Join us! - MTBC Events and Field Trips

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Join Us In Person!

We are always on the move! Stay tuned for opportunities to join us and remember, members receive priority notice.

Events

Virtual Q&A's

Year Round

Please join our mailing list or become a member to be notified of upcoming virtual Q&A events with Merlin and MTBC staff. Members will have the opportunity to submit their questions prior to each event, and member questions will be prioritized during each event. 

Member Appreciation Bat-watching Cruise

March 25 and August 19, 2024

Please join our mailing list or become a member to be notified of upcoming virtual Q&A events with Merlin and MTBC staff. Members will have the opportunity to submit their questions prior to each event, and member questions will be prioritized during each event. 

Nocturnal Fugue

April 24, 2024

Join MTBC and artists Jiabao Li, Botao Hu, and Matt McCorkle for a multisensory journey into the night, where the secret life of bats is revealed through art and technology.  

Merlin Tuttle Day

August 26, 2024

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 spend an evening aboard the Capital Cruises double-decker boat for food, drinks, story-telling, and of course, bat-watching!

Upcoming Workshops

Join the Nightlife Workshop

September 19-21 and September 22-23, 2024 

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 more. Stay for our acoustic training event, perfect for biologists and industry professionals.

Discover the bats of Great Basin
National Park

April 8, 2024 

MTBC is partnering with Bat Survey Solutions and Great Basin National Park to bring a natural history and scientific discovery tour featuring some of the best bat conservation and management examples in North America. We’ll visit roosts of mega-charismatic bat species like scorpion-eating pallid bats, adorable Townsend’s big-eared bats, and migratory Mexican free-tailed bats.

Past Events & Workshops

BookPeople Presents: Ernest Cline - Bridge to Bat City

April 8, 2024 

BookPeople welcomes Ernest Cline with a special appearance by Felicia Day to celebrate the release of Bridge to Bat City.

TEDxUTAustin & Merlin Tuttle

March 23, 2024 

TEDxUTAustin aims to share new ideas and connect communities eager to grow their impact on the world. As a world-class research university, TEDxUTAustin hosts diverse, rich, and enlightening experiences. Come listen as Merlin shares the brilliant world of bats and his part in saving the iconic bats of Austin.

Explore the Bats of Thailand

January 31 - February 11, 2024 

Join us for an upcoming field trip where we’ll visit Khao Chong Phran Cave — site of Merlin’s proudest conservation successes. We’ll help support local conservation efforts, capture and photograph painted bats, and visit bumblebee bats and flying foxes. Each species more spectacular and fascinating than the last.

Past Events

Explore the Bats of Thailand

January 31 – February 11, 2024​

Join us on our upcoming field trip where we’ll visit Khao Chong Phran Cave, the site of one of Merlin’s proudest conservation successes. We’ll help support local conservation efforts, capture and photograph painted bats, and visit bumblebee bats and flying foxes. Each species more spectacular and fascinating than the last.

March 6 – 7, 2024

Austin has proved that bats can be safe, invaluable neighbors, but much of the rest of the world hasn’t gotten the message. Together we’ve built a wonderful pocket of support for these misunderstood and maligned animals. Support our mission on this day of community giving. Early giving is open now for this digital event! 

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!!

Michael Lazari Karapetian

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.