Six Rivers Hotshot crew builds boxes for returning colony of bats

DEL NORTE COUNTY, Calif. – Hundreds of bats headed to the Big Flat Campground this spring will have a new place to call home.

Thanks to Six Rivers National Forest Hotshots and the Gasquet Recreation crew the old worn bat boxes have been replaced with three new, customized, hand-built bat boxes.

According to a Facebook post from Six Rivers National Forest, the Yuma Myotis Bats are part of a nursery colony that has returned to the Big Flat Guard Station since the 1990’s.

In the post the national forest says, “bats play a crucial role in our ecosystem by consuming vast quantities of insects, pollinating flowers, and dispersing seeds, making them essential for maintaining a healthy environment.”

One of the new raised boxes will be used as a nursery while the other two will house adult bats.

Courtesy Yvette Brizuela and Aida Parkinson

For those planning a trip to the Big Flat Campground, interpretive signs have been installed for visitors and bat enthusiasts alike.

Six Rivers National Forest also gave a shoutout to everyone who helped build and install the new bat boxes.

“Thank you to members of our Hotshot crew for building the new boxes; Jeremiah Mendes, Anthony Agpaoa, James Siano and Andy Furlong. Thanks to everyone that helped install the Bat Boxes; Scott Bowman, Yvette Brizuela, Wayne Escobar, Benjamin Testhart and Laural Tappett. And our very best volunteer bat biologist, Aida Parkinson!”