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Bring your best “battitude” to the Wisconsin Bat Festival! Bring the whole family Saturday May 12 from 9 am-5pm to the Warner Park Community Recreation Center in Madison. (On Mother’s Day weekend don’t forget bats are great mothers too!)

– Meet special guest, Brian Lies, author of the children’s books Bats at the Beach, Bats at the Library, and Bats at the Ballgame!

– Meeting a Malayan Flying Fox at the 2011 Bat Festival

– Meet live bats from around the world and visit with Wisconsin’s backyard bats. Come face to face with fruit bats from Africa and Asia, a Vampire Bat, and encounter the largest bat in the world, the gigantic Malayan Flying Fox which has nearly a 6-foot wingspan!

– Participate in hands-on activities, games, crafts, and displays. Become a bat biologist for a day, build your own bat house, and explore a cave. Interact with local bat experts.

– Discover the night-time secrets of bat biology, understand their conservation needs, and learn how you can participate in the Wisconsin Bat Program.

– Cost is $10 for adults. Kids under 16 are free when accompanied by an adult. All proceeds benefit the Wisconsin Bat Conservation Fund.

The Bat Festival features live bat programs with bats from around the world, including Wisconsin’s backyard bats. The event also includes hands-on games and activities for the entire family. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources biologists will speak about the Wisconsin Bat Program and share how the state is addressing the threat of white-nose syndrome. This event will raise awareness and educate about the importance of bats, the role they play in our lives and our environment, and the threats they are facing.

For more information visit WIatri.net/inventory/bats/batfest.cfm ^[1]