRANTS, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s an animal synonymous with Halloween and at El Malpais National Monument and nationwide, researchers are celebrating Bat Week. Bat Week is celebrated on the last week of October and all week at El Malpais, scientists are teaching children and adults about the important role bats play in our ecosystem.

“They’re very important for our agriculture, bats can eat more than their body weight in agricultural pests like moths, every day! Bats also go outside and eat things and come back and they add energy into the cave ecosystem with their droppings. So that helps feed all our little invertebrate critters in the cave!” said Erin Lynch, Natural Resources Branch Manager, El Malpais National Monument.

In the summer, tens of thousands of bats fly out of the cave. Lynch said the bats are already starting to hibernate or have started flying south to warmer weather.

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