Bat World Nova

Bat World NOVA was established in 2001 to promote the conservation and protection of the region's bats and to introduce the wonderful world of bats to the area's children. Located in Annandale, Virginia, Bat World NOVA promotes bat conservation in the ever-growing Washington Metropolitan area.

If you need help with an orphaned or injured bat, please leave a message at 703-973-3157.
Your call will be returned as soon as we possibly can.

Wildlife in urban areas is under constant assault owing to habitat loss, degradation of stream valleys, pollution, wastewater runoff, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides and the constant onslaught of too many people and their companion animals, houses, and cars. While some types of wildlife seem to benefit from urbanization (gray squirrels, red fox, coyotes, raccoons, white tail deer, and Canada geese) most suffer dramatic declines.

Bats, in partivular are in dramatic decline. Metropolitan Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia are home to approximately 10 species of bats. One of  these, the Indiana bat, is listed on state and federal endangered and threatened species lists. Our other species are the big brown bat, the little brown bat, the evening bat, the eastern pipistrelle, the red bat , the hoary bat, the silver-haired bat the small footed myotis, and the northern myotis. While most of our species are not yet threatened, they are all suffering dramatic population declines. Bats' habitat and foraging areas disappear as woodlands are cleared. Aquatic insect populations on which our bats prey become scarcer as waterways are polluted or eroded. Habitats become unusable when standing ponds or wetlands are destroyed because bats must roost within 1/4 mile of a water source. Pesticides destroy the insects bats rely on and poisons the bats themselves. Companion animals, particularly cats left outdoors, maim and kill thousands of bats annually. And finally, human attitudes cause thousands of bats to be evicted from the few remaining roost sites they've found--usually wooden structures such as houses, barns and garages. Bats are routinely killed out of hand if they're found near human habitation because of overreaction about public health concerns or unfounded fear and superstition.

How can you help the region's bats?   
*      Join Bat World! And support local conservancy organizations such as Audubon Naturalist Society, Potomac Conservancy, etc.   
*      Install a bat house. Several area nature centers offer bat house workshops. Some bird and garden supply stores also sell bat houses.   
*      Use Integrated Pest Management techniques instead of pesticides in your garden. See the USDA's excellent backyard conservation website for more information.   
*      Turn off that bug zapper! Bats do a better job and bug zappers kill insects indiscriminately. You are taking out the good along with the bad when you use a bug zapper.   
*      Install a pond or water garden. In addition to beautifying your yard, you'll give bats a place to get a drink of water. A healthy pond will support a population of aquatic insects for your bat to dine on as well.   
*       If at all possible, let dead trees stand. If there is no danger to persons or buildings, leaving dead trees, called snags, standing provides habitat for bats, cavity nesting birds, small mammals, and bark dwelling insects.   
*      Attend an educational program to learn more about bats and other native wildlife. Batty things to do in the Metro area   
*      Book an EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM with Bat World NOVA!      
*      Hang out at your local pond at dusk and watch the bats fly!   
*        Take in a bat program at any of the nature centers in Fairfax, Arlington, Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.

Photos © Bat World NOVA. All rights reserved. No photos may be downloaded and used on another Internet site without express permission of Bat World NOVA.

Bat World NOVA rescues approximately 50 bats per year, over half are orphans. This is a fraction of the bats in need of rescue in the region. We could help many more bats if there were more qualified rehabilitators working with bats in the Washington Metro area. 

Bat World NOVA gratefully accepts volunteer help and will sponsor Category 1 (apprentice) rehabilitators in Northern Virginia. Volunteers and apprentices are required to be permitted through Virginia's Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (see links) and are required to have proof of rabies vaccination and an acceptable titer. Hands-on training is available through Bat World Sanctuary's Boot Camp, and continuing education classes are sponsored by the Wildlife Rescue League.

Please consider donating your time to help bats!
If you've found a bat-

Please honestly answer the following question: Have you or any one else had physical contact with the bat, that is, where the bat may have made contact with bare skin or bitten through clothing? Have any domestic animals had contact with the bat?

Was the bat found inside a dwelling where it may have had contact with sleeping persons, young children, or incapacitated persons? If the answer to any of these questions is YES, please call animal control.
 

Fairfax: 703-830-7914
Arlington: 703-931-9241
Alexandria:703-838-4775
Loudon County: 703-777-0406
Fauquier County 540 347-6862
Falls Church City: 703-248-5172
Fairfax City: 703-385-7924
District of Columbia: 202-576-6664
Montgomery County: 301-279-1823
Prince George's County: 301-499-8300
Anne Arundel County: 410-222-8900
Howard County: 410-313-2780

If no one has had contact with the bat and it appears to be uninjured, it can be placed in a coffee can or cardboard box, using gloved hands, and released outside away from any open windows or doors. If it appears to be an orphan, injured or is unable to fly, please call:
 

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      In Maryland: Second Chance Wildlife Center 301-926-WILD
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      In Northern Virginia: Bat World NOVA
      (D)703-973-3157
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      Virginia Wildlife Rescue League
      (703) 440-0800
      www.wildliferescueleague.org
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      In DC: Animal Shelter: 202-576-6664

 

Stretch your wings with a Bat World NOVA program. Our educational programs, festivals, booths, and special events reach over 4,000 people of all ages per year. We have presented for public and private schools, church groups, garden clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts, nature centers, and libraries.

In addition, Director Leslie Sturges presents workshops and lectures on bat rehabilitation and husbandry. She has presented for wildlife rehabilitation organization symposia and conferences in NY, MD, and VA. Leslie has also presented for the Northeast Bat Working Group annual meeting.

