We are always on the move! Stay tuned for more opportunities to join us, either locally or internationally.
All events are limited capacity.
This is the trip of a lifetime – join us!
MTBC members receive first notice for trip information and invitations.
We’re delighted to invite you to Explore the Bats of Thailand on our upcoming community science field trip!
The trip includes a visit to Khao Chong Pran Cave, the site of one of Merlin’s proudest conservation successes. Nearly 40 years ago, he convinced the Buddhist monks who own this cave to protect and restore its once huge bat colony. Due to protection, its emergences now rival those of Bracken Cave. On this trip we will help support local conservation efforts and empowering local hero’s to look after their bats.
We also will capture and photograph painted bats, a species so colorful it has to be seen to be believed. We’ll visit the bumblebee bats, arguably the world’s smallest mammals weighing less than a U.S. penny, and flying foxes with three to four-foot wingspans.
This is a rare opportunity, location, and price ($5,200 includes all in-country costs, minus alcoholic beverages. Flight not included). If this is something you’ve dreamed of doing, don’t be left out! Members recieve first notice, standby for public invitation.
Stay tuned for dates!
In 2021, then Austin Mayor, Steve Adler, proclaimed Merlin’s birthday, August 26th, as Merlin Tuttle Day in honor of Merlin’s success saving the city’s now world-famous bats. To celebrate, we will spend an evening aboard the Capital Cruises double-decker boat for food, drinks, story-telling, and of course, bat-watching!
August 14, 2023
Join Merlin and MTBC staff on our annual member appreciation sunset bat-watching cruise in Austin, Texas, exclusive for Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation members and guests. This event is free, first-come-first-serve, by RSVP only. Whether you’ve seen them a hundred times or never before, these bats are always spectacular!
August 29 – September 3, 2023
Experience the amazing world of bats in this hands-on workshop with leading experts Merlin Tuttle, Janet Tyburec, and Troy Swift. Learn bat house building, bat capture methods, echolocation recording, sustainable agriculture, and much more. This year, Janet is conducting an acoustic training for identifying Central Texas bats!
This is the trip of a lifetime – join us!
MTBC members receive first notice for trip information and invitations.
Witness millions of straw-colored fruit bats in the largest most spectacular aggregation of flying foxes in the world at Kasanka National Park. We will help document and highlight this spectacle whilst helping with crucial research on the other 38 bat species known to reside within the park.
Recently the park has been threatened with agricultural encroachment which will damage the sensitive habitats the bats require. We will help to document their plight and use the funds to help rebuild the dilapidated education and research camp. Even if you cannot join the trip, you can still support rebuilding of the camp.
Working with the parks conservation team we will be carrying out systematic surveys to document, photograph, and learn about the many fascinating bat species.
We will be staying in comfortable chalets in Kasanka National Park on the shores of Lake Wasa, home to hippos, elephants, and many antelope species. And yes, of course, bats and more bats!!
2023 © Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation. All rights reserved.
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.
