Bat Night 2022
Saturday, August 13, 2022
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Olompali State Historic Park in Novato
Info
The popular evening of batty activities and live bats at Olompali State Historic Park returns!
6:00 – 8:30 Bat snacks - bat mask decorating – bat info & bat houses – meet live bats
8:30 – 9:00 NorCal Bats presentation and bat emergence
Bring a flashlight and chair or blanket to sit on while observing bats. With luck we’ll watch the flight of the bats at twilight. Come explore!
Questions? Contact us at: contact@olompali.org
$8 per car for parking - Donations are welcome
Presented by Friends of Olompali and California State Parks
Olompali is three miles north of Novato. On Highway 101, take the Atherton/San Marin Dr exit and follow the signs north to the Old Redwood Highway frontage road that leads to the park
2021 Annual Bat Night was a Big Hit
Olompali's annual Bat Night had a large turnout again this year, with more than 150 adults and kids of all ages celebrating the park's winged friends.
The program featured bat-mask making, videos, displays, and “Meeting Your Local Bats” with Corky Quirk from NorCal Bats. As dusk descended, we witnessed the emergence of bats from the Visitor Center Bat House and watched them as they swooped and dove while catching insects. Then, at nightfall, using the Visitor Center building as a video screen, Corky presented her audiovisual program.
Olompali is home to a large, successful colony of pallid bats (Antrozous pallidus), as well as tiny mosquito-eating Myotis californicus. In fact, the species of bats documented at Olompali also include the big brown bat, hoary bat, western red bat, Townsend’s big-eared bat, Mexican free-tail bat, and Yuma myotis.
The park has become a safe haven for bats because of the protection afforded by its wild lands, lack of pesticide use, old snag trees, and preserved historic buildings in which bats can roost.
Special thanks go to all our volunteers as well as State Parks ranger Derek Shelly, who handled public safety, and Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Cathleen Cannon, who organized the volunteers. Diane Einstein of Friends of Olompali planned and facilitated the event.
