OkcPets Magazine September 2021

September/October 2021 • OKC Pets 31 likely kill you too,” said Jerry McLaughlin, one of the volunteer guides on the Selman Bat Watch. Bats perform useful functions. They not only eat thousands of pounds of insects every season, but they also can reduce the use of pesticides required for crops. In Okla- homa alone, bats helped to reduce pesticide use, cutting the cost by an estimated $6 million to $24 million a year, according to a 2011 University of Tennessee study. In fact, the researchers estimate that the value of bats to the agricultural industry is about $22.9 billion a year, with the extremes ranging as low as $3.7 billion and as high as $53 billion a year. “These estimates include the reduced costs of pesticide applications that are not needed to suppress the insects consumed by bats. However, they do not include the downstream impacts of pesticides on humans, domestic and wild animals, and our environment,” said Gary McCracken, head of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. “Without bats, crop yields are affected. Pesticide applications go up. Even if our estimates were quartered, they clearly show how bats have enormous potential to influence the economics of agriculture and forestry.” HowTo Register Hopeful registrants for the Selman Bat Watch must download, complete, and mail a registration form to Selman Bat Watch, c/o Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 53465, Oklahoma City, OK 73152 between May 24 and June 1 each year to be considered for watches. So although you might have missed your chance to see one of the most impressive wildlife performances this year, put it on your calendar for 2022. Admission to the Selman Bat Watch is $14 for adults and $8 for children ages eight through 12. Children must be age eight or older to attend.