The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Honors Theses Honors College 5-2020 Learning to Love Bats Bethany J. Lawson Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses Part of the Other Geography Commons Recommended Citation Lawson, Bethany J., "Learning to Love Bats" (2020). Honors Theses. 728. https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/728 This Honors College Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi Learning to Love Bats by Bethany Joy Lawson A Thesis Submitted to the Honors College of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of Honors Requirements May 2020 ii Approved by: ________________________________ Mark M. Miller, Ph.D., Thesis Adviser Professor of Geography _______________________________ Jake Schaefer, Ph.D., Director School of Biological, Environmental, and Earth Sciences _______________________________ Ellen Weinauer, Ph.D., Dean Honors College iii Abstract Throughout history, bats have often become entangled in various myths and legends that have negatively influenced human perceptions of bats. Media outlets often sensationalize the relationship of bats to novel diseases, which also creates negative perceptions of bats in the human imagination. Bats are beneficial to our ecosystems and provide pollination services, seed dispersal, and insect control. However, bats are currently facing a variety of life-threatening issues, such as habitat destruction, fatalities at wind energy sites, climate change, and most notably, white-nose syndrome – a disease that has killed millions of North American bats in the past decade. With bats under this dire amount of stress, it is imperative that humans learn to appreciate this order of mammals and engage in more conservation-related behaviors. In several sites across the US, people can visit cave openings and national parks to engage in bat-related ecotourism. This thesis examines public education at bat-ecotourism sites and its impact on bat conservation. There is little published research available on bat-related education at ecotourism sites to date, and this thesis investigates the best practices in this growing field. Data were gathered through personal interviews with educators at bat-ecotourism sites and through personal observations of these sites. This research identifies models of how bat-ecotourism sites are aiding bat conservation and how educators at bat- ecotourism sites dispel myths about bats, educate the public of their importance, and encourage conservation-related behaviors towards bats. Key words: geography, bat, bat ecotourism, bat conservation, conservation education, conservation iv Dedication To my sister Evelyn, Thank you for being so supportive of my research and for accompanying me to countless batty locations, bat festivals, and bat meetings. Our road trips are forever engraved in my memories. It will always be you, me, and the three B’s – bears, bats, and Buc-ee’s. v Acknowledgments First of all, I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Mark M. Miller for all of his help and support throughout this project. I am forever grateful to Dr. Miller for allowing me to pursue this topic which I am incredibly passionate about. Throughout this entire process, Dr. Miller has provided endless guidance, feedback, and reassurances. I am also grateful to Dr. Miller for introducing me to Nadine Armstrong, who introduced me to the idea of bat-related ecotourism. To Dr. Miller – thank you for being an excellent teacher and an even better advisor. My time at USM would not have been the same without you. My research would not have been possible without the support of two wonderful organizations on campus. Both the USM Honors College and the Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research provided me with the monetary resources to travel and engage with professionals working in bat education and bat ecotourism. These experiences allowed me to conduct my research, as well as network with professionals in my personal fields of interest. In addition, I am thankful to the staff of the Honors College for their continual guidance and support throughout the entire thesis process. To these two organizations and the people within, I am forever grateful. To the professors and staff within the Department of Geography and Geology, thank you for your support and interest throughout this process. Each professor has made a profound impact upon my life, and I am grateful for the work you do and the support you give your students. Thank you for teaching and mentoring me throughout my degree and thesis-writing processes. vi I would also like to thank my interviewees for agreeing to be