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July 3, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels June 10, 2004 Bat houses help keep insect population down by natural means By Claire Krulikowski Tidings Correspondent Retired Ashland High School teacher Harry Detwiler talks about Bracken Cave in Texas, site of the largest colony of bats in the United States. Given that each individual bat consumes 500 to 600 bugs per hour, the nocturnal foraging populace of just that single cave consumes roughly 200 tons of insects every night. "Do you realize how much toxic insecticide humans would have to utilize to do the same?" he said. Detwiler, 72, and various organizations dedicated to assisting bats said that's a question Harry Detwiler, 72, of Ashland, spreads the word about bats' penchant for insects. He gives away kits for bat houses to help ward off West Nile Virus. Photos by Satsuki Doi/Ashland Daily Tidings requiring everyone's attention. The seasonal spread of the West Nile Virus (a mosquito-born disease affecting the central nervous system of victims) and predictions that the disease will make its way into Oregon this year places emphasis on local prevention and eradication of mosquito carriers. Detwiler said bats are absolutely vital to the process, and their populations need to be supported because people and some animals, such as horses, are at risk although only 1 percent of mosquitoes in an infected area carry West Nile. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 80 percent of people infected with West Nile will show no symptoms. Twenty percent will develop mild symptoms, but one in 150 infected people develop serious illness. Bats are truly effective insectivores, yet ungrounded fears and lack of understanding about the valuable role these nocturnal creatures play combined with human negligence and development, threaten their survival, Detwiler said. Fifteen species of bats inhabit Oregon. Without bats, insects would be out of control. Working two fronts Detwiler said he learned of the enormous value of bats from teenager Alex Bezeau, who earned a Boy Scout badge building 20 bat houses and placing them along the Greenway between Ashland and Phoenix in summer 2003. When Bezeau entered high school in September, Detwiler chose to continue the youth's work with an even bigger vision. He's been working on two fronts. First, he works with regional organizations and schools to educate local youth in the truth about bats as well as how to eliminate mosquitoes from breeding around their own houses. His education presentation includes a bat house building and distribution project. Since September, Detwiler's efforts have resulted in more than 700 bat houses being given away. He utilizes recycled wood, such as used wooden crates a friend brings him. The crate wood is sawed to correct lengths and arranged into kits. "Then kids put them together and finish the bat houses," he said. Free bat houses are available while supplies last at the Ashland Ranger Station, 645 Washington St. in Ashland. The office is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but closed for lunch from 1 to 2 p.m. Free is easy to accept yet difficult to arrange. Detwiler said he would appreciate sources of recycled wood, plus volunteers to cut the stock and place them in kits. Children who answer his class questionnaire, "What are five things I can do at home to eliminate mosquitoes?" are allowed to pick a prize from his grab bag, so Detwiler also appreciates receiving inexpensive trinkets. "Everyone has a junk drawer of items they don't have a use for anymore," he said. National commitment necessary Detwiler's broader vision is for an organization, such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, to become engaged nationally in promoting and organizing bat house projects. "It seems a natural fit," he said, pointing out that the decision of the national organization for the Boy Scouts helped save Wood Duck populations in the 1920s and '30s when that organization made a critically important decision to build duck hutches in ponds, lakes and rivers across the nation. Detwiler said a national organization could have a huge impact on maintaining a healthy bat population that could effectively contain mosquitos that carry West Nile Virus, as well as other insects. Detwiler admits he has not yet had success promoting his broader vision. "It sounds like a perfect fit and such a simple thing to do, but I went about it the wrong way," he said. "It's going to take someone with more finesse than I." The tremendous need makes him persevere, he said. "Bat houses have shown moderate to good success depending on specific cases in supplementing natural roosting habitats often lost to human development," said Ian Reid, fisheries biologist for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest at the Ashland and Applegate Ranger District. Asked his opinion of Detwiler's project, Reid said it's accomplished a lot. "Harry is a dedicated, passionate outdoorsman who truly cares about his community and environment," Reid said. "[The bat house project] is a great way to give something back to the community and educate the public about West Nile Virus and the beneficial use of bats. It is also trying to use natural alternatives to traditional vector control." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. 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