Our visiting programs feature multimedia presentations, biofacts, and live bats. Festival tables and booths can include hands-on activities, crafts, engaging video, and in certain venues, live bats!

Bat World NOVA’s programs complement many of Virginia’s Standards of Learning in Science, in particular:

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      K.2a; K.6a,b; K.8c
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      1.5a,b,c; 1.7b; 1.8a
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      2.5a; 2.7a
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      3.4a,b; 3.5c; 3.6c; 3.8b; 3.10a,b,d
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      4.5a,b.d.e; 4.8b
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      5.2a,c
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      LS.11a,b
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      PS.8a

PULL QUOTES

 “Your program today was terrific – several parents told me so, too. The material was perfectly geared for the age group, and you kept it very entertaining. Thanks so much for coming!” First Grade Teacher, Loudon County

“I just wanted to thank you again for the fascinating and wonderfully informative Bat World Program that you presented here at Chinn Park Regional Library!  We’ve had so many positive comments about the program, and I want to especially commend you for bringing the video camera and sound equipment that made it possible for our guests to see and hear the bats “up close and personal!”  We are extremely grateful for your dedicated efforts and those of so many individuals who are devoted to rescuing our wild animal friends and educating the public about them!

 

"On behalf of our library system and all of our enthusiastic guests…THANK YOU!”

“I loved your workshop at the NYSWRC conference.  Your enthusiasm for bats is contagious.”

“I really enjoyed your presentation.  So glad I decided to take the class. I also found the handouts very helpful.”

“I’ve been in the back of the room listening to lots of programs, and yours was one of the best.”  The Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor NJ

And I'm still upset that [my husband] missed the bats!!! That was the COOLEST! I couldn't stop talking about that one for days. NEST Program participant, Fairfax, VA

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A drawing inspired by an educational
program given by Bat World Nova.

Program fees:

Schools (K—6)

50-minute program including live bats:  $200 for audiences up to 100, $1 per person for additional audience members. No charge for teachers and chaperones.

Libraries, Scouts, Clubs, etc.

1-hour program including live bats:         $200 for audiences up to 100 including adult attendees

Festivals:                                                        Please contact Leslie Sturges directly to discuss festival fees: lsturges@verizon.net

Requirements:
Standard Programs: Electricity, an enclosed room that can be darkened for our multimedia presentation, enough room to maintain a 6-foot standoff between program animals and the audience; a small table for biofacts, an AV cart, and close-in parking. Because of bats’ sensitive hearing, it is important to select rooms with carpeting or acoustical tile ceilings. Rooms that are too large or that allow too much echo are upsetting to the bats and detract from program quality. For instance, school libraries are preferable to cafeteria/multipurpose rooms.

Festivals:  Shade, electrical power, tables, walls or barricades to enclose the back side of the booth/exhibit, close in parking.

Safety:
We are committed to protecting the safety of our audiences and our program animals. Our programs are designed to respect the needs and comfort of the animals while providing an unforgettable experience for
the audience. Director Leslie Sturges has years of experience handling wild animals in public venues and is a professional naturalist who has trained with Bat World Sanctuary, Bat Conservation International, Fairfax County Park Authority, Montgomery County Parks, National Park Service, and National Association for Interpretation.

Please Note:

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      Because of the small size of native bats, our programs are not suitable for children under 4.
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      We do not provide entertainment for birthday parties.
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      If you wish to book an October program, please contact us early. October is often fully booked
      by April.
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      We do not provide programs from June 1 through July 15 in order to care for orphans.
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      We do not provide programs less than 45 minutes in length.

Leslie Sturges, Director Bat World NOVA
Educator, Park Naturalist, Zookeeper and Instructor
 
Leslie has been rehabilitating bats since 2001, when she attended Bat Boot Camp at Bat World Sanctuary. The following year, she became director of Bat World NOVA. In 2004, she became Operations Manager of Bat World Regional Centers and was subsequently elected to the Bat World Board of Directors.

Leslie’s previous animal experience as a lifelong reptile keeper and breeder and zookeeper in Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park’s Department of Invertebrates gives her a firm grounding in captive animal management. As her interest shifted to insectivorous bats and their natural history, she has been studying the ecology of urban bats. In 2004 she attended BCI’s Bat Conservation and Management Workshop. In addition, she is a member of the Wildlife Rescue League, the Animal Behavioral Management Alliance the AZA Bat TAG, and the Wildlife Society.
 
As an educator for the past decade, Leslie presents natural history programs as part of her ‘regular’ job and as a bat ecologist and rehabilitator. She has taught continuing education courses for local rehabilitators for the past three years and has appeared on local news, community cable, and on public radio to promote bats and bat conservation. She has worked in partnership with the Fairfax County Park Authority to establish a bat festival in local parks—a program which may expand to three venues in 2005! She also is an invited presenter with the Girl Scout Council of the National Capital Region and numerous schools and libraries. Since their inception, her Bat World programs have reached over 5,000 people.
 

Leslie's husband, engineer extraordinaire Rich Sturges, is responsible for designing, building, and modifying bat housing. He is also in charge of audio-visual equipment procurement and upkeep, and frequently can be found working a table at festivals or events.

Volunteer and world traveler Sue Frey found us through the Wildlife Rescue League. Sue is a permitted wildlife caretaker and watches the bats when we are away and assists with orphan feeding. We keep her very busy during orphan season!
 

If you are interested in volunteering with Bat World NOVA please contact us.

Mealworms. We go through 20,000 mealworms a month! Mealworms are avaialable through Nature's Way and can be purchased for Bat World NOVA by specifying Leslie Sturges' account.

   
Contact Director, Leslie Sturges for questions or additional information. Donations can be mailed to: Bat World NOVA, 4512 Starr Jordan Dr., Annandale, VA 22003