Carol Bunyard Bat Rehab Specialist with WildCare

This was one of our most interesting programs to date in my opinion. Carol received her training in bat rehabilitation at BatWorld (AKA Bat Boot Camp) in Austin, TX in 2000. While the state license for a rehabilitator is only $5.00 there is a lot more to it than just having a license. To be able to handle the bats Carol has had a series of three pre-exposure rabies shots which by the way insurance generally doesn’t cover. If she does get bit then she receives two booster shots. In eight and one-half years of rehabbing she has had only four rabid bats.

While there is some cost to being a rehabber it is obvious from listening to Carol that there are also great benefits which are priceless. Oklahoma is home to 19 species of bats. Worldwide there are more than 1100 species. In a nod to Halloween Carol informed us that there are only three species of vampire bats and they all live in Latin America. Only one of those three prey on humans.

Carol provided us with a magnificent slide show of the bats she generally sees as a rehabber. The Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) is the species seen most often. These are foliage dwelling bats. They hang out (literally) in trees rather than buildings or caves. Sometimes they get blown out during high winds or drop out due to exhaustion. They have litters of 1-5 pups and are solitary except during baby time. They are North America’s only sexually dimorphic bat species. Evening Bats (Nycticeius humeralis) are small chocolate brown in color with the females generally being larger than the males. They are crevice dwelling species and typically live longer than other bat species. Eastern Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus) are tiny bats that can’t fly in heavy winds. They must be grounded a lot in Oklahoma! They have very outgoing personalities. Mexican Free Tails (Tadarida brasiliensis) are a bat that those of us who have been to the Selman Living Laboratory (SLL) are familiar with. They are gregarious and need large colonies with social contact to grow properly. Oklahoma is home to several large maternity colonies. These bats fly very high and very fast. The Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is one of our largest species. They are approximately 6 inches long & have a wing span of up to 24 inches. The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is common throughout North America, but Carol almost never gets any of them. They are crevice dwellers. Cave Myotis (Myotis velifer) are an endangered. These are crevice dwellers with nasty personalities (according to Carol). Townsend Big Eared Bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) are medium sized & very distinctive with their large ears. I saw a subspecies at SLL in February. Apparently during hibernation they wrap the ears so they look like rams’ horns. The Big Free Tailed Bats (Nyctinomops macrotis) are rare in central Oklahoma. They will adapt to humans and even seek out their company.
A couple of final interesting notes: pesticides can cause digit & facial deformities in bats; bats are more closely related to humans than they are rodents.

For more interesting bat info check out www.batcon.org.

This was a very informative program given by Louis Scott the Naturalist at Will Rogers Gardens.
As Master Naturalists we try to “get back to Nature” with regard to our personal environments.
I’m fairly certain most of us would enjoy living in the middle of a wildflower meadow. This
however is not always practical especially if you live within a municipality.
The main focus of the presentation was how to “have your cake & eat it to” – how to creatively get around some of the “rules” by which you are governed when living in an urban area. First of all you must understand your obligations as a citizen. This includes knowing what the rules are and who makes them. For example you need to know where the “easements” are for your property. You are responsible for the maintenance of the easements, but the city gets to use them (water & sewer lines, etc). You may also be governed by a property owners association. Knowing the rules allows you to make a reasonable and logical plan for breaking them.
Your personal environment generally consists of two areas. The front yard is usually a more public area. Your neighbors, city inspectors & the public in general see this area. You have to have a different strategy here because you are more likely to get “flack” about natural plantings in this area. The backyard tends to be more of a private area. Here is where you are more likely to be able to get away with a brush pile for the birds to hide in.

Habitat types that are usually least objectionable to fussy neighbors:
1 Reducing turf for ornamental plantings. Check for re-sale value and neighborhood/municipal rules.
2 Water gardens – great for all year attracting.
3 Rock gardens – for ground feeding species.
4 Hedgerows – great for cover, nesting, diversity and xeric plantings.
5 Wildflower plots – hard edges make the informality easier for most non-educated folks to accept.
6 Boulders – attract beneficials such as toads and provide shelter for insect populations.

Water Attractants that are kid friendly and use less water:
1 Small open surface area.
2 Hidden reservoir.

Plants that function as food and host plants:
1 Mountain mint – attracts beneficial predator insects.
2 Passion vine – host for Gulf Fritillary.
3 Dill – host for Eastern Black Swallowtail.
4 Red Yucca ” nectar for Hummingbirds.
5 Crab apple – smaller fruiting varieties are better for some birds, but larger fruiting OK for ground
feeding birds such as Mourning Dove.
6 Chinese Hollies – such as Burford are parthenocarpic and will set fruit without a male pollinator.
Good shelter/nesting sites as well.
7 American Hollies – usually need a male for good fruit set, Good shelter/nesting sites as well.
8 Weeping Yaupon – get female selection as both types appear on the market. Good for
food/shelter and nesting.

Small trees that are better suited for urban yards:
1 Red Buckeye
2 Texas Buckeye
3 American Holly
4 Crab apple
5 Redbud
6 Washington Hawthorn
7 Eastern red cedar – Taylor’ very narrow, upright form – watch out for rust problems.

Colorful accent plants that provide floral interest for the landscape that are natives:
1 Blue-eyed Grass
2 Spotted Hawkweed
3 Prairie Rose – Rosa foliosa – good for shelter and hips – pleasing, Tern-like’ foliage
4 Sweet Autumn Clematis
5 Cowboy Rose – Callirohoe
6 Side-Oats Gramma – one of the best smaller, native grasses for ornamental purposes – do not
over water.

