Bat guano has played an important role throughout human history and continues to prove an invaluable resource for scientific discovery. A recent study extols the value of ancient guano deposits as indicators of environmental change and points to how rare they are becoming. In the annual conservation issue of National Speleological Society News, published April 2020, Merlin and Danielle explain the importance of protecting guano deposits by limiting human disturbance within caves.
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Silent wings. Sharp teeth. A metre-wide wingspan cutting through the tropical night. The spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum) is the largest carnivorous bat in the Americas
Bats are often misunderstood, but a new book is helping change that. In The Genius Bat: The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal, neuroscientist
Bats are the longest-lived mammals for their size, with species like the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) surviving over 30 years in the wild. Even
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
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.
