© Bethany Lawson - Learning to Love Bats

1. Learning to
Love Bats
BETHANY LAWSON
GEOGRAPHY STUDENT
NOVEMBER 1, 2019

2. • Ecological
Importance
• Economic
Importance
Personal Picture: Congress Avenue Bridge, Austin, TX

3. • Population
Declines
• White-nose
Syndrome
• Wind energy
• Urbanization
• Climate change

4. Research Question
Question: Can public education, including
bat-related tourism, assist in bat
conservation efforts?
Personal Picture: Old Tunnel State Park, Fredericksburg, TX

5. Field Work
Funded by:
• Drapeau Center for
Undergraduate
Research
• Honors College
Research Process:
• Qualitative
Research
• Interviews with
Professionals
Personal Photo: Bracken Bat Cave, San Antonio, TX

6. • Mammoth Cave
National Park, KY
• Great Smoky
Mountains National
Park, TN
• Carlsbad Caverns
National Park, NM
• Bracken Cave, San
Antonio, TX
• Congress Avenue
Bridge, Austin, TX
• Old Tunnel State Park,
Fredericksburg, TX
• Local Areas Photo by Virginia Moyers; Anna the Bat; Carlsbad,NM

7. Networking Opportunities
Personal Photos:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Mammoth Cave National Park, KY

8. Preliminary Findings
•Education is Important to Bat Conservation
•Ecotourism Encourages Conservation
•Funding and Support for Research is Essential
Picture Taken From: Bat Conservation International

9. Acknowledgments
• Advisor – Dr. Mark M. Miller
• Graduate Students
• USM Honors College
• Drapeau Center for Undergraduate Research

10. Questions?
Personal Photo: Old Tunnel State Park, Fredericksburg, TX