Bats are our friends. They were here when saber-toothed tigers roamed L.A., and they eat the bugs that drive us crazy, so they need habitat protection too.
Bats may conjure images of dark, dank caves, but they can actually be found all over Los Angeles freeway underpasses, industrial hubs and, it turns out, in our own back yards.
That is in part why the Natural History Museum of L.A. County is asking for the public s help as part of its Backyard Bat Survey, which is billed as the first large-scale study of how the flying mammals make use of urban and suburban habitats. It would be difficult, the museum notes, for researchers to gain access to so much private property on their own.
Researchers hope that better data on these understudied habitats will help inform land planning and conservation decisions, and maybe inspire residents to take more interest in and better care of their local environment.