The program for our August meeting was presented by Steve Sowers OERB Environmental Director. OERB (Oklahoma Energy Resource Board) was established in 1994. It is funded through a voluntary 1/10th of 1% assessment on the production of oil and natural gas in Oklahoma. It is governed by a 21 member voluntary, unpaid board. Their mission is to clean up abandoned well sites and to educate the public about oil and gas production and conservation. It was the first program of its type in the United States. By statue 50% of the budget is allocated to environmental restoration. Public and student education get the other 50%. Their FY09 budget was $8.25 million while FY10’s is $5 million.

Orphaned/abandoned well sites are those with no identifiable responsible party. OERB’s cleanup responsibilities include only surface damage. They don’t plug wells. The landowner submits the site for approval. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) then determines who the responsible party is or if there is one at all. In Osage County this is done by the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs). In general an abandoned well site cleanup consists of four phases.
Phase I preliminary assessment.
Phase II sampling, determination of the scope of work needed, cost estimation & prebids.
Phase III bidding, contracting, verification of scope of work, actual construction.
Phase IV final report preparation.

Since the discovery of oil in Oklahoma in 1897 there have been a half million wells drilled here. Prior to the Clean Water Act of 1981 there were no real rules governing oil and gas producers regarding the environment. During clean up of these sites most of what OERB does is to just speed up what Mother Nature would do naturally. Their goal is to get the land back to a productive state. Most sites have a lot of concrete and trash type debris. Some of this can simply be buried on site with a three foot cover of dirt. Much of the concrete is recycled by Campbell Asphalt. Weathered hydrocarbons can be used for roadbeds or plowed back. This is acceptable as long as they haven’t been refined.
If the area is salt impacted the cleanup takes longer. Simple crude oil spills take less time. Sites that have an environmental, health or safety issues get top priority. OERB works with many other agencies during these cleanups. If navigable waterways are involved the EPA will step in and help. They also work closely with the Army Corp of Engineers, DEQ and the Nature Conservancy (especially in Osage county).

In the first year of their existence OERB completed the clean up of 69 sites. In 2008 1,035 sites were completed. This year they will probably complete 700-800 sites. In total 9,500 sites have been cleaned up. It is estimated there are 35,000 to 51,000 remaining.

Besides environmental cleanup OERB is involved in student and public education. They reach 100,000 students a year with over one million in total so far. They have a scholar program and a conservation education assistance fund for low income families. They directly contribute 76,000 jobs to the state directly plus another 245,000 indirectly. They have contributed 2.05 billion in taxes to the state.

Claire Glenn prepares to enter the kayak.

OMN May Meeting Notes – Kayaking with Dave Lindo

Dave Lindo, of OKC Kayaks, gave a humorous, energetic and thoroughly enjoyable  presentation on kayaking for novices to our OMN membership at our May meeting. This was the prelude to our Advanced training and kayak outing scheduled this Saturday, May 16th at Stinchcomb wildlife refuge.

Dave, a fellow naturalist and also a volunteer at Martin Park Nature Center, encouraged us that we as volunteers, in sharing our excitement and interest in our natural world, not to be discouraged by the often heard bad news about our environment, and to remember that we really do make a difference by our outreach efforts.

With this Dave launched into his passion of kayaking. He spoke of it as a great club and a growing network inclusive for everybody and anybody…all ages, abilities, disabilities and shapes and sizes! He cited one woman, 101 years of age, that enjoys the outings. Kayaking is an exceptional way to explore and view the flora and fauna of a wildlife area!

Dave brought a 13 ft. kayak for demonstration and had it perched on a tabletop for display, so we thought. The demonstration turned out to be more “hands on” as he demonstrated kayaking techniques with member volunteers.

Claire Glenn, his first victim, went up and stood as directed at the kayaks side, when she was suddenly swept off her feet by Dave and plopped into the kayak on the table. It took us all by surprise, especially Claire! Though not the best image posted here, you can see her predicament.

Claire good-naturedly accepted her fate perched on top of the table in the boat. Claire was demonstrating how you basically “wear” the kayak, by using your knees slightly bent outwards, to stabilize yourself and the boat. Plucked out after the demonstration, she quipped “I didn’t know I would be the comic relief!”

Dave asked us what fears we associated with kayaking and some offered “get stuck” or “die” as their answers. But he explained that if you were to tip over, falling out was easy, or, you could push yourself out. Once in the water, the kayak will float, so can you can hang onto it and your paddle and you will survive nicely.

Balancing when in the kayak is not difficult, but if you begin to tip, your reaction should be counter to our habits of breaking a fall. In other words, keep your head and shoulders towards the center of the boat, and away from the direction of tip.

Kayaking does not take a lot of strength. With proper posture, paddling technique and blade positioning there should be no strain to be suffered. Using your torso, and not your arms, to do most of the work and wrist positioning are all geared to reduce work and stress.

Dave covered safety and explained wearing the life vest was the only way to utilize it as it’s a bear to try and put one on once IN the water. A bilge pump is also standard equipment, should waves wash water into your hull.

Dave has kayaked in Alaska and other beautiful country, but says when asked where his favorite kayaking area is, his answer is always Oklahoma. Ironically, Oklahoma, “the dust bowl” state, is now an official Olympic training site for flat water sports.

Join our OMN members Saturday at Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge for a sure to be entertaining and educational float with Dave.

See our Advanced Training blog announcement for details!