With guidance from Maine Audubon’s Curious by Nature online education program, Mr. Hobbs and Mr. Coburn’s 5th grade classes at Fairmount School in Bangor took a deep dive into the world of bats—and emerged as true wildlife advocates.
The students had the opportunity to connect with Kelby Houtz, a biologist with the Maine Department of Transportation, who introduced them to the fascinating topic of wildlife road crossings (see Maine Audubon’s Stream Smart project for more). They learned how roads and vehicles can pose dangers to wildlife and how solutions like culverts, structures built to allow water and animals to pass under roads, can provide safe passage and even roosting spots for bats. They also learned that some bat species are protected under state and federal laws because of their dwindling populations.
Why are bats in trouble? The students explored the major threats to Maine bat species, including:
• Habitat loss
• White-nose syndrome (a deadly fungal disease)
• Human disturbance of roosting areas
The students then chose to take action! Their mission? Support endangered or threatened bats by building bat boxes—safe, human-made shelters that offer roosting spots away from roads and human activity.
To deepen their understanding, the students took part in two interactive activities that highlighted important bat behaviors:
• Echolocation Game: Students acted out a real-world version of how bats “see” with sound. Blindfolded “bats” called out and listened for responses from “moths,” practicing the echolocation that helps bats hunt in the dark.
• Feeding Frenzy with Bubbles: In this high-energy simulation, students imagined they were bats hunting mosquitoes. Using their arms and legs to mimic wings and tails, they zig-zagged around trying to “catch” bubbles—just like bats catching bugs in the wild!
Through these activities, they also busted a common myth: Bats don’t fly erratically because they’re partially blind—they zigzag because they’re expert hunters following fast-moving prey! In fact, bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes in just one hour, making them essential pest-controllers in our watershed.
To wrap up the experience, the students proudly completed construction of their bat boxes, which they’ll install to give local bats a safer place to live and thrive. This project was more than just science—it was stewardship in action. These 5th graders are helping protect a keystone species, one bat box at a time!
This project is part of the culmination of a two-year environmental education partnership between Maine Audubon and the Bangor School Department, made possible through a generous grant from the Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
