Great Lakes Bat Festival Coming To Belle Isle

DETROIT, MI — The 18th annual Great Lakes Bat Festival is swooping into the Belle Isle Nature Center on Saturday, Oct. 5, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., to celebrate the importance of bats to the environment.

Experts from the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS), University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University will speak on topics including threats to the bat population, the importance of bat conservation and facts about the bats that live in Michigan. Guests can visit tables hosted by groups including the DZS education staff, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oakland County Parks, Night Nature Alliance and others to learn all about bats.

Guests can also participate in bat-to-human activities that compare “wing beats” per minute and food volume consumed in a day, and take a selfie against a backdrop of a human-size bat. Carrie Morris Arts will present a bat puppet show, and table hosts will offer crafts and activities such as bat finger puppets, bat origami and a bat researcher relay activity.

“We are honored to host the Great Lakes Bat Festival for the first time in its 18-year history,” said Amy Greene, nature centers director for the DZS. “This event celebrates these flying mammals and other nocturnal animals in Michigan and underscores their importance to the ecosystem.”

Admission to the Belle Isle Nature Center and all Great Lakes Bat Festival activities are free.

Operated by the Detroit Zoological Society, the Belle Isle Nature Center sits on a 5-acre site surrounded by undisturbed forested wetlands on Belle Isle in Detroit. The facility features indoor animal habitats, a bee exhibit, bird observation window, outdoor native butterfly garden, outdoor classrooms, nature play area and the Blue Heron Lagoon nature trail.

Located at the east end of Belle Isle near the Blue Heron Lagoon, the Belle Isle Nature Center is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October and Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.

Admission to the Nature Center is free; a State of Michigan Recreation Passport is required for all personal vehicles to enter Belle Isle State Park.

For information, visit belleislenaturecenter.org.