Our fourth annual Join the Nightlife workshop, held in Central Texas, brought together conservationists, researchers, and farmers from around the U.S. to explore the many benefits of bats in agriculture. With help from our sponsors, we were able to grant gratis participation to two outstanding students. Over four days and five nights, participants engaged in […]
Thirty-six attendees from eight states attended our second annual “Join the Nightlife” workshop, a unique collaboration organized by Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation (MTBC), in partnership with Swift River Pecans and Bat Survey Solutions. Participants praised it as a resounding success that left them with a newfound passion for conservation and sustainable agriculture. Troy Swift, owner […]
Earlier this year, we partnered with Bat Survey Solutions to survey for bats at Swift River Pecans, where MTBC is currently testing characteristics of bat house success in Texas. The goal was to identify bat species using native pecan forests and cultivated orchards and to document their role in agricultural pest control. We identified seven species using mist nets, harp […]
The avalanche of speculative reports associating bats with COVID-19 seems never ending. However, at a time of scary misinformation, bat researchers and conservationists worldwide are discovering new reasons to appreciate bats, some decades in the making. In Central America, researchers from the Free University of Berlin analyzed communication between bat mothers and their pups. Just like […]
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Daniel Hargreaves is a lifelong bat conservationist who has worked globally to facilitate progress, including co-founding Trinibats, a non-profit bat conservation organization in Trinidad. He has organized and led field workshops worldwide, including five for MTBC. Following a long and successful career in business, he now manages a network of bat reserves for the Vincent Wildlife Trust in the UK, supervising research and development of new and innovative conservation techniques. Daniel also is one of the world’s premier bat photographers.
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.
