Join the Nightlife: 2024 Recap
October 31, 2024
Thanks to all the Join the Nightlife: Bats and Agriculture attendees who joined us out in the field this year! Guests got hands-on experience with
Cambodian farmers in the Mekong River Delta have a long history of attracting bats to their farms. Merlin has documented with photographs the step-by-step process of this win/win situation for the farmers and the bats. (Be sure to watch the video below!)
Cambodian farmers cut and dry the fronds of sugar palms and wire them together in bundles of 4-5 fronds each, 10 bundles per tree. Although these palms are common, most do not have enough dead fronds hanging close enough together to provide good bat roosts. Observant people apparently noticed that bats came only when several fronds hung close together and figured out that if they cut fronds and bundled them, they could attract more bats.
Long bamboo poles, securely strapped to palm trunks (with short side branches are used as ladders, enabling farmers to climb 50 feet or more. They hoist the bundles, one at a time, tying them to form a dense skirt beneath the crown of the tree. Once they’re wired firmly in place, they form secure shelter for the Lesser Asiatic house bat (Scotophilus kuhli).
The primary goal is collection of guano for crop fertilizer. To do this, some farmers spread mosquito netting to catch the droppings, while others simply sweep the droppings from hard earth beneath the tree.
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Thanks to all the Join the Nightlife: Bats and Agriculture attendees who joined us out in the field this year! Guests got hands-on experience with
Supporter and friend of MTBC, Australian conservation and animal welfare photojournalist Doug Gimesy, had his images recognized in two categories at the recent Siena International
Fieldwork requires a lot of equipment, but photography requires even more! During our June 2024 photography workshop, we transported over 100 lbs. of equipment —
Within the dim limestone passageways of Caverna Santa Catalina, the air came alive with bats. I stood in awed silence, taking in the rush of
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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.