The Costs of Bat Decline
June 5, 2025
Can we afford to lose bats? A recent study by Eyal Frank of the University of Chicago reveals that the dramatic decline in U.S. bat
Back on March 22nd I blogged about Alexis Valentine’s accolade of Grand Champion, Junior Division in the 2016 Sevier County Science Fair. And she told us she would soon compete at the Regional SASEF Science Fair in Knoxville on April 5. Alexis recently reported results from that competition. She took 1st Place in Environmental Science–Way to go, Batgirl!
Hi Mr. & Mrs. Tuttle,
I did well last night at the regional science fair. My mom helped me get together all the awards so I’d get the details right. I hope you guys are having fun with the bats.
My Awards
1. 1st place in Environmental Science–award from the Leidos Corporation; received nice plaque and $752. Overall had one of the Top 2 Projects in the “Animal Science” category; received $253. Overall Top 10% of all projects in all SASEF categories; invitation to apply to compete at the Broadband Masters Competition in Silicon Valley, CA in October4. Overall 5th place in SASEF science fair–competing against all types of categories including engineering and technology; received a medal & $30**Her project was the only life science project to win at the overall level; most of the winning categories were engineering, medical, and water quality.I am very grateful for my awards but felt that animals were not really loved and that life science wasn’t really a popular category during the competition. I had a lot of people ask me about bats so I was able to tell them how important they are to us and why we need to protect them. The judges were really excited to hear about me applying for a STEM grant.Talk to you soon.Love,AlexisBatgirl
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Madelline Mathis has a degree in environmental studies from Rollins College and a passion for wildlife conservation. She is an outstanding nature photographer who has worked extensively with Merlin and other MTBC staff studying and photographing bats in Mozambique, Cuba, Costa Rica, and Texas. Following college graduation, she was employed as an environmental specialist for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. She subsequently founded the Florida chapter of the International DarkSky Association and currently serves on the board of DarkSky Texas. She also serves on the board of Houston Wilderness and was appointed to the Austin Water Resource Community Planning Task Force.
Michael Lazari Karapetian has over twenty years of investment management experience. He has a degree in business management, is a certified NBA agent, and gained early experience as a money manager for the Bank of America where he established model portfolios for high-net-worth clients. In 2003 he founded Lazari Capital Management, Inc. and Lazari Asset Management, Inc. He is President and CIO of both and manages over a half a billion in assets. In his personal time he champions philanthropic causes. He serves on the board of Moravian College and has a strong affinity for wildlife, both funding and volunteering on behalf of endangered species.