CNDDB Newshttps://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/NewsInternational Bat Appreciation Day - April 17thhttps://wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/News/international-bat-appreciation-day-april-17th2Education and AwarenessWed, 17 Apr 2019 08:00:00 GMTApril 17th is International Bat Appreciation Day<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="bats exiting colony to feed at dusk" src="https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Portals/0/Images/BDB/CNDDB/News/Feature_Days/LABE_TABRemergence_c-Misty-Nelson.jpg" style="max-width: 750px; width: 100%;" /></p> <p>Happy April, all! This month brings a very special day, International Bat Appreciation Day! Spring has sprung and as hibernation comes to an end, bats can be seen feeding on insects returning to the state. This means April is an opportune time to observe them. Because their diet consists mainly of insects, bats are crucial to California’s fragile farming industry. The California Natural Diversity Database currently tracks 21 of the 25 bat species that inhabit California and holds over 2,800 mapped occurrences! With the spread of white-nose syndrome and recorded cases of the disease in Washington state, protecting California’s bat species is more important than ever. Want to contribute to the monitoring of these awesome critters? Have you seen some of these species in your area? If so, submit your observations through our <a href="http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Data/CNDDB/Submitting-Data" target="_blank"><img alt="link opens in new window" src="https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Portals/0/Images/Shared/new-window-icon.gif" />Online Field Survey Form</a>!</p>