Fri., July 31, 2026 at 7:00pm
Fri., July 31, 2026 at 11:00pm
Clendening Lake Marina
9100 Bose Rd
Freeport, OH
Go batty discovering conservation at work
NEW PHILADELPHIA, Ohio — The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District is inviting families and nature enthusiasts to a new event featuring Ohio’s amazing flying mammals.
Bat Discovery Night will take place at Clendening Lake Marina from 7 to 11 p.m. July 31. This unique event will provide visitors with a rare opportunity to learn about one of Ohio’s most important bat populations while participating in hands-on activities and nighttime adventures.
Bats play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by consuming thousands of insects each night, providing natural pest control, and supporting environmental balance. The little brown bat has experienced severe population declines due to white-nose syndrome, making the protection and monitoring of colonies like the one at Clendening Lake increasingly important to the species’ recovery.
“Clendening Lake is home to the largest maternity colony of little brown bats in Ohio, significantly contributing to local biodiversity,” said Joe Johnson, ecologist at the University of Cincinnati. “This colony, estimated at 1,350 during 2025, is essential to the survival of this species in Ohio as it recovers from white-nose syndrome. MWCD’s efforts to protect and support this colony are one of the most important bat conservation projects currently underway in Ohio.”
The highlight of the event will include an active bat survey by Johnson and staff, who will use mist nets as part of ongoing conservation and research efforts. Visitors will have the opportunity to observe bats being safely captured, identified, measured, tagged and released as part of a new tracking program designed to help researchers better understand bat movement, behavior, and habitat use.
In addition to the live bat netting and tagging demonstrations, attendees can enjoy a variety of family-friendly activities throughout the evening, including wildlife education exhibits and displays, opportunities to meet bat experts and ask questions, boat tours, a bat box workshop and t-shirt tie-dye.
MWCD encourages everyone to participate in these or other events and to help protect and preserve the natural beauty of Eastern Ohio. More information on MWCD’s events can be found at MWCD.org/calendar.
