NSAS Presents A Bit about Bats with Corky Quirk 10 10 24

Bats play an important role in the ecosystem as major consumers of nocturnal insects. They have many adaptations to help them navigate the night sky, from flight to echolocation. Meet the fastest mammal on earth, the Mexican free-tailed bat and the new California State symbol, the Pallid bat. In her presentation, Corky will share her knowledge about California bats along with a close up and personal experience of live, local, native species of bats. This is a great presentation to come to in-person for close up views of Ms. Quirk’s live Bats!
About the Presenter: Mary Jean (Corky) Quirk, Founder NorCal Bats
Corky Quirk is the founder of NorCal Bats, an organization that provides care for injured bats and educational programs for libraries, schools, nature programs, fairs and other community events throughout the region. Corky has been working intensely with native bats since 2004 and has educated thousands of people of the important role they play in our ecosystems. She works with injured and orphaned bats, returning them to the wild and keeps a captive colony of non-releasable bats for use in education. Corky is the Director of www.norcalbats.org and is permitted through the CA Department of Fish and Wildlife and the USDA to support their conservation work with bats. Corky is an experienced environmental educator who got her start with Camp Fire Girls & Boys. She has an undergraduate degree in natural resource planning and interpretation from Humboldt State University. In addition to her work with bats, she teaches three days a week at the Yolo Basin Foundation, a wetland education program in the Sacramento Valley.