CUMBERLAND BAT PROJECT
Our community bat program started when both the CVLT and Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS) were actively engaged in fundraising to acquire important habitats in the headwaters of Morrison Creek and around Perseverance Creek. Both organizations are well aware that confirming the presence of species at risk can help build the case for conservation and provide important data to inform management decisions. Since some bat species on Vancouver Island are species at risk, the two CVCP members joined forces by jointly acquiring ultrasonic bat monitoring equipment, and the Cumberland Bat Project was born!
The Cumberland Bat Project continues to collect inventory data for sites that are targeted for conservation by CVLT and CCFS, but it does so much more than that. Co-creators Tim Ennis and Meaghan Cursons (the executive directors of CVLT and CCFS) regularly conduct public speaking events in the summer, typically at Comox Lake, provide educational information in schools, at event booths, as a part of the programming of large events such as the Cumberland Wild music festival as well as in all other forms of media (print, television, radio, online).
The CBP has an artistic flair as well, including the painted bats that adorn many fences and houses in Cumberland. Due to COVID-19 and recent public health orders, much our in-person outreach work is temporarily on hold, however we continue to provide bat education and outreach information to target audiences using Zoom-based presentations. To find out more about the activities supported by the Cumberland Bat Project, find us on Facebook!