a part of this project. Special thanks to Dr. Sara Weaver, Jennifer Shackelford, David Gayhart, Virginia Moyers-Appleton, and JD Bransford for your personal insights. Without your participation, this thesis would not have been possible. I would also like to thank the Mississippi Bat Working Group for allowing me to attend their annual meetings and present my research findings to their audience of bat professionals and bat enthusiasts. Thank you for being such a wonderful group that advocates for bats and supports educational initiatives in our state. Lastly, I would like to thank a handful of people who have been helpful and encouraging throughout this thesis process. To Addison Smith, Sara Watts, Mary Travis, and Ashley Hobson – thank you for listening to me discuss this project and providing me with helpful feedback and advice. Also, thank you for sharing your own personal theses journeys with me. To my family – David, Martha, Evelyn, Zachary, and Kay – thank you for supporting me during this process and expressing an interest in my work. To my grandparents – Myrtle, Judge Mark, and Christal – thank you for encouraging my love for nature, even as a child. To my friends – Benjamin Pickering, Chris Bond, Brittney Smith, my coworkers, and my Honors College crew – thank you for your endless encouragement and distractions. Without you all, I would not have made it to where I am today. vii Table of Contents List of Illustrations…………………………………………………………………….…..x List of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………...…...…xi Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………………1 Chapter 2: Literature Review…………………………………………………...……........9 Perceptions of Bats Throughout Time…………………………...………………..9 Role of Bats in Ecosystems and Economies……………………...……………...11 Modern Threats to Bats……….......………………………………………..….....14 White-nose syndrome……………………………………...…...………..14 Wind energy………………………………………………………….…..16 Urbanization……………………………………………………………...18 Climate change…………………………………………………………...20 Modern Human Perspectives on Bats…………………..………………………..21 Bird-related Ecotourism………...……………………………………..…………22 Bat-related Ecotourism…….……………...……………………………………..23 Chapter 3: Methods…....……………………………...………………………………….25 Research Methods……………………………………………………..…………25 The Study Sites…………………………………………………..………………28 Brazilian free-tailed bat viewing in the Southwest………………………28 Bat ecotourism and education in the Southeast…...……………………..36 Chapter 4: Results and Recommendations…..………..…………………………………39 What kinds of bat-related materials are ecotourism sites distributing?.................39 viii Dispel the myths…………………..…..…………………………………39 Discuss bat biology………….………………………...…………………42 Emphasize safety………………………...……...……………………….45 How are ecotourism sites promoting bat conservation?........................................47 Promote positive attitudes and behaviors…….……...…………………..47 Protect fragile bat sites…………….……………………………………..48 Creative Ways to engage in bat education……………………………………….54 Bat-related games and activities…………...…………………………….56 Social media as an educational outlet……………………………………59 Chapter 5: Conclusions…………………………………………………………………..63 Applications for Future Research……………………………………………..…66 Appendices……………………………………………………………………………….69 Interview Question Guide………………………………………………………..69 IRB Approval Letter………………………………………………...………...…70 Consent Form…………………………………………………………………….71 References……………………………………………………………………...………...73 ix List of Illustrations Illustration 1: Brazilian free-tailed bat………………………………………....…13 Illustration 2: Map of Economic Values Provided by Bats……………………….13 Illustration 3: Map of the Spread of White-nose Syndrome in the US……....……16 Illustration 4: Hoary Bat……………………………..…………….…………..….18 Illustration 5: Map of Bat Ecotourism Sites in Texas………..……………...…….28 Illustration 6: Bracken Cave……………………………………………….....……30 . Illustration 7: Bat Artwork at San Antonio Zoo………………………………...…30 Illustration 8: “Bat Cave” on the Riverwalk, Camden Street Bridge………..….....31 Illustration 9: Viewing Platform at the Congress Avenue Bridge…………………33 Illustration 10: “Bat Boat” at the Congress Avenue Bridge………………..….…..33 Illustration 11: Bat Statue at the Congress Avenue Bridge………………..………33 Illustration 12: Old Tunnel State Park…………………………….……………….34 Illustration 13: Bat Emergence at Old Tunnel State Park…………………...…..…35 Illustration 14: Bat Amphitheater at Carlsbad Caverns National Park……….……36 Illustration 15: Sign at Mammoth Cave National Park………………………….…46 Illustration 16: Sign at Old Tunnel State Park………………………..……………48 Illustration 17: White-nose Syndrome Disinfecting Mats at Mammoth Cave National Park……………………………………………………………..………..52