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The BLM to celebrate National Bat Week in the Coachella Valley

Organization:

Bureau of Land Management

BLM Office:

Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office

Media Contact:

A small bat eats a grass hopper. Photo by Dani Ortiz/BLM PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, invites the public to celebrate National Bat Week, Oct. 24-31.

Bat Week in the Coachella Valley is an annual celebration of bats, and this year marks the sixth year of this bat-tastic educational outreach program with fun activities scheduled throughout the valley.

Activities include:

  • Now until January 2020 – Pollinator Power Art Exhibition at S.C.R.A.P Gallery, 68743 Perez Road D-16 in Cathedral City.
  • Thursdays through Mondays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Celebrate bats everyday in the month of October at the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center, 51-500 Highway 74 in Palm Desert.
  • Thursday, Oct. 24, all day – online question and answer trivia game @TheLivingDesert on Instagram.
  • Friday, Oct. 25, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. – learn about bats on the upper deck of the Mountain Station, Mount San Jacinto State Park, 1 Tramway Rd, in Palm Springs. Fee required for parking and tram fare. 
  • Saturday, Oct. 26, 5-7:30 p.m.  – bring a flashlight for an easy 3 mile moonlight bat hike at the Coachella Valley Preserve in Thousand Palms, RSVP by calling (760) 343-2733.
  • Sunday, Oct. 27, 5 to 7 p.m. – meet at the Art Smith trailhead in Palm Desert for an easy 2 mile super hero bat walk, bring a flashlight and participate in the bat costume contest. RSVP by calling (760) 862-9984. 

Bat Week events in the Coachella Valley is a partnership among the BLM, US Forest Service, S.C.R.A.P Gallery, Center for Natural Lands Management, California State Parks, the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and Friends of the Desert Mountains.

All programs are free of charge. For activity hours, other activity locations and further information contact Dani Ortiz, BLM Wildlife Biologist, at ddortiz@blm.gov.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

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